[2] It succeeded the previous embassy building built on the same property in 1931 by Harold Van Buren Magonigle and Antonin Raymond.

It served as the historic meeting place between Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and General Douglas MacArthur on September 27, 1945, after the surrender of Japan in World War II.

[3] In August 2021, while visiting Japan for the Tokyo Olympics, First Lady Jill Biden dedicated a room in the U.S. ambassador's residence to the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and his wife, Irene.

[4] The embassy is located in the Akasaka neighborhood of Minato, Tokyo, steps away from the Nagatachō district, home of the National Diet and the Prime Minister's residence.

[5] It is easily accessible via the Tokyo Metro Ginza or Namboku Lines Tameike-Sannō Station and conveniently located close to the Hotel Okura.

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.

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.