In June 2002, members of the 17th Japanese delegation visited Washington DC, Boston, Montana, and San Francisco, where they met with senior government officials, representatives from political parties, local elected officials, and leaders from the business and nonprofit sectors. Representative Greg Walden (R-OR), a 1991 ACYPL delegate, and his staff joined the group for a roundtable on US politics, and the delegation also met with other policy experts and political operatives to discuss topics such as US campaign practices, US foreign policy, and charter schools.
In Massachusetts, the delegation held discussions with a wide range of state and local leaders, met with various officials from local universities, and received a briefing from prominent Japan expert Ezra Vogel (professor emeritus, Harvard University) on US-Japan relations. While in Montana, the eight-member delegation met with various local government and nonprofit leaders for discussions on the role of NGOs, local business promotion efforts, and the US criminal system.
Participants
SHUHEI CHIBA, Member, Hachioji City Council, Tokyo, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)
KEIKO IIZUKA, Professional Staff Member, Public Relations Committee (DPJ)
TAKEO IWAKI, Assistant Chief, Political News Division, Komei Shimbun (New Komeito)
MICHIKO KOBAYASHI, Assistant to Shozo Azuma, Member of the House of Representatives, Liberal Party
YUKI KONO, Assistant to Hakubun Shimomura, Member of the House of Representatives, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
YAEKO MACHIDA, Professional Staff Member, Election Strategy Headquarters (LDP)
YOSHIKI MINEZAKI, Assistant to Naoki Minezaki, Member of the House of Councillors (DPJ)
TOSHIHIRO USAMI, Professional Staff Member, Party Organization Bureau (LDP)
