REPORT OF THE

2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

SEEKING THE “NEXT NORMAL”
CREATING A POST-PANDEMIC
WORLD WHERE WOMEN(AND MEN) CAN THRIVE

JAPAN CENTER FOR
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE(JCIE/JAPAN)

JAPAN CENTER FOR
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE(JCIE/USA)

REPORT OF THE

2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

SEEKING THE “NEXT NORMAL”
CREATING A POST-PANDEMIC
WORLD WHERE WOMEN(AND MEN) CAN THRIVE
March–April 2021

Prepared by

Kim Gould Ashizawa(JCIE/USA)Copyright © 2021 Japan Center for International Exchange All rights reserved.
Written by Kimberly Gould Ashizawa.
Design and typesetting by Kiyoko Shiromasa.
Japan Center for International Exchange
Meisan Tameike Bldg. 7F, 1-1-12 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan
www.jcie.or.jp/japan
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA)
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 731, New York, New York 10115, USA
www.jcie.org

C ONTE NTS

Acknowledgments						 1Overview							 3Recommendations						 4The Dialogue							 7Participants							18					

Co-chair: Hon. Diana DeGette

Co-chair: Hon. Seiko Noda

1

Acknowledgments

The 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue was held over the course of three virtual sessions—evening sessions for those in the United States, and morning for those in Japan—that brought together
a diverse group of more than 40 women from the two countries, including politicians and government officials, business leaders, journalists, policy experts and academics, and nonprofit leaders.
The program built on discussions that took place as part of a 2017 project, when the Japan Center
for International Exchange (JCIE) brought a delegation of Diet members to the United States comprised solely of female legislators. The delegation held talks with a wide range of policymakers, policy
specialists, and business leaders in Washington DC and New York. That trip culminated in a weekend
retreat at Pocantico with American women leaders from various sectors, which explored the challenges
facing US-Japan relations and the shared obstacles women have overcome to achieve success.
While the COVID-19 pandemic precluded holding another in-person exchange, the importanceof the issues compelled us to find a way to carry on that discussion. Fortunately, we were able tosecure the enthusiastic support of Representative Seiko Noda (executive acting secretary-general of
the Liberal Democratic Party), who had headed the previous delegation, and Representative Diana
DeGette, a senior member of the House of Representatives who has strong ties to Japan and had
previously participated in JCIE parliamentary exchange delegations to Japan. These two inspirational
women served as co-chairs of this virtual dialogue, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude
for their time and efforts to ensure that the sessions were a great success. In the case of Rep. DeGette,
we must add our deep admiration and appreciation for her unwavering commitment to this dialogue
despite the fact that the planning stages overlapped with the traumatic events of January 6 on Capitol
Hill and her subsequent involvement as a House manager for the impeachment hearings.
We would also like to thank all of the women leaders from the United States and Japan who took
part. Their willingness to share their unique experiences and rich insights led to incredibly frank andfascinating discussions. In particular, we are grateful to our four resource speakers who kicked off oursessions with thought-provoking presentations: Sachiko Habu (Nikkei xwoman), Sheryl WuDunn(Pulitzer-prize winning author), Yoko Takeda (Mitsubishi Research Institute), and Deborah Walsh(Center for American Women and Politics).

2 Seeking the “Next Normal”

Our sincere thanks go to the Henry Luce Foundation and the MRA Foundation, whose support
made this program possible, and particularly to Helena Kolenda and Yuting Li for their continued
encouragement and to Tazuko Shibusawa. The views expressed in this report are solely those of theauthors and are not intended to reflect the stances of our funders. In addition, we must thank Hannah
Katz and Kazuko Shoji in our co-chairs’ offices for their assistance and patience as we organized thesessions and recruited participants. We also thank our fantastic simultaneous interpreters, Terumi
Gale and Manabu Yoshinaga, and our technical assistant, Takaaki Ando, who helped us navigate theworld of online bilingual dialogues. And last but not least, we are also grateful to Hifumi Tajima, Kim
Gould Ashizawa, and Stephen McHugh for their tireless work to ensure the success of the meeting.
We hope that the networks built during this project will form the basis for ongoing dialogue andcooperation, and that the recommendations that emerged will have a positive impact on our respective countries and on US-Japan relations moving forward.
Peggy Blumenthal
Chair, JCIE/USA

Hideko Katsumata
Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer,
JCIE/Japan

3

REPORT OF THE

2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

Overview
The US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue met virtually in March–April 2021. The dialogue wasintended to build on an in-person visit to the US by women Diet members in 2017, which led tothe creation of a Diet caucus to support young mothers and fathers in the legislature as well as
the launch of a foreign policy study group for women Diet members. The 2017 visit also brought
the Japanese group together with over a dozen American women leaders in the private sector for aweekend dialogue at the Pocantico Conference Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, where theyshared common concerns and challenges. Much has changed since that earlier dialogue. The #MeToomovement gained momentum in late 2017, shortly after the previous exchange, and the United States
saw a boom in the number of American women running for office in 2018 and 2020. As a result, theUS now has the largest number of women ever serving in the US Congress, and the swearing in ofVice President Kamala Harris in January 2021 as the first woman ever to hold that post has further
strengthened women’s political leadership. Japan, meanwhile, has also made it a priority in recent
years for women to gain more equal footing in both business and politics, with record numbers of
women now in the workforce. However, still too few are in C-suites or serving as elected officials.
Both countries also remain low on the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s ranking of women in national
parliaments, with the US ranked 67th and Japan coming in at 165th.1
Another drastic change was the advent of the
COVID-19 pandemic, which profoundly disrupted the lives and livelihoods of people aroundthe globe. By the start of our 2021 virtual meetings, more than half a million American lives
had been lost—a tragic figure that was muchhigher than the roughly 10,000 COVID-related
deaths in Japan, although the latter was seeinga spike in cases in some locations during theperiod of this dialogue. In both countries, thepandemic has had a particularly outsized impact
on women’s lives and livelihoods. And while wewere starting to see encouraging signs of economic recovery, it was still unclear how quickly
women would feel those benefits.
These issues weighed heavily on the mindsof the women who joined in the three discussions—more than 40 women in all, including
11 national legislators as well as leaders fromgovernment, business, media, philanthropy,
academia, and think tanks. The sessions werechaired by two esteemed legislators, Rep. Diana
DeGette and Rep. Seiko Noda, who brought tothe table their extensive experience and insight,
as well as their strong commitment to US-Japan
relations and to empowering other women leaders. Experts were invited to start each session
with presentations designed to offer backgroundinformation and spark conversation. This wasfollowed by a lively roundtable-style discussion,
co-moderated by Hideko Katsumata, executive
director and COO of JCIE/Japan, and Peggy
Blumenthal, chair of JCIE/USA. Following Chatham House rules, the comments made were notfor attribution, and thus while the conclusions
drawn in this report reflect many of the ideas,
themes, and tenor of the discussions, they aresolely the responsibility of the author.

