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
Japan-US Legislators Dialogue: The Impact of Legislative Exchanges and Opportunities to Strengthen Bilateral Relations
May 19, 2020 | Online
JCIE and a coalition of US-Japan groups co-hosted a webinar bringing together Japanese and US legislators to discuss the importance of legislative exchange.
Diet Women's Study Group | 6th Meeting
January 21, 2020 | Tokyo
Nobuo Tanaka, chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and former executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), met with the Diet Women’s Study Group to discuss Japan’s energy security…
JCIE/USA Executive Seminar | The Congressional Agenda—Implications for US-Japan Relations
December 6, 2019 | New York
On December 6, two alumni of JCIE’s Congressional Staff Exchange program participated in JCIE/USA Roundtables in New York. The two senior Congressional staff—one Republican and one Democrat—spoke abou…
28th Japanese-German Forum
December 4–6, 2019 | Tokyo, Japan
Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and journalists gathered in Tokyo to discuss key issues for Japan, Germany, and their bilateral relationship.
2019 US Young Political Leaders Delegation to Japan
November 16–26, 2019 | Tokyo, Kochi, Aichi
A bipartisan delegation of six state and local-level US political leaders visited Tokyo, Kochi Prefecture, and Aichi Prefecture for a series of meetings and roundtables with a variety of policymakers,…
2019 Japanese Diet Delegation to the US
September 17–20, 2019 | Washington DC
The 2019 US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program brought the 30th delegation of Japanese diet members and parliamentarians to the US, where they met and engaged in discussions with members of Congress…
Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar | Japan in the World: Sustaining Democracy
September 19, 2019 | Washington DC
This year’s Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar featured experts on democratic governance and human security who discussed Japan’s potential role in supporting democratic transitions in Asia. The second…
Diet Women's Study Group | 4th Meeting
September 9, 2019 | Tokyo
The Study Group discussed the issues of migration and refugees with a leading expert from a Japanese NPO.
UK-Japan 21st Century Group | 36th Conference
September 6–8, 2019 | London and Cantebury
The 36th annual meeting of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group convened in London and Cantebury at the height of a dramatic period in the Brexit saga as Prime Minister Boris Johnson had just announced pla…
27th Korea-Japan Forum
August 21–23, 2019 | Seoul
The 27th Korea-Japan Forum met in Tokyo, bringing together more than 50 participants from both countries. Discussion topics included the role of both countries in moving toward North Korean denucleari…
Diet Women's Study Group | 3rd Meeting
June 28, 2019 | Tokyo
Silvana Koch-Mehrin, founder and president of Women Political Leaders, a network of female politicians worldwide, spoke with the Diet members at the Study Group on Empowering Women Political Leaders i…
Trilateral Commission | 2019 Plenary Meeting
June 14–16, 2019 | Paris
The Trilateral Commission held its 2019 meeting in Paris, drawing hundreds of leaders from around the globe to promote dialogue on key issues facing the international community.
2019 US Congressional Staff Delegation
May 25–June 1, 2019 | Tokyo and Aichi
The 2019 US Congressional Staff Exchange Program brought the 28th delegation of US Congressional Staff to Japan, where they met and engaged in discussions with a wide range of Japanese leaders, cabine…
Democracy for the Future | Diet Roundtable with Professor Andrew J. Nathan
May 30, 2019 | Tokyo
Twenty-five thought leaders from Japan met with Professor Andrew Nathan for discussions on the state of democracy and democracy assistance.
Diet Women's Study Group | 2nd Meeting
May 20, 2019 | Tokyo
JCIE Senior Fellow Hitoshi Tanaka spoke with the Diet members spoke with the Diet members at the Study Group on Empowering Women Political Leaders in Japan about critical international security issues…
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Survey of Japanese Legislators: Attitudes on ODA and Global Health
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE)
June 2020
A JCIE survey of Japanese legislators finds that 80 percent of the 92 respondents favor steps to increase Japan’s official development assistance (ODA), with most prioritizing funding for health progr…
Japan May Allow Immigration of Hong Kong Financial Sector, Specialized Workers
Palash Gosh
June 12, 2020
Article on Japan potentially allowing immigration of Hong Kong financial sector workers. Features quotes from Toshihiro Menju, Managing Director and Chief Program Officer at JCIE
Five Steps to Bolster the US-Japan Alliance
March 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…
Japan's Support for Democracy-Related Issues: Mapping Survey
Atsuko Geiger
2019
Background and examples of Japan’s work on democracy-related issues, compiled as part of JCIE’s program on Expanding Support for Democratic Governance.
Japan’s Historic Immigration Reform: A Work in Progress
Toshihiro Menju
Feb 6, 2019
Toshihiro Menju analyzes the recent, controversial new reforms and their implications for Japanese immigration policy and the future of Japanese society.
Advancing a Global Health Agenda in the SDG Era: Enhancing Japan’s Leadership Role in 2019–2020
International Advisory Group on Global Health (IAG)
November 2018
In 2019 and 2020, Japan hosts a range of critical international meetings, from the G20 Summit to the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7), and the Nutrition for Growth S…
Japan Eases Immigration Restrictions to Fill Chronic Care Worker Shortage
Sally Herships
October 18, 2018
In the past, Japan allowed mostly highly skilled professionals in the country. Now, due to severe labor shortages, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered the government to look into new policies that w…
Abe’s Window of Time for Amending Japan’s Pacifist Constitution Narrows
Byron Tau
August 12, 2018
Wall Street Journal’s Byron Tau examines Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to amend the country’s pacifist constitution and the political realities he’s facing.
Confronting Uncertainty in East Asia
Hitoshi Tanaka, Senior Fellow, JCIE
March 2018
From a Japanese perspective, the defining characteristic of East Asia’s regional order today appears to be the high degree of uncertainty that prevails about what might come next. Geopolitical uncerta…
Common Ground and Common Obstacles: US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
Japan Center for International Exchange
2018
Highlights of a two-day discussion among American and Japanese women leaders on the shared political, security, and societal challenges facing their countries and on ways to advance women’s leadership…
Japan Exasperated by Trump’s Trade Policies
Adam Behsudi
October 15, 2017
As US farmers suffer under high tariffs, Japanese officials are in no rush to cut a new trade deal with the United States.
Accepting Immigrants is the Ultimate Key to Reviving Japan
Toshihiro Menju
October 11, 2017
The Japanese government continues to avoid adopting an immigration policy unpopular with the public as the population continues to decline. While the groundwork for receiving migrants has been laid to…
Five Factors That Could Lead to War with North Korea
Hitoshi Tanaka, Senior Fellow, JCIE
September 2017
What are the five factors that could lead to war with North Korea? They include the domestic turmoil in both political systems and the fact that differences between American and North Korean political…
Breaking the Impasse with North Korea
Hitoshi Tanaka, Senior Fellow, JCIE
May 2017
This report makes recommendations on how the international community can rapidly respond to the intensification of North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, in order to prevent massive bloodshed…
Trump, Abe Talk Trade, Security
Interview with James Gannon
February 10, 2017
In an interview with Fred Katayama of Reuters, James Gannon offers insight to the changing relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Abe, the impact of a bilateral free trade agreement,…