May 7 - President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House on May 6. In remarks to the press following their meeting, President Obama stated, "We meet today as three sovereign nations joined by a common goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their ability to operate in either country in the future."

• White House Blog: "Joined by a Common Goal"
• Joint Press Availability with Secretary of State Clinton at the State Department

May 5 - The State Department on May 4 issued the following statement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton: "It is my pleasure to offer warm wishes to boys and girls in Japan on the May 5 occasion of Children's Day. On this holiday, Japanese families celebrate the joys of childhood and family life. Children are, indeed, a national treasure, and both the United States and Japan share a strong commitment to childhood health, safety, and education. It is a responsibility for all of us to work together to ensure the protection of children. It is our hope that one day children from all countries will be able to celebrate the carefree joys that children in Japan celebrate today."

April 28 - Charge d’Affaires ad interim James P. Zumwalt and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Hirofumi Nakasone signed a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) on behalf of their respective governments at an April 27 ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The agreement and associated implementation procedures will allow for the reciprocal certification of aircraft and aviation products. [Embassy press release in English] and [MOFA press release in Japanese]

April 28 - The Tokyo Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) will meet on April 30 at 4 p.m. at the Embassy. This month's guest speakers will focus on "Workplace Safety." 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.

April 24 - Former State Department Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP) Christopher R. Hill met President Obama and Vice President Biden in the White House on April 23, after being confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq on April 21, 2009. [More] Also on April 23, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Kurt M. Campbell as the new EAP Assistant Secretary. [White House press release] The Embassy’s Spring "American View" issue carries an article by Dr. Campbell on foreign policy and national security challenges.

April 23 - President Obama, in his Presidential Proclamation on Earth Day April 22, stated: "Climate change presents a serious test for humankind, but it also provides an opportunity for great innovation and adaptation. The United States has risen to such challenges before, and Earth Day inspires us to transcend differences among nations so we may lead the world in protecting our planet from this global threat." Earth Day projects took place throughout the U.S. government.

• President Obama visited a green manufacturing facility producing wind towers in Iowa. [Remarks]
• Secretary Clinton spoke about “Greening Diplomacy” at the State Department Earth Day event. [Remarks] and [Video]
• Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the Council on Environmental Quality, visited a green roofing project in Washington, DC. [Video]
• USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Brings Plenty, planting seeds together, celebrated American Indians' contribution to American agriculture. [Photo]
• Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis wrote an op-ed on Building the American Clean Energy Economy.
• The EPA asked Americans to Pick 5 ways to help protect the environment.
• The Department of Energy launched a campaign to Make Every Day Earth Day.
• NASA offered a free poster at its Leading the Greening Web page.

April 20 - U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard C. Holbrooke visited Tokyo April 16-18 to attend the Friends of Pakistan meeting and the Pakistan Donors' Conference. On April 17, he announced the United States' intent to provide support to the Government of Pakistan totaling $1 billion over a two year period (2009-2010). [State Department press release]

April 15 - In an April 13 statement, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Barack Obama welcomed the "clear and united message by the United Nations Security Council condemning North Korea's recent launch of a Taepo-dong 2 missile, confirming that it violates international law and would result in real consequences for North Korea." The same day, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan E. Rice said that the UNSC Presidential Statement Concerning North Korea "clearly demands that there will be no further such launches, and through the mechanism of the existing sanctions regime under 1718 allows for the substantial strengthening and augmentation of that regime." [Full text] and [Video]

April 13 - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon in Washington on April 9 to further the United States-Australia alliance and to discuss global and regional security issues. In a joint communique, the United States and Australia expressed disapproval of North Korea's April 5 launch of a Taepo-dong 2 long-range rocket and made clear that the launch was a threat to peace and security and a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718. The two countries called on North Korea’s leaders to suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program, as required by the resolution, and to focus instead on making progress in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the Six-Party Process, including a verification protocol consistent with international standards.

• Remarks following the Ministerial
• Video

April 10 - The Spring 2009 issue of the Embassy's "American View" magazine is now online, featuring an article by Kurt Campbell focusing on early challenges for a new Administration. The issue also takes a look at the President and the press, and at the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, whom Secretary of State Clinton has cited as an inspiration.