As part of JCIE’s program on Expanding Support for Democratic Governance (also known as Democracy for the the Future), National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Vice President Brian Joseph spoke about the role of nongovernmental organizations such as the NED in supporting democracies to a group of 15 Diet members as well as six staff from Diet offices. The group discussed a wide range of topics in relation to democracy support and the state of democracy in Asia, including challenges with Myanmar’s democratization process, challenges surrounding the situation in Hong Kong, and Japan’s role as the region faces setbacks to democracy.