1. As of April 1, 2021. https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking?month=4&year=2021.

4

Recommendations
1. Creating the “next normal”
Assess and adopt best practices fromduring the pandemic
Many practices adopted over the past year bynecessity should be intentionally maintained
after the pandemic as the new normal. Telework,for example, is now a “known entity” and allows
greater job flexibility, encourages deurbanization, and decreases commuting-related carbon
emissions; telemedicine (for both physical andmental health) offers greater accessibility for
those with limited time and mobility; and restrictions on after-hours business can benefit
working parents—both men and women—greatly.
At the same time, we must build on measures
begun during the pandemic to address systemic
inequities affecting vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, to ensure they are notleft behind in this digitalized era.
Offer affordable, high-quality childcare
and eldercare for all
Women’s talents will never be fully utilized in
the workforce unless childcare and eldercare services are affordable and accessible for all, and notleft to wives to juggle along with their careers.
The success of our economies is also dependent
on the success of our families and our communities, and thus it is important that caregivers be
paid a wage that reflects their valuable role inthat context.
Make paid family leave available to all
men and women
Promote both the normative and regulatorychanges that will allow people in all sectors andall stages of their careers to take advantage offamily leave, and that will ensure that men as well
as women make full use of that leave. In this process, the expectation that men will take paternity
leave should be both modeled and verbalized bycompany leaders, and mandated paternity leaveshould be considered.
Shift away from the current relianceon nonregular/contracted employment
practices that undermine women’s
financial security
The business sector in both countries has reliedheavily on nonregular/contracted employment
as a way to reduce payroll and benefits, which
led to greater vulnerability for women during
the pandemic. Policies are needed that provide
greater job and financial security, particularly
in Japan, where such insecurity contributes towomen’s reluctance to have children. Companies
that have a heavily male regular workforce anda heavily female nonregular workforce could
face penalties, for example, as a way to promote
greater gender equity.
Retrain women, particularly in IT and otherareas that provide greater income and job
stability
Women can and should benefit from the digitaltransformation, so further efforts to promotewomen in STEM are needed in both countries.
Cybersecurity is an area where Japan needs morehuman resources in particular, so offering training in that field to women could yield positive
results both for trainees and for Japan as a whole.
In the United States as well, making technicaltraining in key sectors accessible to more women
will address labor shortages and boost women’s
job opportunities.
Encourage greater job flexibility andmobility in Japan
While the nonprofit and academic sectors allow greater job mobility, the corporate sector inJapan still has limited mid-career opportunities
for those who wish to change companies or onramp back into the workforce after taking timeReport of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

off for children or other family obligations. Options such as flex time, job sharing, and other
innovations should be offered in ways that do
not put women at a disadvantage in terms ofcompensation and career opportunities. While
American women enjoy greater job flexibility
than their Japanese counterparts, greater efforts to facilitate successful on-ramping are stillneeded in the United States as well.
Bring men into the discussion of how tochange workstyles
Having spent more time at home during the
pandemic, how do men now want to allocate
their time in their family? New norms are needed
surrounding the expectations of male roles inchildrearing and housework, and men must bein that conversation in order for change to occur.
Political leaders and public figures—particularly,
but certainly not only, in Japan—could lead byexample and make public statements to promote
the dialogue and explore options.
2. Promoting women’s political participation and policy impact
Promote and expand initiatives to inspireyoung women to learn about and engage
in politics
Representation and role models are critical toinstill the idea that politics is indeed a place forwomen. Programs for high school and college
women that convey the power and influence thatpolitics can have and that introduce them to realpolicymakers at the national and local levels canplay a vital role in inspiring tomorrow’s politicalleaders.
Expand programs that support andrecruit women candidates
Understanding the nitty-gritty of how to run acampaign is a daunting challenge for most potential candidates, so nonprofit initiatives that provide training and support, as well as fundraisingassistance, have proven to be a significant factor

5

in increasing women’s participation in politics.
Party leaders as well as other women politicians
should play a role in actively recruiting and supporting talented women.
Reevaluate how politics is conducted
For many women, politics today is not viewed ina positive light for a variety of reasons. As is thecase with the business sector, the way that politics is conducted—e.g., campaigning and fundraising, the scheduling of hearings and votes,
the way deals are struck, the way policymakers
interact with one another, etc.—should be reexamined in the context of creating an environmentthat attracts more diverse and capable voices.
Women in particular must view politics as aneffective avenue to address important social
issues if they are going to enter the political arena.
Recruit more cabinet members inJapan from outside of government
While some progress has been made in the UnitedStates, the Japanese cabinet is still predominantly
male, with only roughly 10 percent of ministerial
positions filled by women. To encourage greater
gender parity in cabinets without taking away
those important and still-scarce voices of womenin the Diet, future administrations should lookto the business, academic, and nonprofit sectors
to fill cabinet posts.
3. US-Japan collaboration for the postpandemic world
Support US-Japan collaboration to shore
up the rules-based international order
Between the America First policies of the previous administration, the rise of China, and theimpact of the pandemic, many international
norms and institutions have come under tremendous strain in recent years. The United States
and Japan should work together to strengthen
and rebuild trust in global institutions in orderto defend our shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. In particular, as6 Seeking the “Next Normal”

digitization has become key to the success ofwork in both societies, US-Japan leadership on
establishing international norms for cybersecurity should be a high priority.
Engage women not just in soft power
conversations, but also in bilateral discussions on national and international
security issues
Women have a place in making sure that weare more secure both domestically and on the
global stage as well. Whether in a governmental
or nongovernmental context, organizers of discussions on security issues should be consciousof greater gender parity and avoid convening“manels” (panels comprised only of men) toensure that a fuller spectrum of values and perspectives are reflected in critical decisions.
Put women on the agenda of the next USJapan Summit
The agreements put forth by Prime Minister
Suga and President Biden at their April meeting, while undeniably important measures,
failed to address key issues related to womenin our two countries and around the world. An
agenda that specifically addresses gender equity,
women’s health (including mental health), andother essential challenges should be proposed
prior to the next bilateral summit.
Facilitate US-Japan collaboration topromote and invest in women in STEM
and femtech
Both the United States and Japan have beenfunding a range of programs to promote womenin STEM, but women still face obstacles in thesefields whether in academia, business, or policy
institutions. The two countries should jointly
explore best practices and invest in joint research
projects and start-ups that are led by women.
Provide opportunities for ongoing dialogues among women leaders
Given that no one country or sector has theanswer to all of the issues facing US and Japanese society, ongoing dialogues such as thesemeetings offer a unique opportunity to compare
notes, gain new insights, and develop better
policies. It also provides a chance for women
to encourage their counterparts to take a standon some of the key inequities outlined in thisreport. Partici-pants welcomed the discussions
and called for further meetings—hopefully inperson, once the pandemic subsides.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

