Cherry Tree Centennial 2012

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Consul General Takeshi Hikihara, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Remarks:

It is a great honor to join in this ceremonial planting of a cherry tree marking the centennial of the gift of cherry trees from Japan to the United States.  
 

I feel truly grateful for the participation of Capt. Bryant Fuller and Japan-America Society of New Hampshire President Charles Doleac.  
 

As you know, the historic negotiations ending the Russo-Japanese War happened right here in a room at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
 

The Portsmouth Peace Treaty not only ended the war.  It also helped establish Japan as a full fledged player in international society at that time.   A good case could be made that Japan’s emergence as a modern nation began right here at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

In fact, Tokyo Mayor Ozaki’s 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees was meant as an expression of gratitude for the important role that the United States played in mediating the reestablishment of the peace.  

The tree we are planting today is a graft from those Tidal Basin cherry trees in Washington D.C. It makes me very happy to know that 100 years later the outward symbol of Mayor Ozaki’s expression of gratitude has at last reached the venue of the Portsmouth Peace Conference.   A lot has happened in these 100 years.  
 

But, as the recent joint statement issued after the summit meeting between Prime Minister Noda and President Obama indicated, today “The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”
We Japanese people value our alliance. You helped us so much through the Operation Tomodachi after the terrible earthquake last year.
 

We would like to present this tree as a token of our gratitude and as a symbol of our bonds for the next hundred years.

Capt. and Mrs. Fuller (left) and Consul General and Mrs. Hikihara (right) with the newly-planted cherry tree at Building 86.

PNSY CDR Bryant Fuller's Remarks

Consul General Hikihara, Chuck Doleac, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.  Nearly 107 years ago, my predecessor, Admiral Mead and Assistant Secretary of State Pierce welcomed the Peace Treaty Envoys to the Shipyard.

President Theodore Roosevelt selected the Shipyard for several important reasons.  First and foremost, he trusted the Navy's ability to ensure the security of the delegation.  He also knew the Navy understood the importance of international protocol and could act as an impartial host to all parties.

Admiral Mead and his staff met those expectations and provided the decorum required to ensure a successful event.  The arriving diplomats were greeted with great pomp and circumstance and then escorted to the Peace Treaty Building where they inspected the rooms prepared for them by Admiral Mead and the Shipyard Workforce.

It is only appropriate that we gather today and plant this cherry tree here in the Shipyard Workers' Memorial, as the Shipyard workforce played a key role in both the preparations and hosting of the Japanese and Russian delegations.

I would like to thank the Japanese Government for the gift of the Cherry Tree which is a descendant of the original 1912 cherry trees planted in Washington DC - which were given in appreciation for the US role in arranging the Treaty peace conference.

Just as we today are representatives of those courageous leaders and adedicated Shipyard workforce whose accomplishments changed the course of world history, this tree is symbolic of the role the Navy played in the Treaty proceedings.