Today, 29 years ago, on April 16, 1996 (February 29, 1996), the United States rebuilt the post-Cold War alliance. After US President Clinton's follow-up visit to South Korea in 1996, on April 16, he made a three-day official visit to Japan, and the two heads of state issued a long-standing "Joint Declaration" after the talks. US Ambassador to Japan Mondel said the summit was "the most important time in the history of post-war Japan-US relations".