7

The Dialogue
Session Topics and Speakers
Session 1: March 23, 2021
The Domestic Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Women and Shared Lessons for
Building Greater Resiliency
Sachiko Habu, Founding Editor-in-Chief, Nikkei xwoman; Editor-in-Chief, ecomom
Sheryl WuDunn, Co-founder, FullSky Partners; Author; former journalist, New York		Times; Pulitzer Prize winner for journalism
Session 2: April 13, 2021
Beyond the Pandemic—Envisioning the “Next Normal” for Women in the UnitedStates, Japan, and the World
Yoko Takeda, Chief Economist and General Manager of the Research Center for
Policy and Economy at Mitsubishi Research InstituteSession 3: April 27, 2021
Amplifying Women’s Voices in Policymaking in the United States and Japan and in
US-Japan Cooperation
Deborah Walsh, Director, Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University

The Pandemic’s Impact on Women
Unlike past economic downturns, where financial
markets collapsed and manufacturing slowed,
the COVID-19 lockdowns led to a sudden loss ofjobs in areas of the service sector that are heavily
populated with women, leading to what is sometimes referred to as a “she-cession.” In the UnitedStates, the leisure and hospitality, education andhealthcare, and retail sectors—all hit hard in the
pandemic—account for nearly half of all jobs
held by women, compared to just 28 percent of
men’s jobs. As a result, an estimated 11.5 million
American women left the workforce in the earlymonths of the pandemic.2 Working-class women’s
employment was hit particularly hard, as theyexperienced a 15-percent drop from March to

April 2020. And even as job numbers started topick up in early 2021, the April workforce participation rates for women remained 1.7 percent
lower than pre-pandemic levels, and more than
4 percent lower than the high point reached 20
years ago.
Among those whose jobs did allow them towork from home, the stresses of life-work balance
took on a whole new meaning for those working
mothers whose work lives and home lives collided as schools and daycare facilities closed.
Despite the gradual advances that women haveachieved in the workplace, particularly in termsof gaining C-suite positions, trying to balancecareer and caregiving—never an easy task underthe best of circumstances—proved particularly
difficult during the pandemic, and a 2020 survey

2. Rakesh Kochhar, “Hispanic Women, Immigrants, Young Adults, Those with Less Education Hit Hardest by COVID19 Job Losses,” Pew Research Center website, June 9, 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/06/09/hispanicwomen-immigrants-young-adults-those-with-less-education-hit-hardest-by-covid-19-job-losses/.

8 Seeking the “Next Normal”

found that 23 percent of American mothers withchildren under the age of 10 were now thinkingof leaving the workplace altogether. This raised
concerns that some of the hard-won gains ofrecent decades were being lost.3
In Japan as well, the pandemic has forced
many women out of the workforce, although
the numbers are harder to pin down due tothe high ratio of women who are part-time orcontract-based/freelance employees, known as“nonregular employees” in Japan. Indeed, withthe exception of women 25–34 years of age, wellover half of all women fall into that category,leaving them with few prospects for managerial
or executive positions, lower wages, and a lackof job stability even under the best of circumstances. In fact, the Japanese government’s labor
statistics show that 83 percent of nonregular
women workers earn ¥1.9 million or less annu-

ally (roughly $17,000).4 This is similar to trends
in the United States where the Bureau of Labor
Statistics reports the median weekly earnings ofwomen working part-time to be just $314, which
would come to an annual income of roughly$16,300. During the pandemic, these women
were exceptionally vulnerable to dismissals andat a greater risk of falling into poverty.
Not surprisingly, then, mental health among
women and children is an area of sharedconcern in the two countries. In Japan, there
has been a 22 percent increase in suicide rates
during the pandemic, but among women, therate has risen 83 percent. Some of the increased
stress on women in Japan is due to unemployment and isolation, and some has been
attributed to the longstanding imbalance in theroles of women and men within households—animbalance that has become even more apparent
during the pandemic, as will be
discussed below. In the United
Employment pattern in Japan by gender and age group (2019)
States as well, social isolation,
Regular Employee
Non-Regular Employee
drug addiction, and other menMALE
FEMALEtal health issues are taking a
100%
100%
heavy toll.
Both governments have been
seeking ways to lessen the toll of80
80
the pandemic. Under the new
Biden administration, Congress
passed a bill that provided not
only funding for COVID vacci60
60
nations, testing, and mitigation
efforts, but also emergency paid
leave during the pandemic,%
40
40
enhanced child tax credits
to target child poverty, block
grants for childcare providers,20
money to help schools reopen
20
safely, the extension of healthcare programs for lower-income
women, and other measures.
00
Age 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 64+
Age 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 64+
Similarly, Japan’s policies haveincluded measures to help small
Note: Non-regular here includes self-employed and family workers, who do not have access to thesame benefits as regular company employees. “Regular employee” excludes executives in companies/businesses and provide relief
corporations. Source: Statistics Bureau, Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
for part-time workers, women,
3. Justine Jablonska, ed., “Seven Charts that Show COVID-19’s Impact on Women’s Employment,” McKinsey & Company
website, March 8, 2021, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/seven-charts-that-showcovid-19s-impact-on-womens-employment.those-with-less-education-hit-hardest-by-covid-19-job-losses/.
4. Shuto, Wakana, “The Failed Promise of Workplace Equality in Japan: A View from the Trenches,” https://www.nippon.
com/en/in-depth/d00653/.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

single parents, and those struggling with anxiety
and loneliness. Japan has been more reluctant toimpose strict lockdowns during the pandemic,
trying to strike the right balance between publichealth and economic recovery. Nonetheless, theparticipants expressed concern that the careerand socioeconomic trajectories for women inboth countries have suffered a substantial setback
that will take years to overcome.

Inequities and Weaknesses Laid Bare9

work, gaps also arose between those who had or
did not have access to broadband internet andthe necessary computer equipment and skills.
Those in many rural areas, those with lower
income levels, and those unfamiliar with IT
found themselves facing not just the pandemic,
but the added burden of accessing the technology they needed to participate in work andschool. In the United States, these issues werecompounded by underlying racial inequities.
In both countries, the ability of workers totake advantage of IT to continue working fromhome during the pandemic was directly cor-

5. From a presentation by Sachiko Habu (Nikkei xwoman).

3

2

1

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

1
2

The issues shared by women in the
United States and Japan in many
Change in number of US employees by income group
instances reflect inequities that have(% change compared to Jan 2020)
long been present in our societies but
were intensified and brought into stark
10（2020年1⽉からの増減率、％）
relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. As
High-Wage Employment
noted above, the differences between
0“regular” and “nonregular” employment have played a substantial role-10
in depressing women’s earnings over
Middle-Wage Employment
the years in both countries. On the-20
one hand, freelance and part-time
employment can offer much-needed-30
flexibility for working mothers, but
Low-Wage Employment
it generally denies them both career-40
opportunities and job stability, and1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3
it impacts their ability to accumulate
2021
2020
2020
2021
wealth over their lifetimes. During theNote: This index is calculated daily by Harvard University’s research institutepandemic, the inequities between the“Opportunity Insights” based on the data from payroll companies. The latest data
“regular” and “nonregular” categoavailable are March 12, 2021.
Source: Opportunity Insight, Economic Tracker, as shared in a presentation byries became even more problematic.
Yuko Takeda, Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI).
Women who are part-time employees,
self-employed, or gig workers often
related to income levels, and that has exacerbatedhave limited access to healthcare in the United
the growing wealth gap in the two countries.
States, and in both countries, they have limited
In Japan, more than half of those making ¥10
access to paid sick leave and family leave. Thismillion or higher (approx. $90,000) were workmeans that a single mother working part-time
ing from home, while only 20 percent of thosein a restaurant or grocery store must choose
making less than ¥5 million were able to do so.5
between staying home when they or their child
And in both countries, the overall impact of thefalls ill or getting paid.
pandemic in terms of lost wages and income was
For children forced to learn remotely andalso most severe for those with the lowest wages.
working mothers who suddenly needed to tele-10 Seeking the “Next Normal”¥3

ratio(%)
composition(%)
COMPOSITION ratio

¥2

m

ill
io
n
m
ill
io
n
¥4
m
i
¥5 llion
m
ill
io
¥6
n
m
i
¥7 llio
m n
ill
io
n
¥9
m
ill
io
¥1
n
2
m
ill
io
n

Perhaps even more signifiChange in income in Japan by income group (% change since end of 2019)cantly, there was an apparent disconnect between the stock marLow
kets, which—with the exception ofHigh
IncomeIncomea short downturn—were booming
throughout much of the pandemic,
and the financial hardships experienced by large numbers of citizens
and businesses. In short, there has
been increasing polarization in
Unchanged or Increased
both countries as the wealthy have
fared much better than others interms of job retention and wealthaccumulation.
Decreased by 10-20%
The full implications of the
30-40%
gender imbalance in providing
Over 50%care to children and older family
members was also laid bare during
Low-income households have suffered
the pandemic, as access to supserious income reduction.
port systems like daycare, nursSource: Mitsubishi Research Institute, mif Survey (n=4,968, January 20–22, 2021),
ery schools, and, in the US case,as shared in a presentation by Yuko Takeda, MRI.
babysitters and nannies suddenly
disappeared. This imbalance wasevident in both countries but wastechnology needed to attend school remotely,even more pronounced in Japan, where men
but the challenges of remote learning went wellstill leave most of the household and childbeyond that. Not all schools and not all teacherscare work to women, whether their spouse is
were equipped to make the shift to online teachworking full-time or not. It was reported that
ing, so the quality of education offered and themothers in Japan were seven times as likely as
ability of students to adapt to this new mode offathers to have taken time off to care for chillearning varied greatly. Furthermore, not all stu6
dren during the pandemic, and similarly in thedents had a safe, quiet space at home where they
United States, employers report that even when
could study. Although the final numbers are notmen are eligible for paid family leave, they are
yet known, in 2020, McKinsey & Co. predicted
reluctant to take advantage of that policy, leavthat 1 million US high school students would
ing the responsibility for childcare and elder
drop out if remote learning continued throughcare to their spouse. One participant noted thatthe 2020–2021 school-year,7 and both countries
her male employees—unlike their female counsaw students dropping out of or delaying college
terparts—felt the need to justify their requests
due to financial concerns. Participants feared
when asking for time off to take care of theirthat this would have long-term implications forchildren, as if it were an unusual request.
the future of our countries’ economic prowess
Weaknesses in the educational systems also
and innovation.
became clear during the pandemic, and particiThe pandemic has also affected the physicalpants from both countries expressed concern
and mental health of women and children in
about how that had impacted children. As
both countries—an ongoing and inadequately
noted, not all children had equal access to theaddressed issue even under normal circum6.“Review of Gender Roles in Japan Family Life Needed Amid Virus Crisis,” Mainichi, August 17, 2020, https://mainichi.jp/
english/articles/20200817/p2a/00m/0na/009000c.
7. Emma Dorn, Bryan Hancock, Jimmy Sarakatsannis, and Ellen Viruleg, “COVID-19 and Student Learning in the UnitedStates: The Hurt Could Last a Lifetime,” McKinsey & Co. website, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/covid-19-and-student-learning-in-the-united-states-the-hurt-could-last-a-lifetime#.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

stances. In the United States, it has been pointed
out that while reports of child abuse have actually decreased during the pandemic, experts
believe those statistics are masking a darker
reality. With students not in school on a regularbasis, the teachers and school officials who areoften the ones to identify problems, have been
unable to see and report suspected abuse. Participants discussed the need to address the increasein depression and suicide among women andchildren. In Japan in particular, it was notedthat greater understanding is needed of depression among adolescents. And here again, thepandemic’s impact on limiting access to mental
health services exacerbated underlying weaknesses in terms of access, affordability, andstigma that long predated the pandemic. These
are issues that will have a long-term impact on
those affected. The one positive note on thisfront was that the pandemic has led to increased
acceptance—including by health insurers—oftelemedicine, which can be particularly helpful
for behavioral health.
The topic of “period poverty” was also raised—
an issue that has been receiving increased attention in both countries in recent years, as many
women struggle to afford the menstrual products
and medicines they need, and some are forced
to miss work or school if the symptoms are notproperly addressed with their physicians. Currently, NGOs, schools, and other public facilities are taking the lead in providing assistanceto those in need, but during the pandemic, thataccess has been limited, and policymakers haveraised this as an issue that needs to be addressed.
Women policymakers and leaders have been
discussing many of these inequities for decades,
but the pandemic has given them greater saliency,
making it a good time to push for change.

Reimagining the Next Normal
As this group of women leaders explored theimpact of the pandemic and the underlying

11

cracks in our societal foundations that havebeen exposed as a result, it was clear to all that“getting back to normal” was not an option.
There was a call to “reimagine the next normal”
instead. They agreed on the need to focus on thegrowing awareness and positive transformations
that have occurred during the pandemic andenvision the type of future that we want—one
that is more equitable and healthier for all.
One of the frequently discussed topics,
both for its pros and cons, was telework. One
participant noted that she tried decades ago toconvince her company—a leader in global technology—to introduce telework without any success. But overnight, the pandemic forced organizations across the spectrum to change theirpolicies. Although the ability to work remotely
has varied greatly by sector and by status withincompanies, with white-collar workers more
likely to have that option than blue-collar workers, by and large the impact has been positive,
and participants called for its expansion. With
many schools closed, the ability to juggle childcare and online meetings was certainly challenging for working parents, but on the positiveside, the lack of commuting time freed up extra
hours in the day. And many urban areas saw an
outmigration of residents to the suburbs or evento rural areas as a result—something that could
potentially bode well for Japan, if younger residents can take advantage of telework to makea U-turn to their rural hometowns, which havesuffered from depopulation in recent decades.
In Japan, telework had two rather unexpectedconsequences for the country’s “workstyle.” First,
it was noted that the traditional emphasis on
teamwork has given way to more attention on
individual work in the remote working environment, with employers now having more opportunities to engage with and evaluate each employee
individually. That has brought into sharper focus
the strong individual contributions of women,
which were often overlooked in the past.
It has also curtailed after-hour drinking amongcolleagues—a practice that puts working mothers

12 Seeking the “Next Normal”

at a disadvantage since they are often left out of thecritical decision-making and consensus-buildingthat takes place outside the office. When they dojoin in, such alcohol-fueled events are also occasions where women tend to be subjected to sexual
harassment, and so Japanese women politicians
were delighted to have an excuse not to hold suchmeetings.
Referring to a global-headline-making comment from former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori,
who claimed that women talk too much at meetings (an idea that has been statistically disprovenin study after study8), one participant notedthat when women do speak up at meetings, it
is often a result of this practice of backroom
consensus-building. Since women are often notpart of the consensus, they ask more questions
and press for actual discussions of the topic at
hand rather than just rubber-stamping what
their male counterparts have already agreed
on. While those men who thought a matter was
already settled may find the process of being
forced to discuss it frustrating, it is certainly ahealthier approach to policymaking.
On the negative side, however, telework canalso create greater stress and “Zoom fatigue,”
and while many people express that they havebeen busier and more productive than ever,some corporate leaders and policymakers feelthat they have lost the synergy that comes frombeing in the same office day-to-day. Whether or
not employees—and particularly women—will
welcome the idea of putting on real work clothes
and resuming sometimes-long commutes to an
office every day remains to be seen.
Some companies have taken advantage of thepandemic to reexamine their core corporate values and implement more humanistic approaches
that emphasize work-life balance. One executive noted that her company realized that theirwomen employees were not only focusing on
their jobs but were also serving as “teachers,
short-order cooks, and moms” throughout theday—even more so than usual. They have foundthat small measures like banning weekend

emails and Friday meetings helped employees
cope with these multiple demands. However,that takes not only good policies but also a topdown commitment and corporate culture that
supports those policies if women are actually
going to use them. And the question for those in
the private sector is how to take the best of what
has been done during the pandemic and carrythat forward to reset the norms.
Paid family leave and paid sick leave werealso seen as critical areas where the United Statesin particular needs to improve. There is currently no federal law mandating paid leave,
which means that a mother working part-timeat a restaurant, for example, is less likely to stayhome when she or a family member is sick. Hereagain, the gap between part-time and full-timeworkers is striking, as a survey by the Kaiser
Family Foundation found that while 68 percent of full-time workers were covered by theircompany’s paid sick leave policy (over 90 percent if the company had 200+ employees), only
26 percent of part-time workers enjoyed such
benefits (56 percent in large companies). Even
worse, only 25 percent of companies offeredpaid parental leave to their employees.9 Whilesome US states and cities have mandated paid
leave, many have not. And women freelancers
or those in the gig economy have no access tosuch benefits.
Japan’s laws are much more progressive inthis area. Fathers and mothers can take up to
one year of partially paid leave to care for a
new child. If childcare is not available, they
can apply for an additional year. Changes inearly 2021 provided even greater flexibility for
employees, including some part-time employees, to take time off to care for a child after theparental leave is done. And the most recent legislation, passed shortly after this dialogue washeld, allows men to take four weeks of paid leave(at 80 percent of their pay) following a child’sbirth, which can be divided up over a period ofeight weeks.10 However, the number of men who
actually take advantage of family leave after the

8. Adam Grant, “Who Won’t Shut Up In Meetings? Men Say It’s Women. It’s Not,” Washington Post, February 18, 2021,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/02/18/men-interrupt-women-tokyo-olympics/.
9. “Paid Family Leave and Sick Days in the U.S.,” KFF website, https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/paidfamily-leave-and-sick-days-in-the-u-s/.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

birth of a child remains incredibly low—similar
to the case in the United States. And one participant raised the concern that the fact that womendo take advantage of this extended leave afterchildbirth raises the expectation that they willremain at the center of childcare in their family
afterward and increases the likelihood that they
will fall permanently off the management trackat work.
The corporate practice of transferring employees every few years to new locations domestically or abroad, and essentially kicking people
off the career track if they refuse, also needs tobe reexamined in light of the increasing numberof women in the workforce. Since women stillearn less than their spouses on average, they areusually the ones who forego such promotions,which in turn limits their ability to rise in the
managerial ranks. And the limited job mobility in Japan makes it harder to find new positions at equivalent levels if they want to change
companies.
These trends and policies help explain why
Japan ranked 117th in the World Economic
Forum’s gender gap report this year in termsof Economic Participation and Opportunity,
despite 72 percent of women now engaging in
the labor force—a higher rate than the UnitedStates. Greater job mobility and better on-ramps
for women returning to the workplace areneeded if Japan is to reap the full benefit of its
female workforce—a workforce that is highly
educated and severely underutilized.
It has often been suggested that the large
number of women in the workforce is the primary cause of the low birthrate in Japan, which
is a serious concern as the country faces agreying population and a shrinking number ofworking-age people who can support them. But
the participants shot that idea down, pointing tosurveys that show Japanese women’s hesitancy
to start or expand families is based on their lackof financial independence and stability. Indeed,
one corporate participant shared her own experience, explaining that her life and career deci-

13

sions were guided not by some great ambition,
but rather by a pragmatism born from having
seen her mother widowed at a young age and ata loss for how to make a living.
Japanese policymakers shared that they are
now debating the creation of a new Children’s
Agency to consolidate policies on children andfamilies that are currently handled across multiple ministries. The goal of the proposed agency
is to allow Japan to create a clearer strategic
vision for policy related to children and more
effectively address the declining birth rate in
the country. It was noted that in both Japan andthe United States, “women and children” areoften lumped together in discussions, but thatreinforces the idea that children are raised only
by women and that all issues related to womenare somehow related to their roles as mothers. In
the United States, policymakers noted that they
are trying to broaden the definition by talking
about “family policies,” for example pushingfor “family leave” that allows both fathers andmothers to get paid leave to care for children orother family members.
All of these issues come down to one key question: How can we create policies that encourage
our families to thrive, our businesses to thrive,and our economies and societies to thrive? How
can workplace policies support employees tonot only excel in their work, but to thrive as
members of their families and communities
as well?
To start, as one participant stressed, we must
rethink the dominance of the traditional malerole and its ability to define women’s roles inboth Japan and the United States. That traditional gender role is the underlying assumptionthat enables a corporate culture of transferring
people around at will, encourages an unequal
division of caregiving and housekeeping roles,
and even defines the concept of a political career.
How can that be challenged and adjusted? Weshould examine whether the experience of thepandemic has shown men what they are missing
in terms of being present for their families in the

10. “Japan Enacts Law Making Paternity Leave More Flexible for Men,” Japan Times, June 3, 2021, https://www.japantimes.
co.jp/news/2021/06/03/national/social-issues/japan-law-paternity-leave-flexible-men/.

14 Seeking the “Next Normal”

home. Do they want a different role? Can they
be persuaded or even mandated to contribute
more at home?
One politician shared that when she ran for
office, her husband had to step up and play abigger role in their daughters’ lives for the firsttime, helping them with homework and evenlearning how to braid their hair (although
she wryly remarked that he never did learn tocook). That experience allowed him to develop amuch closer relationship with his children—one
that persists even now that their daughters aregrown. She suggested, only half-jokingly, that if
more women run for office, more men will beforced to step up at home.

these encouraging signs, the numbers of American women in politics are still relatively low

Politics for Women by Women

Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
on the podium for President Biden’s first address to Congress, April 28,
2021. | Photo credit: White House

A common theme echoed by participants fromboth Japan and the United States throughout the
dialogue was the need to have more women inpolicymaking positions in order to produce policies that are more empathetic and that address
the critical issues affecting women and families as
we look to create the new post-pandemic normal.
The discussions during the final session of
the dialogue focused specifically on the progress
made and the obstacles still confronting womenin politics. That session took place the night
before Biden’s first address to Congress, where
Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker ofthe House Nancy Pelosi stood on the podium
behind him—the first time those chairs wereboth filled by women in the history of theUnited States. Although there has still been no
woman president, six women ran in the 2020
election for the post. Women now hold a record
number of seats in Congress and in state-level
elected offices (governorships being the one
exception), and there are more diverse womenserving than ever before. This progress offeredencouragement to women in Japan as well, andone participant noted how pleased she was tohear the current government referred to as the“Biden-Harris administration.” And yet, despitecompared to much of the world. Progress has
been slow, and women do not hold more than athird of offices at any level, meaning that we arestill far from political parity.
Similarly, former Prime Minister Abe’s policy
goal of helping women in Japan “shine” has had
some impact, albeit quite limited. One positive
sign is that the three people now in charge of
the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are all
women—including Seiko Hashimoto, who
replaced Mori following his misogynistic gaffe.
One of her first moves was to announce thata dozen new female directors would be added
to the committee’s board, raising the ratio of
women to over 40 percent. It was pointed outthat despite these positive steps, women are
still underrepresented in the Japanese cabinet.
One suggestion was that Japan should more
actively recruit women from areas other thanpolitics in order to encourage greater gender
parity, something we have seen recently in the
United States with the selection of ten female
cabinet members, only two of whom were sitting members of Congress. There have also beencalls to implement a quota system for parliamentary candidates in Japan, with the current
target being set at 35 percent by 2025.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

The progress in the United States has been
facilitated by a number of nongovernmentalorganizations and academic institutes. The Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP)
at Rutgers University, for example, which was
created in the early 1970s to study women inpolitics, offers a number of initiatives to support American women interested in runningfor office. The center provides training programs such as Ready to Run, which encourages
women to throw their hat in the ring, and a New
Leadership program that targets college women.
Other organizations, such as Emily’s List, help
women candidates fundraise and offer resourcesthat help them understand the basics, like how
to hire a campaign manager, how to run a campaign, and so on. In Japan, Rep. Noda has started
a political incubator to encourage more women
to run for office, but more organizations such asthese are needed.

Civic group members submit a petition that calls for more female parliamentary representation to ruling party lawmaker Seiko Noda (center)in Tokyo in October 2020. | Photo credit: KYODOWhen women do run in the United States,
they win at about the same rate as men, but thechallenge is to get more women to run. Studies
have found that men and women often run fordifferent reasons. It has been said that “womenrun to do something; men run to be somebody.”
In other words, women are more likely to seepolitics as a means to getting things done on
issues of importance to them, while their malecounterparts tend to view politics as a career

15

choice. For example, one participant shared that
she ran for office because she was passionate
about education, and after working at the statelevel, she realized that many decisions werebeing made because of federal laws. When asked
to run for a seat in the US Congress, she said yes.
Her story highlights the important role that
recruitment plays in convincing women to takethe next step and run for office. One study ofAmerican state representatives, for example,
found that only 26 percent of women representatives came up with the idea of running on theirown as opposed to having been encouraged byothers to run, compared to 43 percent of theirmale counterparts.11
The Japanese Diet members at the dialogue
represented a range of career paths, including
the daughters of politicians, as well as women
who were previously nurses, diplomats, city
council members, and so on. In contrast to theUnited States, they noted, women are often discouraged from focusing too much on specificpolicies when campaigning. Nonetheless, inrecent years, women politicians in both countries have been increasingly drawing on theirown private experiences and struggles, believingthat they can win by being their authentic selves
and being more relatable to the public.
As the participants discussed the hurdles toincreased political participation for women,
they agreed that time is still a major obstacle.
Many women in both countries do not consider
it an option until after their children are grownbecause they remain the primary caregiver, andthe majority are also working, which means thatrunning for office—particularly for local office,which is generally unpaid or minimally paid
work—becomes a third job for them. During
the pandemic in particular, this has presented
a major hurdle and has impacted women’s willingness to run for office at a time when we mostneed women’s voices in politics.
So how can women be encouraged to take onthat burden? Recruitment of women is particularly important in the United States, as is assistance in fundraising. Women are able to raise as

11. Susan J. Carroll, “Women in Government: Still Too Few,” in Council of State Governments, The Book of the States, vol. 48, https://cawp.
rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/stilltoofew-carroll.pdf.

16 Seeking the “Next Normal”

much money for campaigns as their male counterparts, but it often takes twice as much work,
so organizations such as Emily’s List, which is a
PAC for pro-choice women, has been a gamechanger for Democratic women.
In Japan, as in the United States, women
who are born into a political family might havegreater interest in and opportunity to enter
politics, but ordinary women face difficulties
as politics is still viewed as a male domain andthere are no readily available support mechanisms. Those Japanese lawmakers who havestudied or spent time in the United States point
to that experience as being an important factor in inspiring them to run for office. Seeing
examples of strong women leaders made themrealize, “I can do that too.” As is often said, representation is critical in encouraging women to
aspire to leadership roles.
In that respect, women empowering women
was a common theme across sectors. CAWP
received a generous initial grant in the 1970s
from the Ford Foundation thanks in large partto a female program officer (who later became
the foundation’s president) who believed in theimportance of their work. In the business field
as well, it was noted that the presence of womenin venture capital, while still rare, is critical forencouraging women entrepreneurs. A Harvard
study, for example, found that only 11 percent
of investing partners at venture capital firms
were women, which goes far in explaining why
only around 13 percent of venture capital funding goes to startups whose founders include awoman.12 Similarly, in the political realm, as
one participant noted, “sisterhood” is critical inorder to overcome the current male-dominatedenvironment in the Diet and allow women’svoices to be better represented.
But another important element, harkening
back to the question posed earlier, is to rethink
the way in which politics is done to make surethat policies reflect women’s voices, but also that
men and women politicians can thrive. If womenview the government as too polarized, gridlocked,

US elected officials by gender (as of June 2021)
100 %

Men
Women

80

76 (76) 317 (317) 42 (42) 5099
(5099)

60(Number ofmembers)

40

24

20
0

118
(24)

(118)

SenateHouseof Reps.

2284

8
(8)

Governor(2284)
State
Legislature

Japanese elected officials by gender (as of June 2021)
100 %

Men
Women

80
60

(189)

(419)

(45)

(2376)

(46)

(2)

(303)

(Number ofmembers)

40
20

(56)
0

Diet/Upper Diet/Lower Governor Prefectural
House
LegislatureHouse

corrupt, or simply ineffective, then they will not
run. How can the basic systems of politics—from
campaigning and fundraising to the schedulingof hearings and votes—be reimagined to ensurethat qualified people view politics as an effective
avenue to achieve their goals?

Global Policy and US-Japan Cooperation
Turning to the global perspective once again,
participants also considered what the “nextnormal” should look like in terms of global and
US-Japan relations, stressing the need for policies
to promote resilient and sustainable societies.
The pandemic added fuel to the fire of rising populism and nationalism in many countries and has been a destabilizing force at both12. “Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship,” Women and Public Policy Institute, Harvard Kennedy School website, https://
wappp.hks.harvard.edu/venture-capital-and-entrepreneurship.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

the national and international levels. The deep
divisions already apparent in US society led toa politicization of the pandemic response tosuch an extent that even mask-wearing becamea political act in some parts of the country, andthe heated rhetoric of the presidential elections
boiled over into an unprecedented attack on
Congress itself on January 6, 2021. Indeed, thefirst session of this dialogue had to be postponedat the last minute due to a sudden change in theCongressional schedule in response to reportsthat a second attack on the Capitol might occur.
These fissures within American society and theperception that democratic norms have been
undermined in recent years has weakened
America’s ability to lead globally on criticalissues such as human rights and climate change,
and thus the reestablishment of US credibility
will be a major task facing the Biden administration in the coming years.
Meanwhile, the Suga administration’s approach to the pandemic, which at first appeared
successful, was starting to be called into question
by the time these meetings were held. As noted
above, the government was trying to manage thedelicate balancing act between economic healthand public health, but rising COVID cases werecreating clear strains. Within the Japanese public,
there is a perception that political leadership islacking to cope with the problem, as the government’s emphasis on “self-help, mutual help, andpublic help” seems to imply that people shouldtake care of themselves. There is also increasing
frustration with the lack of long-term vision to
manage the society in the post-pandemic era,
and with the government’s push to hold the
Olympics despite new surges in cases and a slowroll-out of vaccines. The administration’s ability
to resolve these concerns will undoubtedly havean impact on the election scheduled for later in
2021 and on its policy agenda in the interim.
In addition to domestic challenges, the pandemic has hampered diplomatic efforts, andthere were calls for greater US-Japan collaboration to shore up the international rules-based

17order, counter China’s growing global influence,and promote multilayered cooperation on critical issues such as climate change and humanrights. In particular, as Japan pushes for greater
digitalization, cooperation with the United Stateson international norms and rules in that sphere
will be critical to its success.
Participants noted approvingly that the firstoverseas visit by the new US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken was to Japan, and that on April
9—just days before the second session of the
dialogue—Prime Minister Suga became the firsthead of state to visit President Joe Biden in Washington DC. These meetings served to highlightthe importance of the bilateral relationship. As
Biden and Suga sat down at the table with theirrespective teams, however, observers quickly
pointed out that while the US team did include
three high-ranking women, including the US
Trade Representative and the Treasury Secretary, the Japanese team was all male. Perhaps not
surprisingly, then, the plans they announced for
US-Japan partnership did not include a single
policy regarding women. Participants agreed
that at the next bilateral summit, there should
be a concerted effort to reflect women’s voices
and include issues related to women.
Given that no one country or sector has theanswers to all of the issues facing US and Japanese society, international dialogues that bring
together a wide range of experiences and viewpoints offer a unique opportunity to compare
notes, gain new insights, and develop better
policies. But it is equally important to ensurethat women’s voices and perspectives be heard
in those venues, and that women also have an
opportunity to engage with, learn from, andprovide mutual encouragement to their female
counterparts overseas, who clearly share manyof the same concerns and priorities both on
domestic and global issues. At the enthusiastic
urging of the participants, JCIE hopes to continue these discussions, whether in person or
virtually, in the years to come.

18

Participants
UNITED STATES
CO-CHAIR | Diana DeGette, Member, House of Representatives (D-CO)
Susan Berresford, Former President, Ford Foundation*Peggy Blumenthal, Chair, JCIE/USA; Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of 						International Education (IIE)
Suzanne Bonamici, Member, House of Representatives (D-OR)
Kara Carscaden, Vice President, Global Public Affairs, The Estee Lauder Companies
Claire Chino, President & CEO, ITOCHU International Inc.
Barbara Dyer, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management; Executive Director,
		Good Companies, Good Jobs Initiative, MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research
Chrissy Houlahan, Member, House of Representatives (D-PA)
Kazuyo Kato, Executive Director, JCIE/USA
Helena Kolenda, Program Director for Asia, Henry Luce Foundation
Sachiko Kuno, Co-Founder & Managing Member, S&R Technology Holdings, LLCd; Co-Founder, 			
President & CEO, S&R Foundation
Yuting Li, Program Associate, Henry Luce Foundation
Julie Makinen, Executive Editor, The Desert Sun; State Editor-California, USA Today Networks; 					
2016 JCIE US-Japan Journalism Fellow
June McIvor, President & CEO, Tolosa Winery
Sheila Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Saori Tsuchiya, Vice President for Government Affairs at Toyota Motor North America
Deborah Walsh, Director, Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), Rutgers University
Sheryl WuDunn, Co-founder, FullSky Partners; Author; Pulitzer Prize winner for journalism
JAPAN
CO-CHAIR | Rep. Seiko Noda, Member, House of Representatives, Executive Acting 						 Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
Noriko Akiyama, Senior Political Writer, Asahi Shimbun
Rie Asayama, Executive Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Mariko Eguchi, Vice President, Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd.
Sachiko Habu, Editor-in-Chief, Nikkei xwoman
Tomoko Hayashi, Director-General of Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office
Maiko Ichihara, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Law and the School of 							International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University; Visiting Fellow, Democracy, 						Conflict, and Governance Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Naoko Ishida, Managing Officer & General Manager, Accounting Department, Prince Hotels, Inc.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

19

Takae Ito, Member, House of Councillors (Komeito)
Takae Ito, Member, House of Councillors (Democratic Party for the People, DPFP)*Hideko Katsumata, Executive Director and COO, JCIE/Japan
Akiko Kamei, Member, House of Representatives (Constitutional Democratic Party, CDP)
Yayoi Kimura, Member, House of Representatives (LDP)
Izumi Kobayashi, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mizuho Financial Group Inc.; Member 					
of the Board of Director, ANA Holdings, Inc., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and OMRON Corporation
Yukako Maekawa, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Marketing Department of 						Management Service Division, NTT Learning Systems Corporation
Karen Makishima, Member, House of Representatives (LDP)
Rui Matsukawa, Member, House of Councillors (LDP)
Yumiko Murakami, Head, OECD Tokyo Centre
Atsuko Oka, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.
Akiko Okamoto, Member, House of Representatives (CDP)
Yoko Takeda, Chief Economist/Deputy General Manager, Think Tank Unit and General 						Manager, Center for Policy and Economy, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
Keiko Tashiro, Vice President, Daiwa Securities Group Inc.
Yukako Uchinaga, Board Chair, J-Win (Japan Women’s Innovative Network)* Co-hosts

Kim Gould Ashizawa, Senior Advisor, JCIE/USA
Stephen McHugh, Assistant Program Officer, JCIE/USA
Hifumi Tajima, Chief Program Officer, JCIE/Japan

20 Seeking the “Next Normal”

US Participants
Diana DEGETTE [CO-CHAIR]
Member, House of Representatives (D-CO)
Rep. Diana DeGette is now serving her 13th term representing Colorado’s 1st
Congressional District. DeGette recently served as one of nine impeachment managers
who presented the House of Representatives case in the Senate trial against President
Trump in January 2021. She is recognized as a leading voice in the United States’
ongoing healthcare debate and as the chair of the House Committee on Energy andCommerce’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, which is responsible foroverseeing some of the most important federal agencies, including the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) andthe Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition to chairing the Energy and Commerce Oversight panel,
DeGette also serves as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, where she’s working toenact policies that will further protect Colorado’s public lands and combat climate change.

