Thank you Secretary Shultz for that very kind introduction.
Foreign Minister Tanaka, Director General Nakatani, Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz, Ambassador Yanai, Ambassador Baker, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen --- I am pleased to be here with you in this beautiful setting in the shadow of the Golden Gate.
Half a century later, it is difficult to recall just how pervasive an atmosphere of anxiety gripped the world in the year 1951, as the Cold War heated up on the frontiers of Asia and tensions mounted along the Iron Curtain that divided Europe.
A war of Communist aggression was underway in Korea. The Communists had driven the Nationalist Chinese government off the mainland. Insurgencies flared in Indochina and elsewhere.
There was even concern that the Peace Conference, to be held here in San Francisco at the War Memorial Opera House where some of us will meet later, might itself provoke a Soviet attack on Japan.
So these were bold and courageous people who met in San Francisco half a century ago. And the security treaty that was signed following the Peace Conference, signed here in this room, was a significant part of their boldness and their courage. Today, we can be deeply grateful for their leadership and vision.
The Security Treaty that was signed here was the first step toward the regional peace and prosperity that we enjoy today. By guaranteeing the defense of Japan, these visionary thinkers provided a shield behind which Japan could rebuild and ultimately prosper. Several years later, in 1960, the United States and Japan concluded a Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security and a Status of Forces Agreement. Taken together, these treaties have formed the basis for our bilateral alliance, which remains the cornerstone of peace and security throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Japan today hosts nearly 50,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. Our alliance and these forward-deployed forces have been a bulwark in deterring armed conflicts.
We thank Japan for its most generous Host Nation Support, a tangible expression of commitment to the alliance. Japan spends some four billion dollars a year in support of America�s military presence -- about as much as all the rest of our allies combined.
We want to be good neighbors and welcome guests in Japan, and toward that end we are working to minimize the burdens of our bases on the people of Okinawa. We must always keep foremost in our minds the security of the region, but we can always work toward making the lives of our generous hosts as little interrupted as possible.
While we signed our first bilateral security treaty 50 years ago today, the alliance that evolved from that treaty is not some dusty relic. It is a living alliance � one that has proven flexible enough to meet the challenges of an ever-changing security environment. Through bilateral consutations, the revised Guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation, and other efforts, we have improved our ability to work together to keep the peace, promote political and economic freedoms, and support human rights and democratic institutions.
At their June summit at Camp David, President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi announced their decision to intensify consultations with the aim of charting a future course for our alliance and our joint efforts to ensure stability in the region. We believe a strong alliance with Japan is indispensable as we search for ways to engage constructively with China. Perhaps our greatest
challenge in the near-term will be the incorporation of China into the region and the world as a fully functioning and responsible member of the international community.
We must also seek ways to respond to the challenges that North Korea has posed, ranging from the development of weapons of mass destruction and missile proliferation to widespread famine. We will work to strengthen cooperation and enhance coordination between the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.
As we work to modernize our alliance to meet new realities and new challenges, we will be encouraging Japan to look at doing more to help increase stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly through contributions in the areas of peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.
I am firmly convinced that the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and our alliance will be just as critical to peace and prosperity in Asia for the next 50 years as it has been in the last 50. The diplomats who crafted both the Peace Treaty and the U.S-Japan Security Treaty left us a lasting and valuable legacy. It is up to us to build on that legacy and work hard to keep the peace.
Thank you.