Included in this issue of the newsletter:

• Message from Sasakawa USA's Chairman Satohiro Akimoto

April Activities

• U.S.-Japan Integrated Security Dialogue: 2024 Diet Delegation Visits Washington
• Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED): 2024 SEED Cohort on Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction through Women, Peace and Security
• Washington Kenkyu Group (WKG): Discussion with Mr. Fred Yang
• Japan US Military Program (JUMP): Sakura Matsuri

External Engagements

• Dr. Satohiro Akimoto Speaks at Harvard University's Regional Studies East Asia 75th Anniversary Symposium

Publications

• US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative: NEXT Alliance Conference Article Published (Dr. Takeyasu Fujiki)
• Senior Director James Schoff Publishes Article on Economic Security and the Alliance with Japan Up Close

Announcements:

• Japan US Military Program (JUMP): New Website
• Sasakawa USA: Follow Us on Instagram

Message from Sasakawa USA's Chairman Satohiro Akimoto

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made his glorious official visit to Washington in April. State visits are bestowed to world leaders who are held at the highest level of strategic importance, and it was only the fifth official visit hosted by the Biden administration. As a matter of fact, it was the first official visit by Japan’s prime minister since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Washington in 2015. Prime Minister Kishida’s schedule was packed with important engagements, such as his meeting with President Biden, the welcome ceremony and State Dinner at the White House, his address at the joint session of Congress, and a lunch with policy makers and alliance supporters hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Prime Minister Kishida made the most of this once in a decade opportunity in Washington to celebrate and advance the U.S.-Japan alliance. The two leaders jointly elevated the bilateral alliance to a global partnership based on a shared vision for the future. President Biden said “the unbreakable alliance between Japan and the United States is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world” as he welcomed Prime Minister Kishida to the arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn. The two countries agreed on a wide range of strategic areas to cooperate on, such as Defense and Security Cooperation; Space Cooperation; Economic, Technology, and Climate Cooperation; Diplomacy, Development, and Humanitarian Assistance; and people-to-people ties.

Following Prime Minister Kishida’s official visit to the Capital, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA invited a group of Japanese lawmakers to Washington as part of our Integrated Security Dialogue program. This program brings a delegation of lawmakers to Washington every year during Golden Week to exchange views on military and economic security issues with their counterparts in the Capital. While they expected to hear high remarks about Prime Minister Kishida’s visit, they were pleasantly surprised to hear that Prime Minister Kishida’s address to the joint session of Congress helped U.S. lawmakers approve a $95 billion war aid measure that included assistance to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and for other security priorities.

Unfortunately, for Prime Minister Kishida, his triumphant official visit to Washington has not helped him at all in terms of domestic difficulties stemming from the LDP’s scandals regarding the Unification Church, slush funds, and the party’s recent losses in all three by-elections in Shimane, Nagasaki, and Tokyo. In fact, the LDP could not even field candidates in Nagasaki and Tokyo due to voters’ strong negative feeling about the party. Prime Minister Kishida’s approval ratings have been declining continuously since May 2023 to a dangerously low level. In the latest NHK polls conducted from April 5 to 8, his approval rating was 23 percent, down two points from previous polls in March, and his disapproval rating was 58 percent, up one point from previous polls in March.

Due to the highly negative domestic political landscape the LDP has been facing, it is not likely at this point for Prime Minister Kishida to call a snap election anytime soon. In this unpredictable domestic political situation, the LDP will be paying attention to the Shizuoka gubernatorial election on May 26, the Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 5, and the by-elections in nine wards in Tokyo on July 7 to gauge voters’ sentiments in order to come up with a short-term party strategy. As the LDP is scheduled to have a party presidential election in September, political maneuvering and competition within the LDP, amid attacks from the opposition parties that sense vulnerability in the LDP, will likely continue in the next four months. 

