Foundations of US-Japan Business Relations: Four Crucial Visits

Join us for this book talk, Q&A, and reception centered on Our First Glimpse of Japan (Barnes and Noble; Amazon), a new volume by long-time Japan resident and East Asian expert Sam Kidder, which shows how the visits to Japan by four prominent Americans in the 1870s, including President Ulysses S. Grant, set the stage for America’s engagement with Japan, often referred to as “the most important bilateral relationship in the world.”

With globe-circling travel just becoming possible, Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Seward; poet’s son, Charles Longfellow; General and President Ulysses S. Grant; and business titan, Andrew Carnegie left public and private records of their time in Japan that heavily influence Americans attitudes about Japan, the first non-Atlantic nation to emerge as a major international player.  The accounts of these visitors, whose stays in Japan ranged from 2 weeks to 2-1/2 years, provide insights into Japanese culture and the early foundations that support the current connections between the two countries.

Whether we look at the connection between the famed ukiyo-e prints with today’s anime or the roots of Japanese business and labor practices, this look back at Japan at today’s crucial period unlocks much that still fascinates Americans about Japan and makes the US an attractive destination for Japanese companies, including those based in St. Louis and employing thousands of citizens in the Midwest region.

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