US Congressional Staff Exchange
JCIE established the US Congressional Staff Exchange Program in 1982 in recognition of the vital role Congressional staff play in policymaking. The one-week program provides senior Congressional staffers with the opportunity to meet Japanese legislators and policymakers and give them a sense of the Japanese policymaking process as well as political, economic, and societal trends.
US Congressional Staff Exchange Alumni Interview with Steven Clark
JCIE USA is excited to launch a new interview series featuring alumni of our US Congressional Staff Exchange Program. Our first interview is with Steven Clark, an alumnus of our 2023 US Congressional Staff Exchange.
US Congressional Staff Exchange Alumni Interview with Jon Carter
JCIE USA is excited to launch a new interview series featuring alumni of our US Congressional Staff Exchange Program. Our second interview is with Jon Carter, an alumnus of our 2024 US Congressional Staff Exchange delegation.
JCIE USA Launches US Congressional Staff Exchange Alumni Interview Series
JCIE USA launched a new interview series featuring alumni of our US Congressional Staff Exchange Program. Since 1982, this program has taken bipartisan delegations of up-and-coming staffers on Capitol Hill to Japan each year, providing them with opportunities to deepen their understanding of Japan and US-Japan relations through a weeklong study tour in the country and post-trip activities. The series aims to highlight the staffers’ work, their memories from the Japan study tour, and the lasting impact the program has had on both their personal and professional lives.
The series aims to highlight the staffers’ work, their memories from the Japan study tour, and the lasting impact the program has had on both their personal and professional lives. Through these interviews, we hope to illustrate the value of legislative exchanges in strengthening and upholding the US-Japan alliance.
US-Japan Legislative and Staff Exchange Programs
For more than five decades, JCIE has been promoting closer relations between US and Japanese political leaders, engaging them in exchanges that focus on US-Japan relations as well as in a wide range of research and dialogues—from comparative research on the policymaking process, to task forces on global health, and dialogues on women’s leadership.
2026 Japanese Young Political Leaders Delegation: Debriefing Session
The 2026 Japanese delegation of young political leaders reunited one month after they returned from the United States for a debriefing session. Participants were invited to reflect on their experiences in Washington DC, Maryland, and Kansas and to share insights gained during the 10-day program.
APPLICATIONS OPEN: 2026 US Congressional Staff Exchange Program and Japan Study Tour
JCIE is now accepting applications for our 2024 US Congressional Staff Exchange Program to select a bipartisan group of up to Congressional staffers who will participate in a week-long study tour in Japan.
2026 Japanese Young Political Leaders Delegation to US
The 2026 US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program brought the 31st Japanese delegation to the US, providing an opportunity for them to meet and engage in discussions with government officials, political campaign committees, policy experts, and business representatives.
US-Japan Healthy and Resilient Aging Program
The US-Japan Healthy & Resilient Aging program promotes US-Japan collaboration on aging issues. The program will facilitate robust dialogues at the community and national levels that engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders and spark future collaboration for the benefit of both countries and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
US Congressional Staff Exchange | 2024 Delegation
The 2024 US Congressional Staff Exchange Program gave 7 Congressional staffers the chance to travel Japan, where they met with Japanese leaders across politics, media, and academia.