Japanese Politics & Foreign Relations
JCIE programs deepen understanding of the political and foreign policy dynamics in Japan, promote a greater Japanese voice in international affairs, and build ties among leaders from various sectors—government, business, civil society, academia, and more—in Japan and around the world.
CURRENT PROGRAMS
RELATED ACTIVITIES
2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
January–March 2022 | Online
JCIE is holding the 2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue, a three-part virtual discussion bringing together more than 40 women leaders from across multiple sectors from the United States and Japan. Th…
UK-Japan 21st Century Group | 38th Conference
March 8 & 11, 2022 | Online
The 38th annual meeting of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group was held online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with the participation of around 20 members from each country, who held discussions on t…
EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE | Japan’s Economic Security Legislation and Implications for Japan and US-Japan Relations
March 9, 2022 | Online
JCIE/USA hosted an online discussion to examine US and Japanese approaches to ensuring economic security as part of its Executive Roundtable series. The hour-long discussion took place in the context…
2022 Japanese Young Political Leaders Virtual Exchange
March 1–25, 2022 | Online
The 2022 US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program was held virtually, allowing the 31st Japanese delegation to explore US-Japanese relations and build global relationships.
Trilateral Commission Special Global Meeting on Global Capitalism in Transition
November 3–5, 2021 | Virtual
The Trilateral Commission launched the Task Force on “Global Capitalism in Transition” in April 2021, consisting of 30 experts and Commission members from the three regions, and conducted a series of…
EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE | Japan’s General Election Results
November 3, 2021 | Online
On November 3, the inaugural session of JCIE/USA’s Executive Roundtable series was held online. The session featured two experts who dicussed the implications of Japan’s recent election, including the…
ACYPL Virtual Town Hall | From the Pandemic to the Podium: Perspectives from Japan
July 20, 2021 | Online
In the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics JCIE co-hosted a virtual town hall meeting that brought together Japanese legislators and media persons to discuss the event.
29th Japanese-German Forum
May 20–21, 2021 | Online
Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and journalists participated in a virtual forum to discuss key issues for Japan, Germany, and their bilateral relationship.
2021 US Young Political Leaders Virtual Exchange
May 18–June 4, 2021 | Online
The 2021 US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program was held virtually, allowing the US delegation to explore US-Japanese relations and build global relationships.
US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
March–April 2021 | Online
JCIE held a three-session, online US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue to convene top women leaders from varying walks of life. Two leading legislators, Hon. Seiko Noda and Hon. Diana DeGette, were the co-…
The Biden-Suga Summit: Cooperation to Enhance Support for the ACT Accelerator
April 26, 2021 | Washington DC
On April 16, 2021 President Joseph Biden of the United States and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan held a meeting in Washington DC. The two exchanged opinions on important issues between the Uni…
2021 Japanese Young Political Leaders Virtual Exchange
March 9–31, 2021 | Online
The 2021 US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program was held virtually, allowing the 30th Japanese delegation to explore US-Japanese relations and build global relationships.
Japan 101 Course: US Japan Relations During the Biden-Suga Era | 2021 Session
March 2–26, 2021 | Online
The Spring 2021 run of JCIE’s online course for Congressional Staff, which provides them with opportunities to meet e world’s top experts on US-Japan security, trade, and political issues.
UK-Japan 21st Century Group Webinar | The Future Direction of Japan Under Prime Minister Suga
February 25, 2021 | Online
The UK-Japan 21st Century Group held its first online webinar to discuss Japan’s future under Prime Minister Suga.
