Embassy of the United States, Tokyo

The first American consulate in Japan was opened at the temple of Gyokusen-ji, Shimoda, Shizuoka under Consul General Townsend Harris. Gyokusen-ji is also the location of a small number of foreign graves dating from as early as 1854 marking the final resting place of U.S. forces personnel that died while serving as part of Commodore Matthew Perry's 'Black Ship' fleet.

Harris negotiated the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the two countries, which was signed at nearby Ryōsen-ji in 1858.

The United States established its first legation in Tokyo in 1859 under Townsend Harris. This legation was located at Zenpukuji, a Buddhist temple in the Motoazabu neighborhood of southern Tokyo.

In 1875, the legation was moved to a site on the Sumida River near Tsukiji, in an area slated as a district for foreigners outside the employ of the Japanese government; this site is now occupied by the St. Luke's Garden complex.

The legation moved to the current embassy site in 1890.[6]

In January 1906, following Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War, Japan and the U.S. mutually elevated their legates to the rank of ambassador. Several European powers did so at the same time, indicating a perception of equality between Japan and the major Western powers.[7]

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. were closed shortly following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of Pacific War on December 7, 1941. American ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew and its American employees (including military attaches) were interned on the embassy grounds until June 1942, when they were sent by ship to Portuguese East Africa and handed over for repatriation.[8] Simultaneously, Japanese diplomats who had been in U.S. were handed over for repatriation.[9]

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo remained closed during the Allied occupation, as the U.S. was the occupying power in Japan. On April 18, 1946, SCAP General Order 18 established the Diplomatic Section as the primary diplomatic representation of the United States during this period, which was staffed by some State Department employees.[10] Following restoration of diplomatic relations under the Treaty of San Francisco, the U.S. Embassy reopened on April 28, 1952.[11] Robert D. Murphy arrived to serve as the American ambassador to Japan after World War II.[12] The Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. also reopened on the same day.[13]

The land on which the embassy sits is about 13,000 m² (3.21 acres), and has been leased from the Japanese government since 1896. In 2005, it was reported that the U.S. government had made no payments for the embassy's premises since 1998 after failing to agree on a renewal of the lease agreement.[14] In 2007, the two governments agreed to renew the lease through 2027, following which the U.S. government paid its unpaid rent. The annual rent for the underlying land was set at 7 million yen for 1998–2007, 10 million yen for 2008–12, and 15 million yen for 2013–27. The very low rent amount for the land is due to the age of the lease agreement, and the fact that it originally contained no escalation or adjustment provisions.[15]