Old Meets New: Utilizing WPS
as a Framework to Enhance
U.S.-Japan Partnership
Ms. Kayla McGill

WPS Policy Advisor, The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues, Department of State
This publication was part of Ms. McGill’s participation in Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA’s
Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) program, where eight U.S. Women, Peaceand Security (WPS) experts traveled to Japan from July 22 to 30, 2023. The 2023 SEED delegatesengaged with Japanese policymakers and experts to understand the challenges and opportunities
Japan faces with implementing WPS and to explore avenues for future U.S.-Japan collaboration
on WPS.
During the week I spent in Tokyo as a member of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA 2023
Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) program, I was continually reminded of theTokyo tourism campaign “Old meets New.”1 Many of the members of the delegation were oldfriends who I saw in a new light as they shared their expertise with our Japanese counterparts. I
was fortunate to have met a few of our Japanese counterparts during previous engagements, and I
left the program with many new connections and exciting avenues to explore. Most importantly,
it was eye-opening to see the elegance of the “Old meets New” concept when utilizing Women,

1“Tokyo Tokyo,” Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Accessed January 2024, https://tokyotokyo.jp/home/.

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Ms. Kayla McGill

Peace and Security (WPS) as an avenue to advance bilateral partnerships and international
security.
Midway through the SEED program, I had the opportunity to speak with Shanti Shoji (Director of
Programs for Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA) and discuss the engagements and meetings fromthe previous days. I remarked that there were amazing examples of unique and diverse WPS
experts, as well as examples of work from grassroots to international levels, including meetings
with experts from the media, government officials, and academics focused on distinct issues.
Shanti shared that during the planning process, she and the team found it difficult to identify WPSspecific experts for the sessions until they focused on the themes prioritized by the delegation(climate, access to resources, security, societal norms, intersectionality) and reviewed the basic
principles of WPS (participation, protection, prevention, relief, and recovery). With this refocused
perspective, Shanti said they ended up with nearly too many topics and meetings to fit into theweek.
This theme was reiterated several times by the experts with whom we met. Some of the leaders
did not consider themselves WPS authorities, but due to their areas of focus, they provided crucial
expertise to global WPS work related to women’s leadership, societal norms affecting progress(many of which were gender norms), and advances in security partnerships. The discussions
provided insight on issues of social importance, focused on economic impacts, and shared concernsand hopes for the future. Throughout our conversations, the SEED participants expressed interestand identified opportunities to develop concrete paths forward in addressing themes and issues
related to WPS. This feeling of community in our encounters with one another, old and newacquaintances, provided us with a new way of examining the work each of us does, and the impact
we could, and should, have. This unique approach of facilitating diverse opinions and avenues ofpartnership is at the heart of Women, Peace and Security.

Is this Women, Peace and Security?
The practice of asking the question, “Is this WPS?” was not only an exciting part of the meetings,
but also the most important part of the program. In this line of work, I frequently hear (often untrue)comments such as, “I don’t think I am an expert on WPS,” or (unironic) statements such as, “IOld Meets New: Utilizing WPS as a Framework to Enhance U.S.-Japan Partnership3

