A vibrant nongovernmental policy dialogue is essential for healthy bilateral relations; however, concerns have grown in recent years about the state of US-Japan policy dialogue and study, with signs that the level of interaction between the policy communities in Tokyo and Washington DC has fallen significantly. To address these concerns, JCIE launched a study in January 2009, Reinvigorating US-Japan Policy Dialogue and Discussion in a Time of Political Change.

JCIE’s new report, Reinvigorating US-Japan Policy Dialogue and Study, takes up this issue by examining think tank activities, political leaders exchanges, and other interactions between the Japanese and American policy communities. Trends in these areas indicate that the institutional base of US-Japan policy dialogue and study has, indeed, started to erode in recent years.

All the same, the report finds fertile ground to deepen bilateral dialogue and better leverage the extensive human networks that have developed between the two societies. As a result, it recommends that leaders from both countries undertake a joint effort to strengthen the institutional base of bilateral policy dialogue and study. It also identifies steps that different sectors in both countries can pursue to make US-Japan policy dialogue more sustainable and meaningful and, thus, help lay the groundwork for a stronger and more robust US-Japan partnership.