US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program
2019 Delegation to the United States
SEPTEMBER 2019

On September 17–20, JCIE’s 30th delegation of Diet
members visited the United States. Representing both
the ruling and opposition parties, the parliamentarians
traveled together with a JCIE study team comprised ofJapanese experts on democratic governance for a seriesof high-level meetings and roundtables in Washington
DC. The group met with more than 50 American andJapanese leaders to exchange views on US-Japan relations, as well as to explore the potential for greater
cooperation in support of democratization in Asia. The
exchange was part of a project that JCIE began in 2018
on “Expanding Support for Democratic Governance.”

While in the United States, the delegates met withseven Congressional members and a diverse array ofsenior government officials and NGO leaders to exchange views on US-Japan security and trade issues
and to discuss lessons learned by US institutions engaged with democracy assistance. Toward the end of
the week, they were also featured as speakers at the
fifth Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar, hosted
by the Council on Foreign Relations, where they discussed the theme of the program, “Japan in the World:
Sustaining Democracy,” and talked more broadly about
Japan’s domestic political situation.

Diet members with Rep. David Price, Rep. Adrian Smith, and Rep. Bill
Flores from the House Democratic Partnership

Senator Cory Gardner discusses US-Japan relations and the future of
Asia with the delegation

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KEY POINTS OF DISCUSSION
Domestic Politics in the US and Japan
Members of the delegation understandably were curious about the views of those they met in Washington
DC on the current US political situation, what might
happen in the upcoming 2020 election, and expectations for new US legislation. The response fromthose looking in from the outside—journalists, policy
experts at think tanks, and Japanese business leaders—was largely one of uncertainty over the direction of US policy moving forward. Although the trip
took place one week before Speaker Nancy Pelosi
announced an impeachment inquiry, it was alreadyclear that partisan divisions and the upcoming election meant significant Congressional action would be
unlikely until after 2020. This was emphasized during
a lunch with journalists, including two former JCIE
Journalism Fellows, who felt the only legislation expected before the end of the year might be the ratification of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement(USMCA).
On the other hand, there was also interest fromthe US side in Japan’s own domestic political situation, and whether a strong opposition will emerge
once Prime Minister Abe’s term potentially comes toan end in 2021. These topics rose to the forefront at
the Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar during asession on the state of Japanese politics. In general,
there was a feeling that Japan’s politics seem much
healthier, although there was also some concern about
the weakness of Japan’s opposition parties.

National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman
explains how the United States supports democratic governance

PARTICIPANTS
Hon. Toshiko Abe, Member, House of Representatives(Liberal Democratic Party–LDP)
Dr. Takako Hikotani, Professor, Columbia University
Dr. Maiko Ichihara, Associate Professor, 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 ofRepresentatives (Democratic Party for the People)
Hon. Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Member, House ofRepresentatives (LDP)

Mr. James Gannon, Executive Director, Japan
Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA)
Dr. Atsuko Yokobori Geiger, Fellow, JCIE/USA
Ms. Hideko Katsumata, Executive Director &COO, JCIE/JapanMr. Stephen McHugh, Assistant Program Officer,
JCIE/USA

US-Japan Cooperation in Asia
The trip came at a time of serious protests and civil
unrest in Hong Kong, showcasing the seeming collapse of the one country, two systems principle. As
such, Hong Kong and the influence of China’s Beltand Road Initiative were a frequent topic of discussion, offering a reminder that a strong US-Japan relationship will be vital in curbing China’s influence.
There was a great deal of praise for Japan’s role indeveloping the concept of the Free and Open IndoPacific Strategy (FOIP), which has been adopted as
official policy in both Japan and the United States,
demonstrating that, despite some conflicts over tradeissues and America’s withdrawal from the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), the two countries are still
important partners in the region.
The message the delegation heard on US foreign policy was that, President Trump’s fiery rhetoric notwithstanding, there is still more continuity

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than is commonly acknowledged. Of course, there
are some exceptions to this, such as the administration’s approach to Iran, but overall there has beensignificant bipartisan agreement over issues such as
how to handle China and the need for stability inforeign assistance. The group witnessed this bipartisan
approach firsthand when five members of the House
Democratic Partnership (HDP)—from both sidesof the aisle—met with the delegation to discuss
their work.
The escalating tensions between Japan and South
Korea, which saw Korea withdraw from a bilateral
intelligence-sharing pact in August after growing
trade tensions, were also on many people’s minds.
The message from US government officials about thissituation was that, from the US perspective, there wasa desire to see the situation resolved as soon as possible. There was a feeling that a strong trilateral relationship between Japan, the US, and South Korea wasof key importance for security and trade relations in
the region. For example, Senator Cory Gardner spoke
about the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA),
which features trilateral cooperation with Japan and
Korea as one of the key facets for promoting US security interests in the Indo-Pacific.

