Ambassador
- Translation:
- 日本語
U.S. Ambassadors to Japan
See below for Deputy Chiefs of Mission
Ambassadors: 1859-Present
Name | Appointment | Credentials presented | Term of Mission |
Townsend Harris | Jan. 19, 1859 | Nov. 5, 1859 | Presented recall, April 26, 1862 |
Robert H. Pruyn | Oct. 12, 1861 | - | Recommissioned after confirmation |
Jan. 22, 1862 | May 17, 1862 | Left Japan April 28, 1865 | |
Chaubcey M. Depewl | Nov. 15, 1865 | - | - |
Robert B. Van Valkenburgh | Jan. 18, 1866 | May 4, 1867 | Presented recall, Nov. 11, 1869 |
Charles E. De Long | April 21, 1869 | Nov. 11, 1869 | Promoted to EE/MP |
July 14, 1870 | June 9, 1872 | Had Farewell Audience, Oct. 7, 1873 | |
John A. Bingham | May 31, 1873 | Oct. 7, 1873 | Recommissioned after confirmation |
Richard B. Hubbard | April 2, 1885 | July 2, 1885 | Presented recall, May 15, 1889 |
John F. Swift | March 12, 1889 | May 15, 1889 | Died at post, May 10, 1891 |
Frank L. Coombs | April 20, 1892 | June 13, 1892 | Presented recall, July 14, 1893 |
Edwin Dun | April 4, 1893 | July 14, 1893 | Presented recall, July 2, 1897 |
Alfred E. Buck | April 13, 1897 | July 3, 1893 | Died at post, Dec. 4, 1902 |
Lloyd C. Griscom | Dec. 16, 1902 | June 22, 1903 | Left Japan Nov. 19, 1905 |
Luke E. Wright | Jan. 25, 1906 | May 26, 1906 | Left Japan August 1907 |
Thomas J. O'Brien | June 11, 1907 | Oct. 15, 1907 | Recommissioned after confirmation |
Dec. 12, 1907 | - | Left post, Aug. 31, 1911 | |
Charles Page Bryan | Aug. 12, 1911 | Nov. 22, 1911 | Left post, Oct. 1, 1912 |
Larz Anderson | Nov. 14, 1912 | Feb. 1, 1913 | Recommissioned after confirmation |
March 1, 1913 | - | Left Japan, March 15, 1913 | |
George W. Guthrie | May 20, 1913 | Aug. 7, 1913 | Died at post, March 8, 1917 |
Roland S. Morris | Aug. 1, 1917 | Oct. 30, 1917 | Left Japan, May 15, 1920 |
Charles B. Warren | June 29, 1921 | Sept. 24, 1921 | Left Japan, Jan. 28, 1922 |
Cyrus E. Woods | March 3, 1923 | July 21, 1923 | Left Japan, June 5, 1924 |
Edgar A. Bancroft | Sept. 23, 1924 | Nov. 19, 1924 | Recommissioned after confirmation |
Jan. 21, 1925 | - | Died at Karuizawa, July 27, 1925 | |
Charles MacVeagh | Sept. 24, 1925 | Dec. 9, 1925 | Recommissioned after conformation |
Dec. 17, 1925 | - | Left Japan, Dec. 6, 1928 | |
William R. Castle, Jr. | Dec. 11, 1929 | Jan. 24, 1930 | Left Japan, May 27, 1930 |
W. Cameron Forbes | June 17, 1930 | Sept. 25, 1930 | Left Japan, March 22, 1932 |
Joseph C. Grew | Feb. 19, 1932 | June 14, 1932 | Japan declared war on the U.S., Dec. 8, 1941 (Tokyo Time) |
Robert D. Murphy | April 18, 1952 | May 9, 1952 | Relinquished charge, April 28, 1953 |
John M. Allison | April 2, 1953 | May 28, 1953 | Left post, Feb. 2, 1957 |
Douglas MacArthur | Dec. 4, 1956 | - | Recommissioned after confirmation |
Jan. 29, 1957 | Feb. 25, 1957 | Left post, March 12, 1961 | |