don’t do WPS, I just work on leadership and education” – all of which lead into great
conversations. However, when I hear the question, “Is this WPS?” I know we are in for an
important and impactful discussion examining the old views and the new ways of looking at WPS.
There is a skewed narrative around what WPS is and how it impacts daily lives. This is often
perpetuated by the misguided assumption that the end goal of WPS is for women to be‘empowered’ by certain individuals who will ‘give’ them a myriad of leadership roles so they can‘speak at a meeting.’ This traditionally translates to an unfortunate interpretation of ‘add womenand stir’ that leads to tokenistic representation or siloing women into issues related to theirsocietally perceived roles as mothers and caregivers. However, in organizing this program, Shanti
and her team revealed the heart of WPS: a blending of inclusion, access, partnerships, diverse issue
areas, and people from all walks of life – a concept that is both overwhelmingly universal andshockingly individual in its application.
A perfect example of this concept was showcased during one of our first meetings, a dinner witha local organization called Kosodate Village. 2 We met with Ms. Rachel Ferguson, the Executive
Director, and her assistant Ms. Hana Hattori Long, for a dinner which included some exquisite
green tea salt and tempura pumpkin that some of us from the delegation still talk about. Overdinner, Ms. Ferguson and Ms. Hattori Long shared that Kosodate Village was created when Ms.
Ferguson identified a need in her local community for access to quality education, as well as theneed for safe spaces to discuss equality, diversity, and inclusion of women, young girls, andLGBTQIA+ individuals.
As the evening progressed, two major thoughts stood out. The first was that Ms. Ferguson and herteam, who themselves said they never thought of Kosodate as a WPS organization, were enacting
the essentials of WPS by identifying a need and actively taking steps to create opportunities andsupport for those who had been traditionally marginalized. The second was that this was a perfect
example of the importance of non-government partners in implementing WPS efforts.
Organizations such as Kosodate Village incorporate WPS practices at the individual and local
level, based (often inadvertently) on WPS policy. They should not only be highlighted as
2“Kosodate Village,” NPO Kosodate Village, Accessed January 2024, https://www.kosodatevillage.org/.

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Ms. Kayla McGill

exceptional WPS leaders, but we collectively should take advantage of the opportunity to partnerand learn from them on how to address WPS in unique and new ways.
Kosodate Village was just one example of meetings we had with leaders who did not directly
identify as a WPS organization or leader, but nevertheless highlighted an opportunity to reflect on
how the WPS agenda has materialized and developed over the 23 years since UNSCR1325 waspassed. Diversifying our understanding of how WPS began and how it is applicable currently, andpromoting opportunities to ask and critically think about the question “Is this WPS?” is the only
way to truly advance the global WPS agenda in a new manner.

The Personal is Political
Scores of feminist leaders, authors, academics, and experts, including Bell Hooks, havehighlighted the importance of personal and individual issues experienced by marginalized groups,
specifically women, and how they impact political decision-making processes, policy
implementation, national security, and bilateral partnerships. 3 As part of my application to the
SEED program, I wrote in my statement of interest that the core tenet of WPS is inclusivity of
those marginalized from processes, policy, and practices that directly impact an individual’s
security. If the ultimate goal of our strong and lasting U.S.-Japan partnership is to promote ournational and international security interests, we simply cannot continue to disregard the importanceof individual security.
The issue of individual security was addressed multiple times during the SEED trip, but a few
specific meetings made quite an impact. These included an exceptional panel with the Japanese
Ministry of Defense and their discussions on access to services and safe reporting options forsexual harassment; a detailed conversation with JICA and their work in the region on climate
related issues, including women’s lack of financial support and localized efforts to combat
resource and food scarcity due to new security challenges; and a fascinating conversation withformer reporters and academic leaders detailing their experiences with advances in technology
coupled with the issue of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
3

Bell Hooks, “Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center,” Routledge, 2014, https://www.routledge.com/Feminist-Theory-From-Margin-toCenter/hooks/p/book/9781138821668.

Old Meets New: Utilizing WPS as a Framework to Enhance U.S.-Japan Partnership5

One meeting stood out as the crux of how the personal is political. We met with an expert to discuss
their work on WPS in academia and policy issues, and throughout the conversation they opened
up regarding a recent family loss they had experienced. Their tone was apologetic as they statedtheir work had to take a backseat as they prioritized their role of caretaker for their family member,and they were only now feeling capable of resuming their work. As we expressed our sympathy
for their loss and appreciation for the trust they gave in confiding in us, they talked about theassistance they received from their employer regarding time off and the moral support given
without pressure to return to the office until they felt ready. Although this should be standard for
bereavement, to this person (someone who actively worked on policy and gender issues) it meant
they had the support and more importantly, the individual security, to return to their job when they
were capable of doing so.
Too often, topics of discussion related to policy ignore the real, lived, personal experiences andneeds of the individual. WPS can be a means to bring personal, or individual, security to a political,
or normalized, space; to make a difference in the lives of those coping with personal loss, thosefighting for justice in a bureaucratic system, or those struggling to feed their families. This goalcannot be accomplished without an understanding of what stresses individuals are facing. With
this type of information, we can then galvanize our efforts to offer support and security.
One of the lines of effort in the U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan (NAP) on WPS is to focus
on internal capacity building through integration and institutionalization.4 This is not solely topromote women to leadership positions, but to provide a gendered perspective on all policy issues,
address internal barriers to equity and equality, and promote a safe and welcoming environment
for all. Japan is taking steps towards addressing this internal capacity through the domestic
component of their WPS NAP.5 This joint goal provides a clear avenue for the U.S.-Japan
partnership to develop further by sharing best practices and advancing our common goal of

