March 31 - U.S. Official Development Assistance (ODA) increased substantially across sectors and worldwide in 2008, the State Department announced in a March 30 press release. Once again, the United States is the largest single donor in the world on the basis of net annual disbursements.

March 31 - On March 28, President Obama announced the launch of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate to facilitate dialogue among key developed and developing countries, help generate the political leadership to achieve a successful outcome at the UN climate change negotiations this December in Copenhagen, and advance the exploration of concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. He has invited the leaders of 16 major economies (including Japan) and the United Nations Secretary General to designate representatives to participate in an April 27-28 preparatory session in Washington. [White House Press Release]

March 30 - On March 27, President Obama announced a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan that is the culmination of a careful 60-day interagency strategic review which included consulatations with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, partners and NATO allies, other donors, international organizations and members of Congress. The strategy's clear goal is to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens. The new approach will be flexible and include frequent evaluations of the progress being made.

• Remarks by the President on a New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan: Video and Transcript
• Press Briefing by Bruce Riedel, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and Michelle Flournoy on the New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan
• White House press release
• Interagency White Paper (PDF)

March 26 - On March 24, President Obama, in Washington with a group of schoolchildren and members of Congress, spoke with the Space Shuttle crew at the International Space Station. Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata told them, "Yes, it's wonderful to work in space." Saying that he always longed to go into space ever since he saw the Apollo lunar landing when he was five years old, he noted, "And here the dream came true."

• Video of the space chat
• NASA site with link to cool STS-119 "Motion of Space" video
• Transcript

March 26 - On March 25, the Department of Defense released its 2009 Annual Report To Congress on the Military Power of the People’s Republic of China, as mandated in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000. U.S. policy seeks to establish a positive and cooperative relationship with China, one where we deepen and strengthen our ties on a number of issues of common interest and candidly address differences where they persist.
[Full text of the report] (PDF - 18MB)

March 25 - In a statement on March 24 in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton noted, "Today marks World Tuberculosis Day, and I join others around the world in saying 'I am stopping TB.'" Secretary Clinton outlined the steps the U.S. government is taking to address the global burden of TB, but said she believes there is still much more to be done.

March 24 - Congratulations to the members and fans of the Japanese team for Japan's second straight win of the World Baseball Classic championship. After rival Korea sent the game into a 10th inning, Japan defended its title and won 5-3, playing on March 23 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

March 24 - Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner held a press briefing on March 23 to announce the next stage of the broad plan to help repair the financial system. He noted that, in order to get the economy back on track, "we need to get this very powerful stimulus program in place as quickly as possible," but that, "we need to move very aggressively to get our financial system back to the point where it's providing the credit necessary for recovery."

March 19 - The Embassy invites Japanese college students to the next film in our "Power of the Media" series of classic American films. On Friday, March 27 at 2:30 p.m. at the Embassy, we'll show "Absence of Malice," an entertaining drama about a reporter (Sally Field) for a Miami newspaper who writes a story, based on a sneaky government official's leak, that a local businessman (Paul Newman) is suspected in a crime. In English with Japanese subtitles. [Registration form] (in Japanese)

March 19 - The Tokyo Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) will meet on March 26 at 4 p.m. at the Embassy. This month's guest speakers will focus on "Japanese Labor Law and the Changing Labor Market in Japan." The Overseas Security Advisory Council, created in 1985, promotes security cooperation between the State Department and American enterprises operating abroad. Click here to register to attend this event.

March 18 - The Embassy website is pleased to present a new feature, "Z Notes," a blog by Charge d'Affaires James P. Zumwalt to share some of his experiences living, working, and traveling in Japan. Mr. Zumwalt looks forward to hearing from readers of his blog.

March 17 - Space shuttle Discovery roared off the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center March 15 on a 13-day mission to deliver the International Space Station's final set of solar array wings. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata is traveling to the space station as an STS-119 mission specialist but will stay aboard the station after Discovery docks to become an Expedition 18 flight engineer - the first JAXA station crew member.

