WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- The United States on Thursday hosted an official dinner to honor "architects" of the U.S.-Japan relationship, with the second-ranking diplomat at the State Department saying, "We have a high confidence that there is a deep well of bipartisan support" for the long-standing bilateral alliance.

"I do want us all to recognize that the next period ahead is filled with challenges, but all of us together can ensure that our partnership that has made such a progress will continue on," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said as he opened the event.

Less than three weeks from the U.S. presidential election, a total of 100 former and current senior officials, as well as scholars, from both sides gathered at the department's top-floor formal reception room to celebrate the increasing strength of the relationship over the course of a few decades.

Campbell said he also remembers when the two countries had "real concerns about what the future would hold," but it is now time to "take a moment to reflect on the remarkable progress."

The attendees included U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, former Japanese national security adviser Shotaro Yachi and former Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato.