2025 marked the 50th anniversary of JCIE USA, and to celebrate this major milestone, we hosted a lunch event featuring a conversation on the future of US-Japan relations with a legendary expert on Japanese politics and a founding member of JCIE USA, Professor Gerald L. Curtis, Burgess Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Columbia University. The discussion was faciliated by Jake Schlesinger, President and CEO of the United States-Japan Foundation, and joined by Dr. Charles E. Morrison, Senior Fellow at of the East-West Center, who served as a discussant.
The timely discussion explored the implications of recent political developments in Japan and the United States on the future of US-Japan Relations and highlighted the important role that nongovernmental organizations including JCIE USA will continue to play in strengthening the foundation for US-Japan cooperation.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Gerald L. Curtis
Burgess Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Columbia University; Founding member of JCIE USA
Gerald L. Curtis is Burgess Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Columbia University, Senior Research Scholar and Director of Columbia’s Japan Research Program, Chairman of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, and Distinguished Research Fellow at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research. He served as Director of Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute for a total of twelve years. Read the full bio here.
Jacob M. Schlesinger
President and CEO, United States-Japan Foundation
Jacob M. Schlesinger is president and CEO of the United States-Japan Foundation, an organization that gives grants and runs a fellowship program dedicated to bolstering relations between the two countries. He joined the USJF from The Wall Street Journal, where he worked for more than 30 years as a reporter and editor in Washington, D.C., Tokyo, and Detroit. Read the full bio here.
Charles E. Morrison (virtual participation)
Senior Fellow, East-West Center
Charles E. Morrison has held several positions at the East- West Center, including president from August 1, 1998 through December 30, 2016. In these capacities he has had extensive involvement in the conceptualization, organization and funding of multilateral, policy-oriented education, research and dialogue projects. He is a strong advocate of the concept of Asia Pacific community. Read the full bio here.
OPENING/WELCOME REMARKS
Peggy Blumenthal
Chair, JCIE USA Board of Trustees
After 30 years of service at the non-profit Institute of International Education (IIE), Peggy Blumenthal became its Chief Operating Officer in 2005, transitioning in 2011 to Senior Counselor to IIE’s President before retiring in 2025. Before joining IIE, she was Assistant Director of Stanford University’s Overseas Studies and then Coordinator of Graduate Services/Fellowships for the University of Hawaii’s Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. Peggy holds a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in Modern Chinese History and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She chairs JCIE USA and is a Board member of the US-Japan Bridging Foundation.
Ambassador Satoshi Katahira
Consul-General, Consulate General of Japan in New York
Ambassador Satoshi Katahira assumed the position of Consul-General of Japan in New York in October 2025. His extensive career at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) began in 1992, upon his graduation from the University of Tokyo. Ambassador Katahira has held several positions around the world, including postings in Brazil and the United Kingdom, and most recently as the Assistant-Minister, Director General at the Economic Affairs Bureau of MOFA. See his CV for more details.
Kazuyo Kato
Executive Director, JCIE USA
Kazuyo joined JCIE USA as Executive Director in April 2021, after spending nearly two decades at nonprofit organizations dedicated to US-Japan relations and international affairs in both the United States and Japan. Prior to JCIE USA, she was Senior Director of Global Partnerships and Initiatives at Japan Society in New York. As a member of the executive team, she focused on developing funding support and expanding the society’s network across the country and in Japan through online initiatives and partnership programs, and she helped keep the Society active during the global pandemic. She also led the Society’s multifaceted program on the 10-year anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Read the full bio here.