April Activities

U.S.-Japan Integrated Security Dialogue:

2024 Diet Delegation Visits Washington

From April 28 to May 3, Sasakawa USA's U.S.-Japan Integrated Security Dialogue program welcomed six Diet members to Washington, DC. The delegation was led by the Hon. Akira Amari, member of the House of Representatives, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, who spearheads Japan’s economic security strategies; and by delegation deputy leader, Hon. Takayuki Kobayashi, member of the House of Representatives, Liberal Democratic Party and Japan’s first minister of Economic Security. The delegation sought to deepen the understanding of key strategic issues with emphasis on military and economic security for the U.S. and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region. Through high-level engagements with U.S. experts, the delegation members further strengthened an unwavering bond between the two allies.

Photo (left to right): Hon. Akihisa Nagashima, Hon. Miki Yamada, Hon. Akira Amari, Hon. Takayuki Kobayashi, Hon. Masanao Ozaki, and Dr. Satohiro Akimoto in front of the space shuttle Discovery at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED):

2024 Cohort on Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction through Women, Peace and Security

Building off of the momentum from the 2023 Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation on Women, Peace and Security, the 2024 SEED research trip will be centered around "Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction through Women, Peace and Security." Sasakawa USA is thrilled to announce that nine delegates have been selected to participate in the weeklong research trip to Japan July 6-14, to meet with Japanese counterparts working to integrate gender perspectives in Japan’s Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) efforts. The research trip serves as a way for the U.S. and Japan to improve their respective disaster preparedness and response while facilitating a new area of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) cooperation within the alliance. The delegation will have representation from a wide range of DRR stakeholders, including federal and local government agencies, academia, and civil society.



• Ms. Katherine Bartuska; Technical Coordinator; Gender, Age and Social Inclusion Team; Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance; U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Ms. Madeline Beal; Senior Risk Communication Advisor; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Ms. Maryruth Belsey Priebe; Director of WPS Programs; Pacific Forum International | Co-Founder; aXXelerate
• Ms. Nickea Bradley; Senior Director; Office of Emergency Preparedness; Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
• Ms. Anjana Dayal de Prewitt; Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; American Red Cross
• Ms. Andrea Ellis; Appeals Supervisor; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Mr. Min Kang; Foreign Service Officer; Office of Multilateral and External Coordination; Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration; U.S. Department of State
• Ms. Angela Ling; Senior Director; Hospital Preparedness and Policy; Nebraska Hospital Association | Detachment-1 Commander; Lt Col; Nebraska Air National Guard
• Ms. Chauncia Willis-Johnson; CEO and Co-Founder; Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management | Owner and President; The Savvy Dimension

Photo: In preparation for the July SEED research trip, Sasakawa USA Director of Programs Ms. Shanti Shoji (right), and Hon. Miki Yamada, member of the House of Representatives of Japan and chief secretary of the Women, Peace and Security Parliamentarian’s Network of Japan, discuss the inclusion of Disaster Risk Reduction into Japan’s Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan. 

Washington Kenkyu Group (WKG):

Discussion with Mr. Fred Yang

On April 17, Sasakawa USA hosted Mr. Fred Yang, CEO of Hart Research, as part of Sasakawa USA’s Washington Kenkyu Group. Mr. Yang shared his analysis of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and U.S. politics in general. The participants engaged in a lively Q&A session following Mr. Yang’s remarks which was moderated by Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, chairman and president of Sasakawa USA.

Photo (left to right): Mr. Fred Yang and Dr. Satohiro Akimoto

Japan US Military Program (JUMP): Sakura Matsuri

On April 13 and 14, Sasakawa USA participated in Japan-America Society of Washington DC's Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival. Sasakawa USA presented its programs related to the U.S.-Japan alliance with a special focus on the Japan US Military Program (JUMP) in order to highlight the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance with festival attendees and connect with American military personnel and veterans who have served in Japan. Sasakawa USA was joined by Japan Self-Defense Forces officers from the Embassy of Japan to discuss the bilateral relationship and give attendees the chance to meet with Japanese officers. Several hundred people visited the booth and learned more about the U.S.-Japan alliance, JUMP's activities, and Sasakawa USA's programs.

JUMP is a partnership between Sasakawa USA and the Embassy of Japan.

