US-JAPAN WOMEN LEADERS DIALOGUE
2017–Present
Recognizing that the voices of women continue to be underrepresented in discussions of key policy issues facing both Japanese and American societies, JCIE launched the US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue in 2017 as part of the Empowering Women Leaders Program to convene women leaders from varying walks of life. The dialogue is intended to bring women’s perspectives more fully into the discourse on US-Japan relations, but also to explore how women can overcome the obstacles they face in their respective careers as they seek to make their voices heard on a more sustained basis, and to foster closer connections among leaders in the two countries.
The first dialogue was held at the beautiful Pocantico Conference Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, with support from the Henry Luce Foundation and the Japan–US Friendship Commission. It included five members of a Diet delegation traveling to the United States on JCIE’s Parliamentary Exchange Program, including Internal Affairs Minister Seiko Noda, the highest-ranking woman presently serving in the Japanese Cabinet. A group of 25 inspirational women (and a few men) from the political, business, think tank, academic, media, and philanthropic sectors joined to discuss ways to advance women’s leadership in domestic politics and business, work-life balance, and broader issues of policy concern: the US-Japan alliance and promoting stability in Asia Pacific, US-Japan cooperation in supporting the international order, and the shared challenges of globalization and economic populism.
RELATED ACTIVITIES & REPORTS
Report of the 2023 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue | Empowering Our Future
2024
Kimberly Gould Ashizawa
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…
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-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue STEM Roundtable
September 14, 2023
Washington DC
During the visit of a delegation of Japanese women leaders to Washington DC, JCIE organized a semi-public roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill focusing on US-Japan collaboration on gender equity in S…
Report of the 2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue | Moving the Needle on Gender Equity through US-Japan Collaboration
December 2022
Kimberly Gould Ashizawa
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.
2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue | Tokyo Meetings
May 29, 2022
Tokyo
A roundtable on recent developments in women’s issues was held, taking advantage of a visit to Japan by Dialogue Co-chair Rep. Diana DeDegette (D-CO). This was followed by a smaller lunch meeting that…
2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
January–March 2022
Online
READ THE REPORT JCIE is holding the 2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue, a three-part virtual discussion bringing together more than 40 women leaders from across multiple sectors from the United Stat…
Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue | Seeking the "Next Normal"—Creating a Post-Pandemic World Where Women (and Men) Can Thrive
July 2021
Kimberly Gould Ashizawa
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,…
US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
March–April 2021
Online
JCIE held a three-session, online US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue to convene top women leaders from varying walks of life. Two leading legislators, Hon. Seiko Noda and Hon. Diana DeGette, were the co-…
Common Ground and Common Obstacles: US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
2018
Japan Center for International Exchange
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…
2017 Japanese Women Leaders Delegation to the US
September 11–17, 2017
Washington DC, New York
JCIE’s 2017 US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program delegation from Japan was comprised entirely of women for the first time ever. Five impressive legislators and one senior journalist joined us for a…
US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
September 15–17, 2017
Tarrytown, NY
JCIE held the first US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue to convene top women leaders from varying walks of life in both countries, including four diet members of a Diet delegation traveling to the United…
Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar | Women in Japanese Politics and Society
September 12, 2017
Washington DC
Hosted by the Council of Foreign Relations, 2017’s Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar featured a panel of four up-and-coming Diet members who discussed the difficulties they face in participating as wo…
Currently, the program is funded through generous grants from the United States Embassy in Tokyo, the MRA Foundation, and the Toshiba International Foundation.
The launch of this dialogue program was made possible through the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the Japan-US Friendship Commission.
