JCIE held the first US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue to convene top women leaders from varying walks of life in both countries at the beautiful Pocantico Conference Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. This included four members of a Diet delegation traveling to the United States on JCIE’s Parliamentary Exchange Program, as well as 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.
The dialogue was made possible through the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the Japan-US Friendship Commission.
Friday, September 15
Opening Reception
Dinner
[Welcoming remarks]
Ms. Peggy Blumenthal, Chair, JCIE/USA; Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of International Education
Ms. Hideko Katsumata, Executive Director & COO, JCIE/Japan
[Opening keynote]
Hon. Seiko Noda, Minister of Internal Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan; Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment; Member, House of Representatives of Japan
Saturday, September 16
Advancing Women’s Leadership in Domestic Politics
[Initial comments]
Hon Kuniko Inoguchi, Member, House of Councillors of Japan; former Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs
The US-Japan Alliance & Asia Pacific Stability
[Initial comments]
Amb. Rosemary DiCarlo, President, National Committee on American Foreign Policy; former US Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Dr. Takako Hikotani, Columbia University
US-Japan Cooperation in Supporting the Liberal International Order
[Initial comments]
Ms. Aiko Doden, Senior Commentator on International Affairs, NHK Broadcasting
Ms. Susan Berresford, former President, Ford Foundation
Shared Challenges of Globalization and Economic Populism
[Initial comments]
Ms. Wendy Cutler, Vice President & Managing Director, Washington DC Office, Asia Society; former Acting Deputy US Trade Representative
Hon. Toshiko Takeya, Member, House of Councillors
Sunday, September 17
Women and Work: Meeting the Challenges of Work-Life Balance, Healthcare, and Aging
[Initial comments]
Claire Chino, Executive Officer and General Counsel, Itochu Corporation
Wrap-up Session
[Reflections]
Hon. Seiko Noda, Minister of Internal Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan; Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment; Member, House of Representatives of Japan
Ms. Peggy Blumenthal, Chair, JCIE/USA; Senior Counselor to the President, institute of International Education
Ms. Hideko Katsumata, Executive Director & COO, JCIE/Japan
Susan Berresford | Former President, Ford Foundation; Board Member, JCIE/USA |
Peggy Blumenthal | Board Chair, JCIE/USA; Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of International Education (IIE) |
Claire Chino | Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Itochu International |
Wendy Cutler | Vice President and Managing Director, Washington DC office, Asia Society; former Acting Assistant US Trade Representative |
Leigh Devine | Editorial Director, Medscape TV/WebMD; Creative Producer and Content Creator, Divinepix |
Rosemary DiCarlo | President, National Committee on American Foreign Policy, former US Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations |
Aiko Doden | Senior Commentator on International Affairs, NHK Broadcasting; Special Affairs Commentator, NHK World |
Atsuko Toko Fish | Founder, Japan Women’s Leadership Initiative; Trustee, Fish Family Foundation |
James Gannon | Executive Director, JCIE/USA |
Shihoko Goto | Senior Associate, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars |
Kim Gould Ashizawa | Senior Associate, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) |
Takako Hikotani | Associate Professor of Modern Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy, Columbia University |
Kuniko Inoguchi | Member, House of Councillors; former Minister of State for Gender Equality |
Takae Ito | Member, House of Councillors of Japan (Democratic Party) |
Takae Ito | Member , House of Councillors of Japan (Komeito) |
Merit Janow | Dean, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs; former Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan and China |
Claudia Juech | Executive Director, The Cloudera Foundation; former Associate Vice President and Managing Director for Strategic Insights, Rockefeller Foundation |
Hideko Katsumata | Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/Japan) |
Marie Louise Keen | Program Assistant, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) |
Helena Kolenda | Program Director for Asia, Henry Luce Foundation |
Ling Li | Program Director for Luce Scholars and Program Officer for Asia, Henry Luce Foundation |
Seiko Noda | Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan; Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment; Member, House of Representatives (Liberal Democratic Party) |
Alicia Ogawa | Director, Program on Alternative Investments, Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia Business School |
Toshiko Takeya | Member, House of Councillors of Japan (Komeito) |
David Janes | Director of Foundation Grants, US-Japan Foundation |
Hiroko Murase | Trustee, The Noguchi Museum |
Satoru Murase | Partner, Morgan Lewis; Board Member, JCIE/USA |
Allan Song | Senior Program Officer, Smith Richardson Foundation |
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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 weeklong program.