4“U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security,” The White House, October 2023, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2023/10/U.S.-Strategy-and-National-Action-Plan-on-Women-Peace-and-Security.pdf.
5“National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, September 29, 2015,
https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000101798.pdf.

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Ms. Kayla McGill

bolstering internal support and capacity building through integration of WPS and individual
security. Broadly speaking, this is how we can make the personal political.

Reframe WPS and Security
The WPS agenda must be utilized and viewed as transformative to address emerging security
challenges in an inclusive and tangible way. This goal is at the crux of the U.S.-Japan partnership
on WPS and was repeatedly emphasized throughout the week in Tokyo.
Two of the most impactful conversations during the SEED conference on this intersection werewith Professor Yoko Iwama and her students at GRIPS, and Professor Yoriko Meguro, the Chairof the Japan WPS NAP Evaluation Committee. During our meeting with Professor Meguro, it wasinteresting to learn why the evaluation committee was created and how they provided
recommendations and expertise on Japan’s previous WPS NAPs to inform the development of
future plans.6 This feedback ensures that the Japan WPS NAP is as informed and adaptable aspossible and is responsive to the needs and views of those it is impacting.
Conversations with Professor Iwama and her GRIPS students ranged from the adaptation of arms
control and disarmament discussions to emerging security partnerships and shifts in power politics,
underscoring the importance of the U.S.-Japan partnership. Professor Iwama discussed changing
old norms and how developing new lines of partnerships and utilizing WPS as a framework could
address this issue. Initiatives she outlined include the addition of experts (including more women)
and diverse perspectives to discussions and decision-making processes.
In both meetings, we discussed how traditional security issues, such as arms control anddisarmament or great power competition, are suffering from a lack of creative approaches. WPS
is an inclusive framework built to tackle traditional security challenges through diverse paths thatlead to solutions which would have been otherwise ignored. As an example, in every meeting,when Japanese delegates were asked how WPS or gender analysis was brought to their attention,
their response was the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011. This event starkly
6“Evaluation Report on the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security January 2018 - December 2019,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Japan, March 2021, https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100288813.pdf.

Old Meets New: Utilizing WPS as a Framework to Enhance U.S.-Japan Partnership

7

highlighted the lack of provisions made for women and girls, particularly related to clothing,sanitary and health materials, and physical safety and security. Following this calamity, disaster
relief and response in Japan took a new turn. What once was a security challenge addressed througha traditional lens which excluded over half of the population from relief and recovery efforts, is
now developing into a cornerstone of Japan’s WPS leadership and is built upon a whole-of-society
approach.
Over the past few decades, WPS and gendered analysis of security issues have taken extensive
strides forward through the expertise and scholarship of individuals such as Dr. Valerie Hudsonand her books, Sex and World Peace and The First Political Order; Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s On
Intersectionality; Dr. J. Ann Tickner’s Gender in International Relations; Caroline Criado Perez’
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men; and many other importantresearch advances.7 One of the most important contributions these experts and others made wasadvancing statistically significant and data-driven evidence of the gendered nature of conflict andsecurity. This has supported policymakers and practitioners’ full engagement of WPS as aframework for understanding and addressing new and emerging security issues and manyorganizations and experts, including Data2x, The WomanStats Project, Georgetown Institute of
Women, Peace and Security Index, and UN Women, have expanded upon this new line ofreasoning.
One of the most impactful moments of the trip was when we met with Foreign Minister Yoko
Kamikawa and members of the Diet Members Network on WPS and discussed avenues to reframe
security through WPS. Each of the SEED experts shared examples from their work, ranging fromcivil society’s support for the 2017 U.S. WPS Act, to academic contributions on emerging issues
such as WPS and masculinities, to the first U.S. Department of Defense training of regional genderadvisors.8 After hearing from each of my colleagues as they answered from their own unique
7

