In September 2023, JCIE organized a visit to Washington DC by a delegation of Japanese women Diet members and business leaders as part of JCIE’s US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue (2017– ). As part of that visit, JCIE hosted a semi-public roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill that focused on US-Japan collaboration on gender equity in STEM, both in education and in business, and what role government can play in moving gender policy.
This event was organized as an opportunity to discuss and expand on the key findings of our 2022 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue. Participants were asked to consider how the US and Japan can collaborate, including on ways to increase women’s interest in and access to STEM, starting at the K-12 education level through to higher education, the workforce, and C suites. We were honored to have the Roundtable led by the co-chairs of our US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue, Hon. Seiko Noda (former Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, former Minister of Women’s Empowerment, Minister of State for Gender Equality, among other posts) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO). We then had comments from two additional leading women legislators committed to improving gender equity and presentations from experts in academia, business, and government. The floor was then opened and participants engaged in an extremely lively, substantive, and enthusiastic discussion, reflecting the diverse perspectives that participants brought to the table.
JCIE also held an online Working Group session on August 24 (the morning of August 25 in Japan) with a dozen women in Japan and the United States from academia, business, and the nonprofit sector who are working on promoting girls and women in STEM. The Working Group’s recommendations were shared with the Roundtable participants by Prof. Rie Kijima (Director, Initiative for Education Policy and Innovation, University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy; CEO, SKYLABO) to provide a starting point for the discussions.
Findings from the Roundtable are featured in our report of the 2023 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue below.
Welcoming Remarks and Introduction
KAZUYO KATO, Executive Director, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA)
DIANA DeGETTE, Member, House of Representatives
SEIKO NODA, Member, House of Representatives
Additional Remarks by Legislators
CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Member, House of Representatives
AIKO SHIMAJIRI, Member, House of Representatives
Remarks from Lead-Off Speakers
MARIE KISSEL, Senior Advisor, Abbott; Trustee, JCIE/USA (moderator)
RIE KIJIMA, Director, Initiative for Education Policy and Innovation, University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy; CEO, SKYLABO
SARAH KEMP, Vice President, International Government Affairs, Intel Corporation
MASAMI ONODA, Director, Washington DC Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA
HILA LEVY, Director for Science, Technology, and Workforce Strategy, National Security Council
Discussion
Closing Remarks
PEGGY BLUMENTHAL, Chair, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA); Senior Counselor to the CEO, Institute of International Education (IIE)
*in alphabetical order
Participants and Speakers
KAORI ARIOKA, Deputy Bureau Chief, NHK
PEGGY BLUMENTHAL, Chair, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA); Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of International Education (IIE)
JACLYN BRENNAN-MCCLEAN, 2022-2023 AAAS Science and Technology Fellow, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
MARY DEVLIN CAPIZZI, Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
RITA COLWELL, Distinguished University Professor, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, College Park; former Director, US National Science Foundation; Member, Board of Governors, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology
PAIGE COTTINGHAM-STREATER, Executive Director, Japan-US Friendship Commission
DIANA DEGETTE, Member, House of Representatives (D-CO); Co-chair, US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
KIKKA HANAZAWA, Chair, Board of Directors, President, Fashion Girls for Humanity
MONICA HE, Head of International Policy and Government Affairs, Organon
DEBORAH HEMINGWAY, Managing Partner, Ecphora Capital
AYAMI HOTTA, General Manager, Business Specific Security Solutions, Corporate Information Security Division, Sony Corporation of America
CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Member, House of Representatives (D-PA)
TAKAE ITO, Member, House of Councillors, Democratic Party for the People (DPFP)
