As you may know, dogwoods were sent from the United States to the city of Tokyo as a gift in return, and we can still enjoy the beautiful flowers of these original trees at Tokyo Metropolitan Engei High School (Chart 1).
The exchange of cherry and dogwood trees is just one small example of the deep ties that exist between Japan and the United States. From my perspective as a central banker, the economic relationship between our two countries is definitely the cornerstone of a prosperous global economy. This relationship has had its ups and downs, as all inevitably do.