As Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the United States Department of State, I work to build meaningful relationships and mutual understanding between citizens of our country and others. That is what we call public diplomacy. And we do this by joining and expanding a global conversation with people everywhere – both face to face, through educational and cultural exchanges, and through social media.

Washington, DC - Officials from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation will hold a “send-off” ceremony today at the U.S. National Arboretum for the first 100 dogwood trees going to Japan as part of the Friendship Blossoms Initiative.

Japanese Foreign Minister Genba Koichiro set off to visit Britain, France and Germany on Oct. 15, 2012. It is said that he will elaborate on Japan's attitude and stance and seek "understanding" from the international community on the Diaoyu Islands issue during the visit since he believes that the three countries exert great influence on world opinions. This is merely a part of Japan's moves to launch public opinions against China on the Diaoyu Islands issue.

ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) youth leaders'symposium was held on Thursday, aiming at strengthening and broadening friendly relations between the two sides. Addressing the two-day meeting, Pit Chamnan, secretary of state at Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, praised the close cooperation between ASEAN and Plus 3 countries.

Marines with Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji invited Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members with Fuji Schools to participate in a fall social Sept. 29. Activities throughout the day included a three-legged race, tug-of-war, soccer and softball, and finished with a barbecued meal that provided an opportunity for everyone to interact.

The worst of the anti-Japanese protests that have swept China in recent days may be over. The financial fallout for the world’s second- and third-biggest economies may be just beginning. Japanese-owned factories, restaurants, mini-marts and clothing retailers across China closed en masse Tuesday as protests continued in nearly 100 cities, sparked by a dispute over control of uninhabited islands near Taiwan.

Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan’s ambassador to the United States, spoke mainly about public diplomacy in one of his final appearances as ambassador here Thursday afternoon.