On April 14, the world learned of the passing of Ambassador Richard L. Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State. Armitage, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a Vietnam War veteran who served three combat tours. Before reaching the height of his public service career as Deputy Secretary of State in 2001, he held several key roles in Republican administrations, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia and Pacific (1981-83), Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1983-1989), and presidential special negotiator for the Philippines Military Bases Agreement. He also served as special emissary to King of Jordan during the Gulf War.
In Washington, he is remembered as a central figure in the controversial “Plame Affair”—a 2003 leak scandal that began with a column by Robert Novak concerning a covert CIA mission to Iraq investigating the claim that Iraq sought to purchase uranium from Niger for its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program.
But for those of us in Tokyo and Washington who work to support a robust, reciprocal, and enduring U.S.-Japan alliance, he was a guardian angel. With his passing, we lost a great thought leader and mentor.
Among those that mourn his passing, I am one. Between 1996 and 1999, I served as Special Assistant for Political Affairs at the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC. As my assignment came to an end in fall of 2000, I had a heart-to-heart conversation with Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, then the Political Minister and my supervisor, about my future. I told him I had come to Washington because I wanted to work at a think tank. Without hesitation, he called Mr. Armitage from his office, explained who I was, and asked him if he could meet with me.
His answer must have been yes, because not too long after that call, I found myself sitting nervously in the waiting room at the Armitage International LLC. I knew how influential he was, having watched Japanese politicians defer to him during meetings I interpreted. He had always been kind—offering a handshake and telling me I did a “great job.” But this was different. I was seeking career advice.
As always, he was direct. Point blank, he asked me why a young Japanese woman with limited government experience and no military background wanted to stay and work in Washington to be a political-military analyst.
I told him I had always been fascinated by how the U.S. and Japan managed their relationship. I had come to understand that the alliance was anchored in the personal relationships officials developed. I was fortunate to build relationships with many on both sides and wanted to become a researcher and writer who could approach U.S.-Japan alliance issues with a fundamental understanding of how government works. He said he would think about introductions but encouraged me to keep looking on my own. He said it would not be easy, but to not give up.
I followed his advice. Twenty-five years later, I lead my own program at Stimson. After that first meeting, I continued to visit him until he become Deputy Secretary of State. After that, I kept my distance—something I now regret. There was so much more I could have learned from him. His optimism, perseverance, and unwavering belief that the U.S. must get its relations with Japan right to get its Asia policy right still inspires me.
Mr. Armitage brought the same “can do, must do” spirit to thinking through the challenges of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Anchored in his belief that America’s relationships with its allies must transcend party lines, he co-founded a bipartisan study group with Joseph S. Nye Jr, former Chairman of National Intelligence Council and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs under the Clinton administration. Their group regularly produced forward-looking reports on the U.S.-Japan alliance and its role in the Indo-Pacific. The latest, released in 2024, continued the tradition of concrete recommendations to both Tokyo and Washington.
As the U.S. and Japan enters a difficult period of tariff negotiations—at a time when the U.S. role in the world is increasingly under scrutiny—it is up to us who were guided by his example to carry on his legacy and make the alliance stronger. Many in Washington and Tokyo had far closer relationships with him—former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, former NSC senior director for Asia Mike Green, former NSC director for Asia Victor Cha, and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Randy Schriver, to name a few. But there are countless others whose lives he touched. I am honored to be one of them.
As we reflect on Ambassador Armitage’s enduring legacy, we must remember that his vision for the U.S.-Japan alliance was about shared purpose, shared values, mutual respect, and a belief in the power of human relationships to drive diplomacy forward. His example challenges all of us—analysts, officials, and allies—to think boldly, act with conviction, and invest in the relationships that sustain peace and prosperity. The alliance he championed is in good hands if we choose to live up to the standard he set.
Remembering Richard Armitage: Mentor, Ally and Champion of the U.S.-Japan Alliance
By Yuki Tatsumi
Japan
On April 14, the world learned of the passing of Ambassador Richard L. Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State. Armitage, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a Vietnam War veteran who served three combat tours. Before reaching the height of his public service career as Deputy Secretary of State in 2001, he held several key roles in Republican administrations, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia and Pacific (1981-83), Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1983-1989), and presidential special negotiator for the Philippines Military Bases Agreement. He also served as special emissary to King of Jordan during the Gulf War.
In Washington, he is remembered as a central figure in the controversial “Plame Affair”—a 2003 leak scandal that began with a column by Robert Novak concerning a covert CIA mission to Iraq investigating the claim that Iraq sought to purchase uranium from Niger for its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program.
But for those of us in Tokyo and Washington who work to support a robust, reciprocal, and enduring U.S.-Japan alliance, he was a guardian angel. With his passing, we lost a great thought leader and mentor.
Among those that mourn his passing, I am one. Between 1996 and 1999, I served as Special Assistant for Political Affairs at the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC. As my assignment came to an end in fall of 2000, I had a heart-to-heart conversation with Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, then the Political Minister and my supervisor, about my future. I told him I had come to Washington because I wanted to work at a think tank. Without hesitation, he called Mr. Armitage from his office, explained who I was, and asked him if he could meet with me.
His answer must have been yes, because not too long after that call, I found myself sitting nervously in the waiting room at the Armitage International LLC. I knew how influential he was, having watched Japanese politicians defer to him during meetings I interpreted. He had always been kind—offering a handshake and telling me I did a “great job.” But this was different. I was seeking career advice.
As always, he was direct. Point blank, he asked me why a young Japanese woman with limited government experience and no military background wanted to stay and work in Washington to be a political-military analyst.
I told him I had always been fascinated by how the U.S. and Japan managed their relationship. I had come to understand that the alliance was anchored in the personal relationships officials developed. I was fortunate to build relationships with many on both sides and wanted to become a researcher and writer who could approach U.S.-Japan alliance issues with a fundamental understanding of how government works. He said he would think about introductions but encouraged me to keep looking on my own. He said it would not be easy, but to not give up.
I followed his advice. Twenty-five years later, I lead my own program at Stimson. After that first meeting, I continued to visit him until he become Deputy Secretary of State. After that, I kept my distance—something I now regret. There was so much more I could have learned from him. His optimism, perseverance, and unwavering belief that the U.S. must get its relations with Japan right to get its Asia policy right still inspires me.
Mr. Armitage brought the same “can do, must do” spirit to thinking through the challenges of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Anchored in his belief that America’s relationships with its allies must transcend party lines, he co-founded a bipartisan study group with Joseph S. Nye Jr, former Chairman of National Intelligence Council and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs under the Clinton administration. Their group regularly produced forward-looking reports on the U.S.-Japan alliance and its role in the Indo-Pacific. The latest, released in 2024, continued the tradition of concrete recommendations to both Tokyo and Washington.
As the U.S. and Japan enters a difficult period of tariff negotiations—at a time when the U.S. role in the world is increasingly under scrutiny—it is up to us who were guided by his example to carry on his legacy and make the alliance stronger. Many in Washington and Tokyo had far closer relationships with him—former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, former NSC senior director for Asia Mike Green, former NSC director for Asia Victor Cha, and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Randy Schriver, to name a few. But there are countless others whose lives he touched. I am honored to be one of them.
As we reflect on Ambassador Armitage’s enduring legacy, we must remember that his vision for the U.S.-Japan alliance was about shared purpose, shared values, mutual respect, and a belief in the power of human relationships to drive diplomacy forward. His example challenges all of us—analysts, officials, and allies—to think boldly, act with conviction, and invest in the relationships that sustain peace and prosperity. The alliance he championed is in good hands if we choose to live up to the standard he set.
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