A delegation of eight US Congressional Staff members traveled to Tokyo and Okinawa from October 10 to October 16, 2022 for a series of briefings, meetings, and roundtables focusing on the factors that shape Japanese politics and the US-Japan alliance. The first US Congressional Staff Exchange since the pandemic, participants met with several politicians and leaders including Toshimitsu Motegi, Secretary-General, Liberal Democratic Party, Seiko Noda, Former Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment, and Kenji Yamada, State Minister for Foreign Affairs. They then traveled to Okinawa, which was marking the 50th Anniversary of its reversion to Japanese sovereignty this year, and where they visited both US and Japanese bases.
Participants
JESSICA BURNELL, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY)
JOEL KERALIS, Legislative Assistant, Office of Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE)
NAOMI LAKE, Legislative Assistant, Office of Rep. Chuy García (D-IL)
JAMES “JIMMY” LOOMIS, Senior Defense & Foreign Policy Advisor, Office of Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
BRET MANLEY, Chief of Staff, Office of Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL)
JUSTIN MATURO, Legislative Director, Office of Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA)
JAMES “MAX” PEDROTTI, Legislative Director, Office of Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV)
KAYLA WILLIAMS, Chief of Staff, Office of Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
This Congressional staff exchange program has been made possible through the generous support of the Japan-US Friendship Commission, an independent federal agency dedicated to strengthening the US-Japan relationship through educational, cultural, and intellectual exchange.