YUKO KAKAZU, Astronomer and Sr. Specialist, Subaru Telescope; Education Ambassador, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)
KAZUYO KATO, Executive Director, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA)
SARAH KEMP, Vice President of International Government Affairs, Intel
RIE KIJIMA, Inaugural director of the Initiative for Education Policy and Innovation at the Centre for the Study of Global Japan, University of Toronto; Co-founder, SKY Labo
MARIE KISSEL, Senior Advisor, Abbott; Trustee, JCIE/USA
DAIZO KOSA, General Manager, NTT Washington DC Representative Office
HILA LEVY, Director for Science, Technology, and Workforce Strategy, National Security Council
YOICHI MINEO, Senior Vice President & GM, Marubeni America Corporation
SUSAN MORITA, Co-chair, US-Japan Council, Former partner, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
SEIKO NODA, Member, House of Representatives, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); Co-chair, US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue
KYOKO OKUTANI, Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC; Executive Network Member, J-Win
MASAMI ONODA, Director, Washington DC Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA
SIMONE PETRELLA, CEO and President, CyberVista | N2K
JAKE SCHLESINGER, President, US-Japan Foundation
MONIKA SCHNEIDER, Director, Global Antimicrobial Resistance Policy, Shionogi; Former Chair, Women in Bio
AIKO SHIMAJIRI, Member, House of Representatives, LDP
KAYOKO SHIODA, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, Boston University
DESIRA STEARNS, Board Member, Career Girls; Strategic Diversity Outreach Director, Leidos
HILARY STISS, Director, International Affairs, Managing Director, International Council of Biotechnology Associations, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
KATHY TAKAYAMA, Executive Director for Professional Development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Center for Professional Development & Inclusive Excellence (C-Hub), Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)
KIYOMI TSUJIMOTO, Member, House of Councillors, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ)
AYA TSUMURA, Executive Officer, SMBC Trust Bank, Ltd.; Executive Network Member, J-Win
Observers
MAUREEN CRUZ, Director, Science, Regulation & Policy, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
SANDRA FISH, Journalist, Colorado Sun
TAKAHITO FUSHIKI, First Secretary, Embassy of Japan
LEE NAGAO, Principal, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
CHRIS SCHLOESSER, Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director, Office of Rep. Diana DeGette
MAIKO TAKAHASHI, MSFS Candidate, Georgetown University
EMMA ZAFRAN, Senior Legislative Assistant, Office of Rep. Chrissy Houlahan
JCIE Staff
KIM GOULD ASHIZAWA, Senior Advisor, JCIE/USA
SIMEON BARRETT, Intern, JCIE/USA
KEVIN BAYES, Program and Administrative Assistant, JCIE/USA
HAYLEY HUTCHISON, Program Officer, JCIE/USA
HIFUMI TAJIMA, Chief Program Officer, JCIE/Japan
AISHA ALI, Executive Director, Career Girls
KIMBERLY ASHIZAWA, Senior Advisor, JCIE/USA
TAKAKO HASHIMOTO, Vice President, Professor, Chiba University of Commerce; Associate Member, Science Council of Japan; Former Chair, IEEE Women in Engineering
TOMOKO HAYASHI, Director-General, Economic Research Bureau, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
YUKO HAYASHI, Professor, Graduate School of Innovation and Management, Yamaguchi University
HAYLEY HUTCHISON, Program Officer, JCIE/USA
KAZUYO KATO, Executive Director, JCIE/USA
HIDEKO KATSUMATA, Executive Director, JCIE/USA
RIE KIJIMA, Inaugural Director the Initiative for Education Policy and Innovation at the Centre for the Study of Global Japan, University of Toronto; Co-Founder, SkyLabo
MARIE KISSEL, Senior Advisor, Government Affairs, Abbot
SIMONE PETRELLA, CEO and President, CyberVista | N2K
ELIZABETH “LIBBIE” PRESCOTT, Director, Fellowships Office, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [NASEM]
LINDSAY RYAN, Executive Director, Economic Development, University System of Maryland; Former Chair, Women in Bio Capital Region Chapter
DESIRA STEARNS, Board Member, Career Girls; Strategic Diversity Outreach Director, Leidos
HIFUMI TAJIMA, Chief Program Officer
KATHY TAKAYAMA, Executive Director for Professional Development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center for Professional Development & Inclusive Excellence (C-Hub), Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
NAOMI WAKAYAMA, Senior Director, Global Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Eisai
This program is funded through generous grants from the United States Embassy in Tokyo, the MRA Foundation, and the Toshiba International Foundation.
