In the fall of 2017, JCIE gathered two dozen women leaders, representing a diversity of fields, for a US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue at the Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in Tarrytown, New York, to discuss ways in which the United States and Japan can cooperate on security, economic, and gender issues. The dialogue placed women’s expertise and experiences at the forefront of an extended conversation about US-Japan relations.
This report highlights a number of key takeaways and themes, listed below, and offers a summary of the discussions.
KEY POINTS
Strengthening the US-Japan Alliance
- The US-Japan alliance should be sustained as the cornerstone of stability in Asia.
- It is important to more proactively engage women in US-Japan dialogues.
- More must be done to educate the public on the benefits of the US-Japan alliance.
- The United States and Japan should provide leadership in upholding democratic values in Asia.
Empowering Women in Japanese and American Society
- Lessons from US and Japanese models of caregiving should be shared.
- Employers in both countries would benefit from investigating and adopting best practices from overseas counterparts to expand flexibility in the workplace.
- Efforts are needed to strengthen philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in both countries.
Advancing Women’s Political Leadership
- Japan and the United States should share best practices for supporting women in politics.
- The creation of a “women’s caucus” in the Japanese Diet would be beneficial.
- Research centers in Japan on women in politics should be strengthened.
