Former Vice President Walter Mondale ’50 was one of the speakers at a symposium last weekend entitled “The U.S and Japan: A 150 Year Relationship.”

Around 100 people attended the event, which was held in the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center and featured round table discussions, a film festival, a concert, and many guest speakers. Macalester and the Japan American Society of Minnesota partnered to organize the symposium

The keynote speaker was Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) History Professor John Dower, author of “Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II.” Dower’s keynote address focused on the evolution of Japan since it was opened to the West 150 years ago.

Dower said that from the very beginning, technology has driven the U.S.-Japan relationship. From Commodore Perry’s black steam ships to Japan’s booming modern day technological market, the quest to keep up in technology has motivated both the United States and Japan to work together politically and economically, he said.

Specifically, Dower looked at advancements in naval technology during the Sino-Japanese war and World War II. He also spoke about Japan’s current rise to the top of the technological world. According to Dower, Japan’s modernization, which now rivals the United States, was an unexpected occurrence that demonstrates Japan’s resilience.

Dower ended his presentation with speculation into Japan’s future. He highlighted Japan’s ability to quickly catch on to new ideas and master technological feats as an asset to the Japanese economy. Dower said he believes that strong U.S.-Japan relations will continue, and that this alliance will shape global affairs for years to come.

“It’s always great to hear an expert like Dower speak; I learn something new every time,” Carleton College Japanese Professor Steve Clark said.

Robin Anderson, a Carleton sophomore taking Asian History, also said she found the symposium helpful. “The symposium taught me a lot; I appreciate the evolution of the Japan-U.S. relationship much more now,” she said.

Mondale who served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan from 1993 to 1997, gave an address at the luncheon held in the Smail Gallery of Olin Rice. Surrounded by a gallery of artwork commemorating Japanese ties in the Twin Cities, Mondale applauded Macalester’s “tremendous emphasis on international understanding.”

Mondale also thanked the one hundred people assembled at the luncheon for “committing their time to understand Japan and United States’ complex and challenging relationship.”

In his speech, Mondale emphasized the importance of diplomacy in modern political strategy. Mondale said that the relationship between the United States and Japan serves as a reminder that partnership and cooperation can achieve strong alliances.

Mondale said that a strong U.S.-Japan partnership would be vital for the security of both nations in the future. He added that, in the future, Japan and the U.S. could combine resources and work together to combat terrorism.

Chemistry Professor Wayne Wolsey, who traveled to Japan in 1994 as part of an exchange program, attended the luncheon and said the symposium was a worthwhile event. “[The symposium] gave me a more historical perspective on Japan and set a framework for me to better understand my time spent there,” he said.

Genevieve Gaboriault, a third year Asian Studies student at William and Mitchell College of Law, attended the symposium on Saturday. “[The symposium] gave me a greater understanding of how the quest for power and technology affected the evolution of Japan,” she said. Gaboriault, who taught English in Japan for a year, said, “[I hope] Macalester will continue to support symposiums of this nature to educate people on other cultures.”