House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Receives High Honor for Her Role in Strengthening United States Relations With Japan

Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Democratic leader of the House of Representatives and former Speaker of the House, has received Japan’s Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun “in recognition of her significant contribution to strengthening and deepening the Japan-U.S. relationship.” This honor is bestowed at an important juncture for U.S.-Japan relations as the two countries – once enemies and now among the closest allies - observe the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II and as they seek to reshape their security alliance to meet the changing global realities of 21st century    

The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun is among the highest decorations that the Emperor of Japan can bestow upon a non-Japanese. Originally established by Emperor Meiji, Japan’s great modernizer, in 1875, the Order of the Rising Sun was intended both to nationalize and legitimate Japan’s “restored” government under the rule of the Emperor. At the same time, the decoration was intended to build Japan’s global presence by demonstrating both its national power and its civilized character to the representatives of foreign powers. Today the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun is awarded to individuals who have made distinguished achievements in international relations as well as other fields of endeavor.

A Basis for Friendship and Enlightened Understanding   

The honor was conferred upon House Democratic Leader Pelosi by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a spring ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Japan. Expressing her gratitude at receiving the Imperial Decoration, Pelosi assured the Japanese people that the award “will hold a place of pride and prominence in my heart.”

“More than one century ago (1912),” Pelosi recalled, “the Japanese people presented the capital of the United States with the Sakura (blossoming cherry trees). Each spring, these cherry blossoms are a beautiful reminder of our friendship. Seventy years after the end of World War II,” she emphasized, “the United States and Japan have worked together to build a more peaceful and prosperous world.”

A celebration of Leader Pelosi’s decoration was recently hosted in Washington, DC by Japan’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Kenichiro Sasae. The Ambassador used the example of a white pine bonsai (miniaturized tree) dating back to the early 1600s that had been donated to the National Arboretum 40 years ago. The remarkable thing about the tree, he noted, was not simply its age but the fact that it had survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima . . . and ended up thriving here in the United States. That tree, he suggested, is symbolic of the devastation and the richness that have marked the relationship between the United States and Japan.

Ambassador Sasae recalled that in his speech before the U.S. Congress earlier this year Japanese Prime Minister Abe referred to the relationship between Japan and the United States as an “alliance of hope,” and he lauded Pelosi for her role in building that hope. Just as the bonsai tree is a blending of art and nature that requires careful tending, suggested Ambassador Sasae, so too does the relationship between Japan and the United States require such active care and concern, the kind of concern demonstrated by Leader Pelosi’s willingness to invest time and energy in deepening the Japan-U.S. relationship.

Even as she thanked Ambassador Sasae for his words of praise, Pelosi recalled a porcelain Japanese doll – one of several over the years – given to her father Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr. during his time as Mayor of Baltimore (1947-1959). The beautifully dressed and carefully coifed dolls were proudly kept in the D’Alesandro living room for invited guests to see.  These “exquisite” dolls, said Pelosi, were her first exposure to Japanese culture and tradition, and they made the receipt of this award “very personal.”

A Record of Concern

First elected to Congress in 1987, Pelosi represents California’s 12th Congressional District, which encompasses the city of San Francisco and much of the San Francisco Bay area. The district includes a significant Japanese-American population, and Pelosi has repeatedly shown great care, not only for her Japanese-American constituents and their heritage but also for the nuances of the economic and national security issues that are of vital importance to the two countries.

The citation accompanying conferral of the Japanese decoration notes that Pelosi was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Early in her career, Pelosi was a co-sponsor of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which reexamined the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and acknowledged that the actions of the United States government in this context represented “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.” The act further presented the official apology of the U.S. government and offered restitution to those who were interned.

Soon after being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007, Pelosi hosted the Japanese Prime Minister at a bipartisan meeting of the leaders of the House and the Senate.  Later that year Pelosi met with her counterpart, then Speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives, Mr. Yohei Kono, to discuss the possibility of holding an upcoming meeting of the parliamentary Speakers from the G-8 states in Hiroshima, Japan – site of the dropping of the first atomic bomb, including a visit by the eight Speakers to pay their respects to the atomic bomb victims by placing flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

Pelosi made history in 2008 as Speaker of the House of Representatives by becoming the highest ever sitting official of the U.S. government to pay her respects at Hiroshima and to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum dedicated to the memory of those who died in Hiroshima and to the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons from the conduct of international relations. She recalls that experience as “transformative,” noting that the visit to Hiroshima pointedly reminded her of the destructive power of nuclear weapons and convinced her that promoting peace and building a better more stable world was an urgent challenge facing all nations.

As leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi continues to show great interest in Japan-U.S. relations, and she has continued to make trips to Japan to discuss issues and to share in detail the concerns of the United States government as well as to listen to and closely consider the concerns of the Japanese government and its people.

This is not to say that the conversations between Leader Pelosi and her Japanese counterparts are always easy, but they are always direct and respectful on both sides.

During her most recent trips to Japan, Pelosi has been a forceful and candid advocate for protecting workers rights and preventing environmental degradation, issues she described as “bumps in the road” regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement recently negotiated between the United States and twelve major Asian trading partners.  Congress will take up consideration of the proposed TPP agreement through the fall and winter months following difficult leadership and budget decisions. Leader Pelosi’s role in coordinating hearings, exploring issues, and seeking further guarantees that the agreed upon terms of the TPP will be enforced by all parties to the agreement will be crucial to any final approval of TPP, a centerpiece of Obama administration’s security policy “pivot” toward Asia.

At the same time, Leader Pelosi will undoubtedly play an important role in another decision facing the Obama administration during its last year in office. The G-7 Summit will be held in Japan in May 2016, and there is serious discussion about whether President Obama, given his strong non-proliferation agenda and his commitment to the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, should become the first sitting American President to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Museum. [NOTE: Both former Presidents Carter and Nixon have visited the site, Nixon before assuming the presidency and Carter only after he was out of office.]

Pelosi says she would encourage such a visit by the President.

Bestowing National Honors

Presentation of national honors to respected foreign leaders is a frequent practice in diplomatic relations. These awards, however, can sometimes seem little more than hollow gestures intended as genuine expressions of affection and respect but having little impact on policy formation or the actual conduct of diplomacy. Nothing could be further from the truth in this case. The friendship between Leader Pelosi and the people of Japan is one of long standing: reflecting the realities of the congressional district she represents, acknowledging the leadership she provides in the House of Representatives and in the Democratic Party, encouraging the frank exchange of ideas and reciprocal concerns between the United States and Japan, and daring to build bridges of deepened understanding across the historical chasms of war, trade frictions and frequent misunderstanding.

Receiving this award from the Japanese government, Leader Pelosi noted that Prime Minister Abe had called the Japan-U.S. alliance a “miracle of history.”  But alliances, unlike miracles but very much like ancient bonsai trees, require careful tending to preserve the past and assure the future. With that thought in mind, Pelosi reiterated the words of the new Joint Vision Statement agreed to between the United States and Japan earlier this year: “The experience of the past should inform but not constrain the possibilities for the future.” Underscoring that realization is reason enough for this award.