Diet Women's Study Group | 7th Meeting
February 4, 2021 | Online
Yoko Takeda, Chief Economist and General Manager, Research Center for Policy and Economy, Mitsubishi Research Institute, met with the Diet Women’s Study Group to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the…
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Japan’s Democracy: Lessons and Reflections | Concluding Paper
Harukata Takenaka
May 2022
This report serves as the concluding paper for a project on “Japan’s Democracy: Lessons and Reflections” and was written by the project lead, Dr. Harukata Takenaka, to summarize the key points that em…
The China Challenge and US-Japan Relations under Fumio Kishida
December 2021
Japan’s new Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, passed his first test and guided the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to victory in the Lower House election on October 31, less than one month after he…
Japan’s Democracy: Lessons and Reflections 3 | Civil Society, Diversity, and Media
Harukata Takenaka, Toshiki Abe, Rieko Kage, Kaori Hayashi
April 2022
This report transcribes discussions that took place as part of JCIE’s project on “Japan’s Democracy: Lessons and Reflections”. The report details the contents of the 3rd dialogue to take place as part…
Japan’s Democracy: Lessons and Reflections 2 | Government Systems
Harukata Takenaka, Yosuke Sunahara, Satoshi Machidori, Takako Hikotani
April 2022
This report transcribes discussions that took place as part of JCIE’s project on “Japan’s Democracy: Lessons and Reflections”. The report details the contents of the 2nd dialogue to take place as part…
Japan’s Democracy: Lessons and Reflections 1 | The Current State of Japan’s Democracy
Harukata Takenaka, Kenneth Mori McElwain, Kensuke Takayasu, and Naoko Taniguchi
April 2022
This report transcribes discussions that took place amongst members of JCIE’s research team for our project on Expanding Support for Democratic Governance. The initial discussion took place shortly af…
Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue | Seeking the "Next Normal"—Creating a Post-Pandemic World Where Women (and Men) Can Thrive
Kimberly Gould Ashizawa
July 2021
A report on the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue, held virtually in March–April 2021, featuring a series of recommendations based on the discussions among 40 women from politics, business, media,…
Research Team Trialogue 2: The Spread of COVID-19 and Its Impact on Global Democracy
Kaori Shoji, Hiroaka Shiga, and Ryo Sahashi
January 2021
This transcription of a discussion between three research team members from JCIE’s project on Expanding Support for Democratic Governance focuses on the potential threats to democracy in the light of…
Deepening US-Japan Strategic Cooperation on China and the Indo-Pacific
June 2021
The new Biden administration has emphasized the importance of cooperation with East Asian allies to uphold a stable, rules-based regional order, while at the same time seeking a tough and united appro…
The Time Has Come for a COVID-19 Marshall Plan
James Gannon
May 25, 2021
“In his announcement of COVID-19 vaccine donations, President Biden evoked World War II by vowing that the U.S. will be the world’s “arsenal of vaccines.” It is time to instead harken back to the imme…
Research Team Trialogue: The Spread of COVID-19 and Its Impact on Global Democracy
Takako Hikotani, Harukata Takenaka, and Kimitoshi Yabuki
November 2020
This transcription shares a conversation between three JCIE research team members from the project on Expanding Support for Democratic Governance on their assessments of the current state of democracy…
Japan's Friendship with the US Remains Unshakable
Koji Tomita
March 11, 2021
This opinion piece was written by Ambassador Koji Tomita, who references a 2016 JCIE survey on US givings in the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami disaster response.
The Biden Administration’s Chance to Get Asia Policy Right—A View from Japan
February 2021
The Biden administration faces complex challenges in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity while restoring multilateral diplomacy with East Asia. Overcoming these obstacles will require special…
US-Japan Cooperation on COVID-19 with James Gannon
January 28, 2021
Jim Gannon, Executive Director of JCIE/USA, discusses Japan’s COVID-19 response and the expanding potential of the US-Japan cooperation in this episode of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center’s “Asia in Was…
Global Health Needs US-Japan Partnership
James Gannon
December 18, 2020
Jim Gannon, Executive Director of JCIE/USA, calls for greater US-Japan partnership on pandemic response and global health in this piece for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Asia Unbound blog, pointin…
Navigating China Relations and the US-Japan Alliance
October 2020
In January 2020, the United States and Japan marked the 60th anniversary of the revised US-Japan Security Treaty. Steps to strengthen this relationship, which should not be taken for granted, include…