2019 Japanese Diet Delegation to the US

September 17–20, 2019
Washington DC

Joint Legislator-Expert Delegation on Democratic Governance

JCIE’s 30th Parliamentary Exchange Program featured a delegation that combined members of the Diet with experts in the field of democratic governance. The group traveled to the United States to explore the possibility of greater cooperation between Japan and the US on support for democratization. Meetings were held with a diverse array of organizations that work on democracy support in the United States, including US legislators and government officials, organizations funded by Congress, journalists, think tanks, and nonprofit organizations.

This delegation is part of a wider JCIE project on expanding support for democratic governance, which began in 2018 and is designed to engage Japanese legislators and government leaders in dialogue on Japan’s role in supporting democratic governance in the Southeast Asia region. The group also participated in the 2019 Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar, co-organized by the Council on Foreign Relations, which this year focused on “Japan in the World: Sustaining Democracy.”

Delegation Members

Hon. Toshiko Abe, Member, House of Representatives (Liberal Democratic Party–LDP)

Dr. Takako Hikotani, Gerald L. Curtis Associate Professor of Modern Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy, Columbia University

Dr. Maiko Ichihara, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Law and the School of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University

Hon. Shu Sakurai, Member, House of Representatives (Constitutional Democratic Party)

Dr. Kaori Shoji, Professor in American Politics, Gakushuin University Faculty of Law

Hon. Hiromi Takase, Member, House of Councillors (Komeito)

Amb. Yukio Takasu, Special Advisor on Human Security to the UN Secretary General; former UN Under-Secretary General for Management; former Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations

Hon. Keisuke Tsumura, Member, House of Representatives (Democratic Party for the People)

Hon. Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Member, House of Representatives (LDP)