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


UK-Japan 21st Century Group | 40th Conference

February 2–4, 2024 | Tokyo and Odawara, Kanagawa

The 40th annual meeting of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group met in Tokyo and Odawara to discuss critical issues facing bilateral relations and global geopolitics, including security, trade, climate cha…


31st Japanese-German Forum

November 15–17, 2023 | Berlin, Germany

At the 31st Japanese-German Forum, held in Berlin, Germany, Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and journalists discussed key bilateral topics—from global warming, accep…


2023 Japanese Women Leaders Delegation to the US

September 11–15, 2023 | Washington DC

JCIE brought a delegation of six Japanese women leaders from political and business sectors to Washington DC to participate in a weeklong series of activities to explore issues related to US-Japan rel…


2023 US Congressional Staff Exchange

October 9–October 15, 2023 | Tokyo and Hiroshima

The 2023 US Congressional Staff Exchange Program gave 7 Congressional Staff the opportunity to travel Japan, where they met with Japanese leaders across politics, media, and academia.


Trilateral Commission | 2023 Plenary Meeting

March 10–12, 2023 | New Delhi, India

The Trilateral Commission held its 2023 meeting in India, New Delhi —the first meeting to take place in India—drawing hundreds of leaders from around the globe to promote dialogue on key issues facing…


2023 US Young Political Leaders 50th Anniversary Delegation to Japan

January 21–28, 2023 | Tokyo, Nagano

Celebrating 50 years of partnership between JCIE and the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), a delegation of 5 US Young Political Leaders traveled to Japan to meet with a variety of p…


UK-Japan 21st Century Group | 39th Conference

January 12-15, 2023 | London and Norwich

The 39th annual meeting of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group met in London from January 13 to January 15, a welcome change from the online program necessitated last year by the COVID-19 pandemic.


ROUNDTABLE | Discussion with US Congressional Staff on Priorities of the 118th Congress

December 15, 2022 | Washington DC

JCIE/USA hosted a luncheon discussion with alumni of our US-Japan Congressional Staff Exchange Program, to share their thoughts on what to expect from the 118th Congress following the 2022 midterm ele…


Trilateral Commission | 2022 Asia Pacific Group Regional Meeting

November 20, 2022 | Tokyo

The Asia Pacific Group of the Trilateral Commission held its annual regional meeting in Tokyo, gathering leaders from around the globe to promote dialogue on key issues facing the international commun…

Tomiko Ichikawa speaking at the 30th Japanese-German Forum

30th Japanese-German Forum

November 16-18, 2022 | Tokyo, Japan

At the 30th Japanese-German Forum, held in-person for the first time since the beginning of COVID-19, Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and journalists discussed key b…

German-Japan global health dialogue cover image

The Roles of Germany and Japan in Global Health IV

October 19, 2022 | Berlin and Online

Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and global health experts participated in a hybrid forum to utilize the countries’ bilateral relationship to discuss key issues in gl…

Group photo with Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi

2022 US Congressional Staff Delegation

October 10–October 16, 2022 | Tokyo and Okinawa

The 2022 US Congressional Staff Exchange Program will give 8 Congressional Staff to Japan, where they will meet with Japanese leaders across politics, media, and academia.


30th Korea-Japan Forum

August 18 and 24–26, 2022 | Tokyo

The 30th Korea-Japan Forum, held in Tokyo, brought together participants to discuss domestic political shifts and bilateral relations, economic and security issues facing the two countries, and the la…


Launch of the G7 Global Health Task Force

August 10, 2022 | Japan

Ahead of the G7 Summit, JCIE has established the 2023 G7 Global Health Task Force under the Executive Committee on Global Health and Human Security to make recommendations to the Japanese government o…


Trilateral Commission | 2022 Plenary Meeting

June 10–12, 2022 | Washington DC

The Trilateral Commission held its 2022 meeting in Washington DC—the first in-person plenary since the pandemic began—drawing hundreds of leaders from around the globe to promote dialogue on key issue…

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

2023 USJWLD report cover thumbnail

Report of the 2023 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue | Empowering Our Future

Kimberly Gould Ashizawa

2024

Report on the findings from the 2023 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue, which featured a visit to the US by six Japanese political and business leaders to discuss US-Japan and international relations, w…


Beware the US-Japan Alliance China Gap

August 2023

Amid the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, Japan finds itself in an increasingly delicate situation, caught between its security guarantor and its leading economic partner. As…


Report of the 2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue | Moving the Needle on Gender Equity through US-Japan Collaboration

Kimberly Gould Ashizawa

December 2022

A report on the 2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue, held virtually, features recommendations based on the discussions among 40 women from politics, business, media, think tanks, and civil society.


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…