Numerous legislators on the US side from both parties expressed their disappointment that the UnitedStates had withdrawn from TPP, but added that theway Japan has stepped up in the aftermath of that decision was impressive. Japan’s conclusion of a multilateral trade agreement with the European Union was
also lauded. The Japanese participants also expressed
regret over the US exit from TPP and shared theirconcern that China may now be looking on with interest at the space left behind in the partnership by theUnited States.

US-Japan Cooperation on Democracy
SupportTrade relations between Japan and the United States
were of course another key topic in discussions. One
member of Congress pointed out that trade is often
the vehicle for politicians to demonstrate the importance of foreign policy to constituents at home.

An underlying theme throughout all of the groups
meeting’s was the strong desire to see greater cooperation between Japan and the United States in East
Asia in the area of democracy support. US foreign
policy organizations pointed out that democracy support should be seen as part of a broader, long-term
national security strategy given that stable neighbors
equate to a more stable region. Study group members
pointed out that Japan is in fact already doing work insupport of democratization, although it has not necessarily been described using that terminology. They
also noted that the work of the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) often covers activities
such as technical support for elections or rule of law
assistance, both of which JICA’s counterpart in the
United States, USAID, would typically consider as
falling under the umbrella of democracy assistance.

CSIS Senior Fellow Mike Green makes a point during discussion

Hiromi Takase speaks at the Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar

Trade in the Aftermath of TPP

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US groups emphasized that Japan has been oneof the most stable democracies in the East Asia region since the late 1940s and is now seen as a modelof democratic success for other Asian countries. US
think-tank experts identified some of the comparativeadvantages Japan might have in this field over theUnited States. As a parliamentary democracy, Japan
offers a different model for democratic governancethat is often closer to other countries in East Asia andit has a lot to teach about parliamentary procedure,
the establishment of a strong, independent judiciary,and other aspects of democratic governance. In addition, Prime Minister Abe’s emphasis on women’s empowerment might make this a natural area for Japanto focus on funding in other countries. Overall, there
was a lot of positivity about Japan’s ability to have astrong impact if it decides to further engage in support
for democratization.

The trip featured meetings across the spectrumof governmental, quasi-governmental, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that work inthis field. The delegation met with board members
and top leadership at the National Endowment for
Democracy, where it learned how the organization
receives funding from Congress and how it is able toact as an umbrella organization for its two core institutes, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) andthe International Republican Institute (IRI). They
also met with the presidents of these two institutes
to discuss the work they are doing in Asia. Site visits to these organizations as well as to such NGOs as
Freedom House inspired the delegation to start thinking about what efforts are needed to build up Japaneseexpertise on democracy support as well.

Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations

Members of the delegation in front of the White House

Richard Bush, Mireya Solis, and Jonathan Stromseth at The Brookings
Institution roundtable on governance in Asia

NDI President Derek Mitchell, IRI President Dan Twining, and senior
IRI and NDI staff discuss their work

PROGRAM
Tuesday, September 17
Orientation Lunch
The US Approach to Democracy AssistanceThomas Carothers, Senior Vice President for Studies, Carnegie
		 Endowment for International Peace
Brookings Institution Roundtable on Governance in Asia
Mireya Solis, Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies, Brookings
Institute
Richard Bush, Senior Fellow, Director, Center for East Asia
Policy Studies (CEAP), Brookings Institute
Jonathan Stromseth, Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast AsianStudies, Brookings InstituteJim Heller, Director, Japan Desk, Bureau of East Asian andPacific Affairs, US Department of State
Briefing by Journalists on the Prospects for American Politics
Natalie Andrews, Congressional Reporter, Wall Street Journal
Christian Caryl, International Opinions Editor, The Washington
Post; Editor, DemocracyPost Blog
Byron Tau, Justice Department & FBI Reporter, Wall Street
JournalRoundtable Discussion with the US-Japan Congressional
Caucus & the House Democracy PartnershipBill Flores, Member, House of Representatives (R-TX)
Robin Kelly, Member, House of Representatives (D-IL)

Emma Chanlett-Avery, Specialist in Asian Affairs, 		Congressional Research Service

David Price, Member, Member, House of Representatives(D-NC); Chairman of the House Appropriations 		
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development; Co-chair, House Democracy Partnership

Shihoko Goto, Deputy Director for Geoeconomics & Senior
Associate for Northeast Asia, Wilson Center

Adrian Smith, Member, Member, House of Representatives(R-NE); Co-chair, US-Japan Congressional Caucus

Michael Schiffer, Senior Advisor and Counselor, Senate Foreign
Relations Committee; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense for East Asia

Norma Torres, Member, House of Representatives (D-CA)