• Koichi Wakata, Mission Specialist: Preflight Interview and bio (English)
• NASA STS-119 mission page (English)
• Related America.gov article (English)

March 17 - Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki hosted a ceremony at his official residence on February 26 in Washington to confer on former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale the "Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers." Former Ambassador Mondale was quoted as telling the assembled guests that the U.S.-Japan alliance is critically important to Asia and the world and that Secretary Clinton’s recent trip to Japan, as well as Prime Minister Aso's visit to Washington, demonstrated deep U.S. engagement with Japan.

March 16 - In a March 11 ceremony at the Embassy, Charge d'Affaires James P. Zumwalt, on behalf of two families in the United States, returned a WWII flag to the surviving family members of Japanese Army Corporal Masayuki Kosakadani, of Toyama Prefecture. The families of retired Army Colonel John H. "Jack" Blair, III, who acquired the flag in 1945 when serving as a First Lieutenant on Corregidor in the Philippines, and retired Army Major Hugh Breslin, Jr., a Second Lieutenant when he fought with Blair and who received the flag from Blair's widow, carried out their wishes after their deaths that the flag be returned as a gesture of friendship between the United States and Japan and to honor the Japanese family's ancestor.

March 16 - As part of the March 4-6 Tokyo FOODEX, the largest food show in Asia, four panelists from the Embassy talked about their own experiences eating and cooking Japanese food in the U.S. with high quality American ingredients. The U.S. Pavilion, with 89 U.S. food and beverage companies, ranked among the largest at the show, and the "Gateway to American Food" cooking demonstration booth featured original, healthy recipes with U.S. ingredients by Ema Koeda, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef who specializes in California cuisine. Visit www.myfood.jp (in Japanese) for more information about American food.

March 13 - Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner issued a prepared statement on March 11 in Washington in advance of the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting. He noted, "The G-20 should come together cooperatively to agree on a broad framework of reforms to raise standards globally." [Treasury Department Fact Sheet on Economic Recovery and Financial Reform]

March 12 - On International Women's Day on March 8 in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton honored women around the world who are "blazing trails and surmounting obstacles in pursuit of equality and opportunity." At a March 5 reception in Tokyo, Charge d'Affaires James P. Zumwalt presented Ms. Nami Takenaka a citation "For helping thousands of physically challenged individuals use their talents to live productively, and with dignity and independence." Ms. Takenaka was among over 80 exceptional women nominated by U.S. Embassies worldwide for their extraordinary work in advancing human rights.

• Embassy Press Release
• Secretary Clinton's Remarks
• 2009 International Women of Courage Awards
• DipNote Blog: "Be True to Yourself"

March 9 - Stephen W. Bosworth, Special Representative for North Korea Policy, visited Tokyo March 5-7 for meetings with senior Japanese government officials. He made remarks to media at the residence of Charge d'Affaires James P. Zumwalt on March 6, underlining the importance of moving ahead on the Six-Party process. [Video]

March 6 - The U.S. Commercial Service in Japan, in conjunction with other U.S. government agencies, released the 2009 Country Commercial Guide this week. Comprehensively looking at the Japanese commercial environment, the guide reviews economic and political conditions and trends, identifies commercial opportunities for U.S. exports, and examines the overall investment climate in Japan.

March 4 - The Embassy invites Japanese college students to join a mailing list to receive information about our "Power of the Media" series of American films, discussions of new media with Embassy officers, "American View" issues, and the ongoing Kiso Koza series. The first of the "Power of the Media" films will be shown on Friday, March 13, 2:30 p.m. at the Embassy. The series may be of particular interest to students studying journalism, broadcast, film, English, or American studies.

• Mailing list form (in Japanese)
• Event registration form (in Japanese)

March 2 - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made remarks on February 26 in Washington with Special Representative for North Korea Policy Ambassador Stephen Bosworth. President Obama met with Ambassador Bosworth the same day. In his remarks with Secretary Clinton, Ambassador Bosworth, who will travel to the region this week, stated, "I am going to dedicate myself, as I know Ambassador Hill has, to making sure that we move forward, but that we also move forward together," emphasizing, "It's important to operate from a basis of consensus." [Video]