Chronologies
US - Japan
Chronology from May 2020 to Aug 2020
: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Kono meet in Guam.
: Abe announces that he will resign because of ill health.
: Abe meets with Chief of Space Operations General John Raymond in Tokyo.
: Republican National Convention convenes in Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC.
: Maritime Self-Defense Force participates in the US-led, 10-country Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises off the coast of Hawaii.
: The Democratic National Convention convenes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
: The US Navy and Maritime Self-Defense Force conduct joint operations in the East China Sea and Philippine Sea.
: Newspaper reports suggest that the Japanese government may abandon its plan to buy three US-made Global Hawk surveillance aircrafts.
: US Forces Japan extends public health emergency for Japan until Sept. 12, 2020.
: Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visits Taipei to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and meet with President Tsai Ing-wen.
: US Department of Treasury designates 11 individuals under Executive Order 13936.
: US Ambassador to Japan nominee Kenneth Weinstein testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
: Department of State appoints Donna Welton as senior advisor for security negotiations and agreements, where she will lead negotiations over the costs of stationing US forces in Japan.
: Government of Japan and United States Forces Japan issue joint press release on their efforts to combat COVID-19.
: US Forces Japan announces that all arriving personnel must undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing before being released from two weeks of quarantine.
: Pompeo delivers a speech on China at the Nixon Library.
: Maritime Self-Defense Force, Australian Defense Force, and US Navy begin a trilateral exercise in the Philippine Sea.
: Trump issues Executive Order 13936 revoking Hong Kong’s special trading and economic status with the United States and signs the Hong Kong Autonomy Act into law.
: The US Marine Corps in Okinawa officially reports 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the prefectural government.
: Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki calls the large number of COVID-19 cases at US bases in Okinawa “extremely regrettable” after being notified by the US military that the number of confirmed cases had risen to 62.
: Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun travels to Tokyo to meet Motegi, Kono, Vice Foreign Minister Akiba Takeo, and other officials.
: US Forces Japan extends public health emergency in Japan until Aug. 13.
: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Koichi Hagiuda sign Joint Exploration Declaration of Intent on space cooperation.
: United States approves Japan’s planned purchase of 105 F-35 joint strike fighters.
: Liberal Democratic Party adopts a resolution against Xi’s visit to Japan.
: Koike Yuriko wins reelection as governor of Tokyo.
: The US Senate approves the Hong Kong Autonomy Act by unanimous consent.
: US House of Representatives passes the Hong Kong Autonomy Act by unanimous consent.
: Pompeo condemns China over Hong Kong’s national security law.
: Chinese President Xi Jinping signs a new security law for Hong Kong.
: Kono announces that the National Security Council has decided to cancel deployment of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system in Yamaguchi and Akita prefectures.
: Japan and the United States mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security entering into force.
: Pompeo and Motegi join G7 foreign ministers in issuing a joint statement of concern for China’s national security law in Hong Kong.
: Defense Minister Kono Taro announces that Japan will suspend deployment of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system.
: Abe lifts the state of emergency for COVID-19.
: Pompeo warns China of punishment if it goes ahead with the planned security law for Hong Kong.
: Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ annual Diplomatic Bluebook describes Taiwan as an “extremely important partner,” a stronger description than the previous year’s description of a “crucial partner and an important friend.”
: US Forces Japan extends public health emergency in Japan until June 14, 2020.
: Minister of Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo participate in a teleconference on COVID-19 with foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, Israel, India, and South Korea.
: Okamoto Yukio, veteran diplomat, adviser to prime ministers, and staunch advocate for the US-Japan alliance, passes away at the age of 74.
: President Trump and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo speak by phone about COVID-19.
: Abe extends the state of emergency until May 31.