[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 168 (Thursday, December 22, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY PROFESSOR ROBERT E. WARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 22, 2005

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great joy that I rise today and 
urge all of my colleagues to join me in celebrating the upcoming 90th 
birthday of an icon of international academia and a pioneer of U.S.-
Japanese studies, Professor Robert E. Ward.
  Professor Ward was born in San Francisco on January 29, 1916. After 
graduating from Stanford, he entered the graduate program at the 
University of California at Berkeley and earned his Master's in 
Political Science. During World War II, Professor Ward served our 
country admirably as language officer for Naval Intelligence. He was 
stationed in the Southwest Pacific and in Washington, and was awarded 
the signal honor of the Legion of Merit.
  Mr. Speaker, after the war Robert Ward returned to Berkeley to 
continue his education with the intent to study Japanese politics. 
Three short years later, he received his Ph.D. in political science, 
writing his dissertation on ``Party Government in Japan--Its 
Development and Electoral Record, 1928-1937,'' a pioneering effort to 
apply to Japan the methods of political behavior analysis which at the 
time was only being applied to Western European countries by American 
political scientists. This was to be the first of many times that 
Robert Ward incorporated Japan into the mainstream of social science 
studies in the United States.
  After receiving his doctorate, Robert Ward left California heading 
east to Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan he would go on to 
enjoy a distinguished teaching career. Arriving at Michigan in 1948, 
with the rank of instructor, Robert Ward encountered a bit of good 
fortune. For you see Mr. Speaker, during the war the United States 
Armed Forces had used the University of Michigan as one of its centers 
for Japanese language training. The University now wanted to utilize 
this infrastructure to develop an interdisciplinary center for Japanese 
studies, and given Robert's background he was a perfect fit for this 
endeavor. During his time at the University, Robert Ward served with 
distinction, rising from Instructor to Professor in ten years. He was 
also concurrently a member of the University's Center for Japanese 
Studies, and a guiding force behind the academic integrity of the 
center, twice serving as Director of the Center.
  Mr. Speaker, after a quarter century of distinguished service to the 
University of Michigan and its Center for Japanese Studies, Professor 
Ward heeded the call of his alma mater, and returned to California to 
become the Director of the Center for Research in International Studies 
at Stanford University. Although commonplace today, it was considered 
highly irregular, and a significant breakthrough for the field of 
Japanese studies to have a specialist in Japanese-American studies 
receive this prestigious job instead of a European-American studies 
expert. During his extraordinary tenure at Stanford University, 
Professor Ward continued to exert tremendous influence in the field of 
comparative politics and continued to emphasize the importance of 
Japanese-U.S. studies in the field of political science.
  As one would expect of man of incredible intellect and talents, 
Professor Ward has been recognized throughout his distinguished career 
with numerous awards and recognitions. If I may, I would like to 
highlight a few; National Science Foundation Senior Postdoctoral 
Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation Fellow in Residence, Member of the 
American Philosophical Society, Member of the American Academy of 
Science, President of the Association for Asian Studies, President of 
the American Political Science Association, Chairman of the Social 
Science Research Council, Member of the National Endowment for the 
Humanities, and a member of President Carter's Commission on Foreign 
language and International Studies.
  In addition to using his seemingly endless energy on his academic 
pursuits, Professor Ward also offered his expertise and experience to a 
number of civic and public activities related to Japan. He was a 
member, and for many years the Director of the Japan Society of 
Northern California, a member of the World Affairs Council of Northern 
California, and also involved with the San Francisco Committee on 
Foreign Relations. However, the most enduring of Professor Ward's 
contributions to the growth of Japanese studies in America are to be 
found in his involvement with the Japan Foundation and the Japan-U.S. 
Friendship Commission. Professor Ward played an integral role in the 
development of both institutions and was the chief architect behind the 
creation of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission. Without the 
incredible efforts of Professor Ward, including the mobilization of his 
academic colleagues and intense lobbying of members of Congress, it is 
truly doubtful that the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission would exist 
today?
  Mr. Speaker, Professor Ward stands out as a towering figure in United 
States-Japanese cultural, educational, and political relations. It is 
not an understatement to express that no other person in the post-WWII 
era has combined the same capacities for scholarship and institution 
building or has achieved so much for the general field of Japanese 
studies in America. Professor Ward deserves much of the credit for 
bringing Japan into the mainstream of social scientific teaching and 
research in both America and Europe, and of bringing to the study of 
Japanese politics the categories of inquiry that had previously been 
applied mainly to the study of western societies. I urge all of my 
colleagues to join me in wishing this distinguished academic and 
extraordinary citizen a happy 90th birthday.

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