Dinner with US-Asia Specialists 			James Schoff, Senior Fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie 		Endowment for International Peace

Derek Luyten, Executive Director, House Democracy 		Partnership
Nils Mueller, Staff Director, House Democracy Partnership
Visit to US Senate Gallery & Tour of US Capitol Building

Wednesday, September 18

Visit to Japanese-American Memorial

Japanese Business Leader Briefing on US-Japan Relations

Sunnylands Foundation/NED/JCIE Dinner on US-Japan
Cooperation on Democracy

Yoichi Mineo, Vice President & General Manager, Marubeni
America Corporation
Saori Tsuchiya, General Manager, Government Affairs, Toyota
Motor North America
Hiroyuki (Bob) Takai, Senior Vice President & General
Manager, Sumitomo Corporation Washington DC office
Center for Strategic & International Studies Discussion on
US-Asia Relations
Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair,Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS); former
Special Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs and Senior Director for Asia, National Security
CouncilNicholas Szechenyi, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Japan
Chair, CSISUS Department of State				Marc Knapper, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Korea and Japan,
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, US Department of
State

Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy(NED)
Elizabeth Hoffman, Senior Manager for Government Affairs,
NEDDavid Lane, President, Annenberg Family Trust at Sunnylands;
former US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for
Food and Agriculture
Lynn Lee, Associate Director, NED
Jeffrey Phillips, Policy Director, Annenberg Family Trust at
Sunnylands
Raul Ruiz, Member, House of Representatives (D-CA)

Thursday, September 19
2019 Tadashi Yamamoto Memorial Seminar at the Council on
Foreign Relations
Opening Remarks

Sheila Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on
Foreign Relations
James Gannon, Executive Director, JCIE/USA
Panel 1: Japan’s Role in Democracy Promotion
Presider: Sheila Smith
Yukio Takasu, Special Advisor on Human Security to the UN
Secretary General; former UN Under-Secretary Generalfor Management; former Japanese Ambassador to theUnited Nations
Maiko Ichihara, Associate Professor, Graduate School of
Law and the School of International and Public Policy,
Hitotsubashi University
Derek Mitchell, President, National Democratic InstitutePanel 2: The State of Japanese Politics
Presider: Sheila Smith
Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Member House of Representatives
Keisuke Tsumura, Member, House of Representatives
Shu Sakurai, Member, House of Representatives
Hiromi Takase, Member, House of Councillors
Meeting with Senator Cory Gardner
Cory Gardner, Member, US Senate (R-CO); Chairman, US
Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, thePacific, and International Cybersecurity
Briefing by Senior USAID Staff 		
Kaush Arha, Senior Adviser, Bureau for Policy, Planning and
Learning (PPL)
Meghan Holohan, Program Analyst, PPL
Chris Maloney, Assistant to the Administrator, PPL
Wendy Marshall, Democracy, Governance, Peace, and 		
Security Team Leader , Asia Bureau Technical Services
Office.
Tim Meisburger, Director of the Democracy, Human Rights,
and Governance (DRG) Center of Excellence
Bob Powers, Deputy Assistant Administrator, PPL
Anne Marie Yastishock, Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Asia
Site Visit to Freedom House
Lisa Dickieson, Senior Vice President for Programs, 		Freedom House
Jon Temin, Director, Africa Programs, Freedom HouseDavid Timberman, Asia Regional Director, Freedom House
Embassy Dinner hosted by Ambassador Shinsuke Sugiyama

Friday, September 20
Supporting Democratic Unity – Discussion with National
Endowment for Democracy Leadership and Board
Members
Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for 				 Democracy (NED)
Barry Jackson, Strategic Advisor, Brownstein Hyatt Farber
Schreck; Managing Director, The Lindsey Group LLC;
former Chief of Staff to Speaker John Boehner
Ken Wollack, Director, Commission on Presidential Debates;
former President, National Democratic InstituteSenior Staff Briefing on National Endowment for
Democracy’s Operations
Jodi Herman, Vice-President of Government Relations andPublic Affairs
Chris Walker, Vice-President for Studies and Analysis
John Knaus, Senior Director for Asia
Lynn Lee, Associate Director
Wilson Lee, Senior Program Officer, Asia Program
Lunch Discussion: The Work of the US Democracy
Institutes
Derek Mitchell, President, National Democratic Institute;former US Ambassador to Myanmar
Daniel Twining, President, International Republican Institute
Rhonda Mays, Deputy Director, Asia Division, International
Republican Institute
Manpreet Sing Anand, Regional Director for Asia Pacific,
National Democratic InstituteTour of the National Democratic InstituteTess Pantow, Administrative Manager for Asia, NDI
Eunice Yoo-Jung Ha, Senior Program Manager for Asia, NDI