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-chairs for this series of meetings that addressed “Advancing Women’s Leadership in a Time of Crisis.”
This program built on the discussions from the first US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue, held in September 2017, which was notable for its impact on the Japanese participants. It led to the creation of a Diet caucus to support young mothers and fathers in the legislature, as well as the launch of a foreign policy study group for women Diet members.
Much changed since the first Dialogue. The #metoo movement came to the forefront in late 2017, and a growing number of American women ran for office in 2018 and 2020, with Kamala Harris becoming the first woman ever elected to the position of Vice President. Japan, meanwhile, also made it a priority for women to gain more equal footing in both business and politics, with record numbers of women joining the workforce. However, there have also been a number of challenges for women; both countries have remained low on the Global Gender Gap Index, with the US ranked 53rd and Japan coming in at 121st, and the COVID-19 pandemic has had a particularly outsized impact on women.
Within this context over 40 prominent women leaders came together to share their experiences, focusing on a variety of issues such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, women in the workforce, and how to encourage women’s political participation.
Session 1: The Domestic Impact of the Crisis on Women and Shared Lessons for Building Greater Resiliency (March 23, 2021)
Session 2: Beyond the Pandemic—Envisioning the “Next Normal” for Women in the United States, Japan, and the World (April 13, 2021)
Session 3: Amplifying Women’s Voices in Policymaking in the United States and Japan and in US-Japan Cooperation (April 27, 2021)
The dialogue was made possible through the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the MRA Foundation.
Topic
The pandemic has laid bare the weaknesses in societies worldwide and particularly the inequities in terms of racial, economic, and gender disparities. It has also weakened public trust in government and science, which in turn has negatively impacted the ability to control the pandemic.
• How has the COVID crisis impacted Japanese and American women’s ability to participate in the workforce and advance in their careers?
• How can the post-pandemic recovery be leveraged to create new, more equitable systems and institutions for women in the US and Japan?
• How can women in politics work to promote greater trust in government and science in ways that can foster greater resiliency in the future?
Welcome & Introduction
Ms. Hideko Katsumata, Executive Director & COO, JCIE/Japan
Ms. Peggy Blumenthal, Chair, JCIE/USA; Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of International Education
Initial Remarks from Dialogue Co-Chairs
Hon. Diana DeGette, Member, US House of Representatives (D-CO)
Hon. Seiko Noda, Member, House of Representatives of Japan, Executive Acting Secretary-General, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
Remarks from Resource Persons
Ms. Sachiko Habu, Editor-in-chief, Nikkei xwoman
Ms. Sheryl WuDunn, Co-founder, FullSky Partners; Author; former journalist, New York Times; Pulitzer Prize winner for journalism
Moderated Discussion
