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
32nd Japanese-German Forum
October 29–31, 2024 | Tokyo
At the 32nd Japanese-German Forum, held in Tokyo, Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and journalists discussed key bilateral topics including demographic changes, the i…
JCIE USA Hosts Meetings with Yasuhisa Shiozaki on Global Health and US-Japan Relations
September 23–26, 2024 | Washington DC and New York NY
JCIE USA hosted a series of events with Hon. Yasuhisa Shiozaki, chair of JCIE’s Executive Committee on Global Health & Human Security and Japan’s former Minister of Health, Labour & Welfare, to Washin…
ROUNDTABLE | The LDP Leadership Race & Implications for US-Japan Relations
September 24, 2024 | Washington DC
JCIE/USA hosted a luncheon discussion on the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership race and its implications for US-Japan relations ahead of the upcoming US presidential election. The featured s…
2024 Diet Delegation to Indonesia
July 22–25, 2024 | Indonesia
JCIE organized a bipartisan Diet delegation to Indonesia on July 22–June 25, 2024, as part of its Democracy for the Future program.
2024 US Congressional Staff Exchange
May 25–June 1, 2024 | Tokyo and Kumamoto
The 2024 US Congressional Staff Exchange Program gave 7 Congressional staffers the chance to travel Japan, where they met with Japanese leaders across politics, media, and academia.
2024 Japanese Young Political Leaders Delegation to US
March 26-April 3, 2024 | Washington DC, Memphis, Nashville
The 2024 US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program brought the 30th Japanese delegation to the US, providing an opportunity for them to meet and engage in discussions with government officials…
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.
31st Korea-Japan Forum
August 30–September 1, 2023 | Seoul
The 31st Korea-Japan Forum, held in Seoul, brought together participants to discuss domestic political shifts and bilateral relations, economic and security issues facing the two countries, and the la…
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…
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
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…