Valerie M. Hudson, Donna Lee Bowen, Perpetua Lynn Nielsen, “The First Political Order: How Sex Shapes Governance and National Security
Worldwide,” Columbia University Press, 2020, https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-first-political-order/9780231194662; Kimberlé W. Crenshaw,“On Intersectionality: Essential Writings,” The New Press, 2017, https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/books/255/; J. Ann Tickner, “Gender inInternational Relations,” Columbia University Press, 1993, https://cup.columbia.edu/book/gender-in-international-relations/9780231075398;
Caroline Criado Perez, “Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men,” Vintage Books, 2020,
https://carolinecriadoperez.com/book/invisible-women/.
8
Sahana Dharmapuri, Jolynn Shoemaker, Sarah Williamson, “What You Should Know About the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017,”
Our Secure Future, 2018, https://oursecurefuture.org/sites/default/files/Policy%20Brief-WPS-101_digital.pdf; Joshua Allen, Kristine Baekgaard,
Robert U. Nagel, “Beyond Engaging Men: Masculinity, (Non) Violence, and Peacebuilding,” Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace andSecurity, Accessed January 2024, https://giwps.georgetown.edu/resource/beyond-engaging-men/; “U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Hosts Inaugural

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Ms. Kayla McGill

expertise and perspectives on this reframing, I realized the simple answer was that we reframe
what security looks like together.
As I listened to the different avenues for reframing security, I thought back to the weeklong UN
Women WPS-Focal Points Network (WPS-FPN) conference in Washington DC, hosted by theUnited States as part of our 2023 co-chairship alongside Romania. The concept of advancing WPS
together was prevalent during the conference as hundreds of individuals from civil society,academia, and private sector, as well as legislative and government officials, and experts fromaround the world attended panels, events, and workshops with the goal of identifying gaps in WPS
implementation and developing ideas and partnerships to successfully address existing andemerging security issues.9 Of note, Japan was not only a strong U.S. partner throughout our cochairship, but was a founding member of the WPS-FPN and provided valuable insights andmultiple senior-level engagements throughout 2023. What came to me most clearly as I thoughtof these powerful steps forward, was the fact that nearly every person on the SEED program not
only attended the DC WPS-FPN Conference, but they openly and willingly contributed their timeand expertise as panelists, speakers, facilitators, and moderators. Their contributions wereinvaluable, and that conference would not have been a success without them and the diversity ofwork, experience, and knowledge they brought.
While in Tokyo with the same partners and experts I had worked with closely for years, and withthe opportunity to delve into the very core of WPS as we met with Japanese counterparts andleaders, I was again struck by the magnitude of how WPS brings us all together. All of these
impressions came down to that moment with Foreign Minister Kamikawa and the Diet Members
Network on WPS. We were, yet again, coming together as members of the global WPS community
to share different perspectives to address diverse security needs by drawing upon each of our lived
experiences. This coming together from all walks of life is what makes WPS successful and whatmakes it possible for us to advance a version of security which is inclusive and comprehensive.

Regional Military Gender Advisor Course,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, August 16, 2023, https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-ArticleView/Article/3495609/us-indo-pacific-command-hosts-inaugural-regional-military-gender-advisor-course/.
9“The United States and Romania are 2023 Co-Chairs of the WPS Focal Points Network,” The Women, Peace and Security Focal Points
Network, Accessed January 2024, https://wpsfocalpointsnetwork.org/.