Photo: Japan Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada (center) with (from left to right) Ms. Louise Colwell, Ms. Shanti Shoji, Ambassador James Zumwalt, Colonel Yuka Nakazato, and Major Shinji Nakazato

External Engagements

Dr. Satohiro Akimoto Speaks at Harvard University's Regional Studies East Asia 75th Anniversary Symposium

Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, chairman and president of Sasakawa USA, participated in Harvard University’s Regional Studies East Asia (RSEA) 75th Anniversary Symposium on April 5. The Symposium consisted of five panel discussions on East Asia’s future which focused on arts, politics, business, journalism, and higher education. Dr. Akimoto spoke on the panel “What are the outlooks for East Asia in business, and for business in East Asia?” along with fellow panelists Mr. Glen Fukushima, vice chair of securities at Investor Protection Corporation, and Ms. Greer Meisels, director of external affairs at Intel Corporation. Mr. Richard Palmer, managing director at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management in San Francisco, moderated the discussion which included a wide range of business issues such as economic security, technology competition, supply chain integrity, and semiconductors. 

Photo (left to right): Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, Ms. Greer Meisels, and Mr. Glen S. Fukushima at Harvard University's Regional Studies East Asia 75th Anniversary Symposium (Photo credit: Marissa Fiorucci)

Publications

US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative:

NEXT Alliance Conference Article Published

(Dr. Takeyasu Fujiki)

Dr. Takeyasu Fujiki, NEXT Alliance Conference participant and associate professor of economics at Wakayama University, published an article entitled “IPEF as Economic Statecraft – What Supply Chain Agreements Should Do and Not Do” drawing from a NEXT workshop discussion in March on “U.S.-Japan Economic Security Policy Coordination: Semiconductors.” Dr. Fujiki's article states that, as the underlying principle, U.S. trade policy is shifting from promoting trade liberalization to strengthening economic security, the premises of the post-World War II international trade regime, such as peace through economic interdependence, complementarity between security and economy, decoupling economic issues from security issues, and distinction between high politics and low politics are also overturning. Dr. Fujiki's article compares the world of free trade with the world of economic security and considers the theoretical assumptions for trade policy in a new era, especially on issues related to supply chains.

Photo: Dr. Takeyasu Fujiki

Senior Director James Schoff Publishes Article on Economic Security and the Alliance with Japan Up Close

NEXT Alliance Initiative Senior Director James Schoff’s article on economic security and the Indo-Pacific was recently published by Japan Up Close. Entitled “Economic Security in the Indo-Pacific: Implications for U.S.-Japan Relations,” Mr. Schoff argues that the U.S. definition of economic security is expanding and risking wider gaps among allies and partners. For the sake of preserving a stable rules-based economic order in the Indo-Pacific, the United States and Japan should try to harmonize their economic security policies with other nations at a minimum necessary level to protect national security with maximum multilateral support. Japan Up Close is a platform published in English (with support from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs) that allows professionals in their fields both in and out of Japan to shine a light on many different aspects of the country and its global relationships.

Photo: Mr. James Schoff

Announcements

Japan US Military Program (JUMP): New Website

In April, Sasakawa USA launched a new website for the Japan US Military Program (JUMP) to showcase its activities to help U.S. military personnel and veterans better understand the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance for ensuring peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. JUMP's new website features a modernized design, as well as descriptions and photo galleries from more than 50 events that JUMP has held in partnership with military bases, service academies, and local communities across the United States. The new JUMP website demonstrates the deep interest in the U.S.-Japan alliance that exists across all branches and ranks of the U.S. military. High-level military leaders from the both the U.S. and Japan have spoken at past JUMP events, including Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano (JMSDF, Ret.), 5th chief of staff, Joint Staff, Japan-Self-Defense Forces and Admiral John Aquilino (USN, Ret.), 26th commander, USINDOPACOM. Learn more about how JUMP engages with U.S. military personnel and veterans at JUMProgram.org.

JUMP is a partnership between Sasakawa USA and the Embassy of Japan.

Sasakawa USA: Follow Us on Instagram

Sasakawa USA is thrilled to announce that we are on Instagram, where you will discover our event highlights and a glimpse into our work. Get ready for engaging photos and follow us at "sasakawausa" to join our Instagram community today!

Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA

1819 L Street, NW, Suite 300

Washington, DC 20036

+1.202.296.6694