Edwin O. Reischauer | March 29, 1961 | April 27, 1961 | Left post, Aug. 19, 1966 |
U. Alexis Johnson | Sept. 1, 1966 | Nov. 8, 1966 | Left post, Jan. 15, 1969 |
Armin H. Meyer | May 27, 1969 | July 3, 1969 | Left post, March 27, 1972 |
Robert S. Ingersoll | Feb. 29, 1972 | April 12, 1972 | Left post, Nov. 8, 1973 |
James D. Hodgson | Jun. 20, 1974 | July 19, 1974 | Left post, Feb. 5, 1977 |
Michael J.Mansfield | April 22, 1977 | June 10, 1977 | Left post, Dec. 22, 1988 |
Michael H. Armacost | April 20, 1989 | May 15, 1989 | Left post, July 19, 1993 |
Walter F. Mondale | Aug. 13, 1993 | Sep. 22, 1993 | Left post, Dec. 14, 1996 |
Thomas S. Foley | Nov. 6, 1997 | Nov. 19, 1997 | Left post, April 1, 2001 |
Howard H. Baker, Jr. | May 23, 2001 | July 5, 2001 | Left post, Feb. 17, 2005 |
John Thomas Schieffer | March 17, 2005 | April 11, 2005 | Jan. 15, 2009 |
Deputy Chiefs of Mission
Name | Appointed | Title |
A.L. C. Portman | June 27, 1861 | Secretary & Interpreter |
J. C. Hepburn | April 6, 1871 | Interpreter |
Durham W. Stevens | Aug. 6, 1873 | Secretary of Legation |
Gustavus Goward | Jan. 23, 1883 | Secretary of Legation |
Fred S. Mansfield | Nov. 12, 1885 | Secretary of Legation |
Edwin Dun | Sept. 3, 1889 | Secretary of Legation |
Joseph R. Herod | March 8, 1895 | Secretary of Legation |
Huntington Wilson | Oct. 10, 1900 | Secretary of Legation |
H. Percival Dodge | Aug. 8, 1906 | Secretary of Embassy |
Peter Augustus Jay | June 21, 1907 | Secretary of Embassy |
Montgomery Schuyler | Dec. 21, 1908 | Secretary of Embassy |
Arthur Bailly-Blanchard | Feb. 1, 1912 | Secretary of Embassy |
Post Wheeler | June 3, 1914 | Secretary of Embassy |
John Van A. MacMurray | Nov. 10, 1917 | Counselor |
Hugh R. Wilson | Aug. 19, 1921 | Counselor |
Jefferson Caffery | Sept. 5, 1923 | Counselor |
Norman Armour | June 25, 1925 | Counselor of Embassy |
Edwin L. Neville | April 12, 1928 | Counselor of Embassy |
Eugene H. Dooman | Jan. 5, 1937 | Counselor of Embassy |
Embassy Closed December 8, 1941
Embassy re-established April 28, 1953
William T. Turner |
April 10, 1953 |
Counselor |
J. Graham Parsons | July 18, 1953 | Counselor of Embassy |
Outerbridge Horsey | April 22, 1956 | Minister-Counselor |
William Leonhart | December 28, 1958 | Minister-Counselor |
John K. Emmerson | July 22, 1962 | DCM |
David L. Osborn | January 1967 | DCM |
Richard L. Sneider | September 1969 | DCM |
Thomas P. Shoesmith | July 1972 | DCM |
William C. Sherman | July 1977 | DCM |
William Clark, Jr. | October 1981 | DCM |
L. Desaix Anderson | June 1985 | DCM |
William T. Breer | September 1989 | DCM |
Rust M. Deming | October 1993 | DCM |
Christopher J. LaFleur | November 1998 | DCM |
Richard A. Christenson | July 2001 | DCM |
Michael W. Michalak | April 2004 | DCM |
Joseph R. Donovan | August 2005 | DCM |
James P. Zumwalt | July 2008 | DCM |