The US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program was conceived in 1967 at a conference of high-level American and Japanese political, opinion, and business leaders held in Shimoda, Japan. The Shimoda Conference pointed out the growing role of legislators in US-Japan relations as well as their relative lack of knowledge about each other’s societies. To remedy this Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield called for the creation of a nongovernmental political exchange program between the two countries. When the US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program was launched in 1968, its initial focus was on introductory generalities, but with the maturation of the US-Japan relationship, the focus has shifted to the enhancement of dialogue on bilateral and global policy issues.
The following are the participants who comprised the first 19 delegations of US members of Congress to Japan, along with the house to which they belonged and the year in which they traveled to Japan:
Bill Archer | House of Representatives, 1975, 1985 |
Les AuCoin | House of Representatives, 1984 |
Howard Baker | Senate, 1969 |
Max Baucus | Senate, 1982, 1986 |
Glenn Beall | Senate, 1971 |
Henry Bellman | Senate, 1977 |
Doug Bereuter | House of Representatives, 1986, 1990 |
Howard Berman | House of Representatives, 1989 |
Jeff Bingaman | Senate, 1985, 1989, 1990 |
Rick Boucher | House of Representatives, 1988 |
Bill Bradley | Senate, 1981 |
Jack Brooks | House of Representatives, 1972 |
Caldwell Butler | House of Representatives, 1982 |
Clifford Case | Senate, 1969 |
Rod Chandler | House of Representatives, 1987 |
Thomas Coleman | House of Representatives, 1982 |
Dick Clark | Senate, 1975 |
William Clay | House of Representatives, 1973 |
William Clinger | House of Representatives, 1981 |
Jeffrey Cohelan | House of Representatives, 1968 |
Ronald Coleman | House of Representatives, 1988 |
James Corman | House of Representatives, 1971 |
John Culver | House of Representatives, 1968 |
Lawrence DeNardis | House of Representatives, 1982 |
Butler Derrick | House of Representatives, 1981 |
Norman Dicks | House of Representatives, 1984 |
Thomas Downey | House of Representatives, 1977, 1980 |
Robert Duncan | House of Representatives, 1976 |
John Durkin | Senate, 1976 |
Dennis Eckart | House of Representatives, 1985 |
John Erlenborn | House of Representatives, 1972 |
Alan Ertel | House of Representatives, 1977 |
Frank Evans | House of Representatives, 1975 |
Paul Fannin | Senate, 1971 |
Thomas Foley | House of Representatives, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 |
Wyche Fowler | House of Representatives, 1982 |
Barney Frank | House of Representatives, 1985 |
Donald Fraser | House of Representatives, 1973 |
Bill Frenzel | House of Representatives, 1975 |
Martin Frost | House of Representatives, 1985 |
Sam Gejdenson | House of Representatives, 1984 |
Richard Gephardt | House of Representatives, 1983 |
Sam Gibbons | House of Representatives, 1973 |
Dan Glickman | House of Representatives, 1986 |
Bart Gordon | House of Representatives, 1989 |
Al Gore | House of Representatives, 1981 |
Bill Gradison | House of Representatives, 1980, 1983 |
Judd Gregg | House of Representatives, 1985 |
Lee Hamilton | House of Representatives, 1982, 1983 |
Tom Harkin | Senate, 1986 |
Vance Hartke | Senate, 1971 |
James Hayes | House of Representatives, 1989 |
James Howard | House of Representatives, 1972 |
William Hungate | House of Representatives, 1972 |
Henry Hyde | House of Representatives, 1983 |
Nancy Johnson | House of Representatives, 1989 |
Robert Legett | House of Representatives, 1968 |
Sander Levin | House of Representatives, 1990 |
William Mailliard | House of Representatives, 1968, 1969 |
Robert Mathias | House of Representatives, 1971 |
Robert Matsui | House of Representatives, 1986 |
Spark Matsunaga | House of Representatives, 1969 |
James McClure | Senate, 1973, 1975 |
Joseph McDade | House of Representatives, 1975 |
Robert McEwen | House of Representatives, 1972 |
Matthew McHugh | House of Representatives, 1985 |
Thomas McMillen | House of Representatives, 1989 |
Lee Metcalf | Senate, 1969, 1971 |
Robert Michel | House of Representatives, 1988 |
Barbara Mikulski | House of Representatives, 1977 |
John Miller | House of Representatives, 1989 |
Norman Mineta | House of Representatives, 1976, 1983 |
Robert Morgan | Senate, 1977 |
Frank Moss | Senate, 1969 |
Frank Murkowski | Senate, 1982, 1984 |
Edmund Muskie | Senate, 1969 |
Howard Nielson | House of Representatives, 1986 |
Sam Nunn | Senate, 1975 |
James O’Hara | House of Representatives, 1968, 1969, 1973 |
Leon Panetta | House of Representatives, 1981, 1988 |
James Pearson | Senate, 1969 |
Charles Percy | Senate, 1976 |
Thomas Petri | House of Representatives, 1981, 1984, 1990 |
Joel Pritchard | House of Representatives, 1980 |
David Pryor | House of Representatives, 1969, 1971 |
Dan Quayle | House of Representatives, 1977 |
Albert Quie | House of Representatives, 1973 |
Thomas Railsback | House of Representatives, 1971, 1976 |
Bill Richardson | House of Representatives, 1987 |
Jay Rockefeller | Senate, 1987 |
Charlie Rose | House of Representatives, 1990 |
William Roth | Senate, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1990 |
Donald Rumseld | House of Representatives, 1968, 1969 |
James Sasser | Senate, 1983 |
Harold Sawyer | House of Representatives, 1977 |
Herman Schneebeli | House of Representatives, 1968, 1971, 1973 |
Richard Schweiker | Senate, 1976 |
Hugh Scott | Senate, 1969, 1971 |
James Sensenbrenner | House of Representatives, 1984, 1988 |
James Shannon | House of Representatives, 1983 |
Philip Sharp | House of Representatives, 1981 |
Norman Shumway | House of Representatives, 1982 |
Denny Smith | House of Representatives, 1985 |
John Spratt | House of Representatives, 1987 |
Robert Stafford | Senate, 1972 |
William Steiger | House of Representatives, 1976 |
Louis Stokes | House of Representatives, 1969, 1971 |
Samuel Stratton | House of Representatives, 1973, 1975, 1981, 1984 |
Morris Udall | House of Representatives, 1969, 1971 |
Pat Williams | House of Representatives, 1986 |
Tim Wirth | House of Representatives, 1984 |
Bob Wise | House of Representatives, 1988, 1990 |
Wendell Wyatt | House of Representatives, 1968, 1971, 1973 |
Andrew Young | House of Representatives, 1975 |