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Challenges and Opportunities
There are of course challenges to this work, many of which have already been highlighted. WPS
is not just for or about women, it is not just ‘add women and stir,’ and it is not just tweaking theconventional perspectives of women’s roles. Any efforts to promote gender parity must be coupledwith gender analysis of the issues to truly promote lasting, positive change. Traditional security
issues and practitioners are often unyielding in their exclusion of WPS and gender-related issues.
WPS and gender equality are frequently regarded as separate from policy initiatives, meaning WPS
is sidelined during senior leadership discussions and those leading WPS efforts are left with little
to no support when it comes to implementing policy.
Although these challenges exist, there are many collaborative ways to resolve them. In addition tothis U.S.-Japan bilateral partnership, there exist multiple opportunities to jointly address WPS in
multilateral and regional partnerships. Two examples that immediately come to mind are 1)
through the UN with Japan’s forthcoming UNSC Presidency and a continuation of our partnershipas members of the UN Women WPS-FPN and other WPS-related efforts; and 2) throughcontinuing to incorporate WPS and gender-equality language and actionable efforts with global
partnerships and senior leadership engagements, such as in the G7 where Japan has paved the way
forward by including WPS language in the 2023 leadership statement. These and other multilateralfora are where we can come together as partners to advance the WPS agenda.
Civil society partnerships and sharing best practices for WPS NAP development, implementation,and lessons learned remain a crucial avenue of partnership between the United States and Japan.
This sharing of expertise could be expanded as other Regional Action Plans and National Action
Plans are developed by, for example, multiple ASEAN nations and partners. Additionally, tofurther strengthen the concept of WPS partnerships regionally and globally, the United States andJapan should continue to partner with existing and future WPS Centers of Excellence (regional
hubs which coordinate existing WPS efforts with a multi-sector approach).
The opportunities for partnership are many, and if we focus on the goal of strategically integrating
WPS through future working groups and exchanges while fostering unique approaches to security
challenges, the U.S.-Japan alliance will continue to grow and develop.

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Ms. Kayla McGill

Conclusion
As the SEED program drew to a close, I reflected on the “Old meets New” concept once again. It
has always been clear that much of what we aim to accomplish with WPS is translating ‘old’ or‘traditional’ security practices into ‘new’ and more secure opportunities for all. As we attended
meetings, walked the streets of Tokyo, talked together as a delegation, and met with strangers who
became new partners, it was clear that WPS is a unique way of addressing both old and new
security concerns and an avenue for further partnership between the United States and Japan.
Most importantly, the week in Tokyo opened my eyes to the fact that WPS is woven throughout
the U.S.-Japan partnership by our individual strengths and connections. As we commit to utilizing
WPS as a framework for how, through policy and practice, we address national and individual
security, our bilateral partnership will continue to evolve and expand in a comprehensive andmeaningful way. The concept of “Old meets New'' allows for even more opportunities to ask andseek to answer the question, “Is this WPS?” as we jointly move forward to promote a sharedversion of peace and security.
Ms. Kayla McGill wrote in her personal capacity. The views and interpretations expressed by theauthor are solely her own.
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Kayla McGill is a Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Policy Advisor in the
Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) at the U.S. Department ofState where she works to incorporate a gendered perspective into international andnational security issues with a focus on political participation, countering violent
extremism, and creating tangible change through partnerships. She is currently thelead coordinator for the 2023 U.S. Co-Chairship of the WPS-Focal Points Network
and WPS Centers of Excellence. Prior to working at S/GWI, she was the Program
Director for Women In International Security (WIIS) where she managed
programming and staff, organized conferences and events, conducted research on
gender and international security issues, and worked closely with the WIIS President, Board, and members.
Kayla also previously worked at the WomanStats Project as a Coder and Researcher where she analyzed
qualitative and quantitative data, conducted and presented research at conferences and events, and represented
the Project at U.S. government consultations and multilateral fora such as the United Nations. Kayla is a trained
analytical researcher with a particular interest and expertise in the nexus between societal and cultural norms

Old Meets New: Utilizing WPS as a Framework to Enhance U.S.-Japan Partnership11

and conflict. She speaks French, has lived in China, Germany, the UK, and France, and has traveled abroad
extensively. She received her Masters of International Affairs from the Bush School of Government and PublicService where she focused on Diplomacy, Intelligence, and WPS.
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