Susan BERRESFORD
Former President, Ford Foundation
Susan Berresford began working at the Ford Foundation in 1970 and rose through theranks to become president of the foundation in 1996. During her tenure, which lasted
through 2007, she helped guide the foundation’s efforts to end discrimination, increase
minority voter registration, and build a civil rights network in the United States;
oversaw the creation of a national loan program that has helped tens of thousands ofminority and low-income Americans; and was a key voice in the fight against genderbias. Since November 2008, she has worked as a philanthropy consultant out of theoffices of The New York Community Trust. She also serves on the boards of JCIE/USA,
the US Fund for UNICEF, United States Artists, the Trinidad Trust Foundation (California), the California
Endowment, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. She is a member of the Council on Foundations, theTrilateral Commission, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Foundation Center’s
Governing Council.
Peggy BLUMENTHAL
Chair, JCIE/USA; Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of International Education (IIE)
Peggy Blumenthal has been with the Institute of International Education (IIE) for
30 years, serving as IIE’s Chief Operating Officer from 2005 and transitioning to
the role of Senior Counselor to IIE President in 2011. Her responsibilities at IIE haveincluded supervision of its international offices, research, and educational services.
Before joining IIE, Ms. Blumenthal served as Assistant Director of Stanford University’s
Overseas Studies and as Coordinator of Graduate Services/Fellowships for the
University of Hawaii’s Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. Her earlier work focusedon the development of US-China exchanges as a staff member of the National
Committee on US-China Relations and the Asia Society’s China Council. She has written extensively
on international education and academic mobility. Ms. Blumenthal holds a BA from Harvard University
in Modern Chinese History and an MA in American Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She
is Chair of the Board of JCIE/USA and serves on the Boards of the Hong Kong–America Center and the
Global Engineering Education Exchange.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

21

Suzanne BONAMICIMember, House of Representatives (D-OR)
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici has represented the 1st Congressional District ofOregon since February 2012. In Congress, she is a leader on the Education and Labor
Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services.
She is dedicated to setting national policies that give students the support andopportunities they need to succeed in school and in life. Suzanne serves on the SelectCommittee on the Climate Crisis, fighting for comprehensive policies that mitigate
the effects of climate change, strengthen the economy, and protect the planet. She
also serves as a member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, andpreviously served as the top Democratic member on the Subcommittee on the Environment. A lawyer bytrade, Rep. Bonamici was an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington DC, where she wasin the Credit Practices Division of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. She then practiced law in Portland,
where she represented individuals and small businesses.

Kara CARSCADEN
Vice President, Global Public Affairs, The Estee Lauder Companies
Kara joined the Estee Lauder Companies nearly four years ago in Global Public
Affairs. Originally focused on building the public affairs program in the Asia Pacificregion, she is now the interim lead for the global team and oversees the Americas
region, including Canada, Latin America, and United States. Prior to joining ELC, Kara
was a Senior Consultant in Public Affairs with Ogilvy in Beijing, where she provided
effective analysis, practical counsel, and engagement recommendations to global
companies facing increased scrutiny from government entities and media within themarket. Her political and government experience includes serving as Deputy National
Press Secretary for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, where she managed direct-tovoter content, pushback efforts, and was an on-the-record spokesperson. On Capitol Hill, Kara was Rapid
Response Manager for US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and implemented caucus-wide pushbackefforts during major legislative initiatives, including health care reform and Supreme Court confirmation
hearings. She also served as Deputy Press Secretary for Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland.

Mitsuru Claire CHINO
President and CEO, ITOCHU International Inc.; Managing Executive Officer, ITOCHU Corporation
In 2018, Mitsuru Claire Chino was appointed President and CEO of ITOCHU International
Inc., based in New York. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief
Administrative Officer of ITOCHU International, and before that, as the GeneralCounsel of ITOCHU Corporation, a Fortune Global 300 company headquartered inJapan. In 2013, she became the first female executive officer of any major trading
company in Japan. Prior to joining Itochu, she was a partner of an international law
firm. Claire has received several recognitions, including from the World Economic
Forum (Young Global Leader), Yale University (Yale World Fellow) and Asia Society(Asia 21). She is a graduate of Smith College (BA cum laude) and recipient of the Smith College Medal(2021) and Cornell Law School (JD), where she serves on the advisory board.

22 Seeking the “Next Normal”

Barbara DYER
Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management; Executive Director, Good Companies, Good Jobs
Initiative
Barbara Dyer is a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management andExecutive Director of the Good Companies, Good Jobs Initiative at MIT’s Institute forWork and Employment Research (IWER), which seeks to make work work for everyonein the 21st century. Prior to joining the MIT faculty, Dyer was president and CEO of The
Hitachi Foundation. Under her leadership, the foundation was an influential force inbringing focus to the role of business in society. Dyer’s extensive career in public policy
included serving as special assistant to the Secretary of the US Department of theInterior; director of policy studies with the Council of Governors’ Policy Advisors; andfounding director of the National Academy of Public Administration’s Alliance for Redesigning Government.
She also cofounded and was the first chair of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. She is a graduateof Clark University and the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Program for Senior Executives in State
and Local Government.

Chrissy HOULAHAN
Member, House of Representatives (D-PA)
US Representative Chrissy Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, engineer, entrepreneur,and educator who is currently serving as the first woman to represent Pennsylvania’s
6th District in Congress. Prior to her election in 2018, Rep. Houlahan helped lead several
thriving Southeastern Pennsylvania companies including AND1, a basketball apparelcompany headquartered in Paoli, and B Lab, the organization that launched the B
Corporation movement. She went on to serve in Teach for America as a high school
chemistry teacher in North Philadelphia and then led and scaled a nonprofit focusedon addressing the early childhood literacy gap. She is the daughter and granddaughterof Holocaust survivors who came to America with nothing. She grew up in a military family and earned herengineering degree from Stanford with an ROTC scholarship that launched her service in the US Air Forceand Air Force Reserves, later earning her MS in Technology and Policy from MIT.

Kazuyo KATO
Executive Director, JCIE/USA
Kazuyo joined JCIE/USA as Executive Director in April 2021, after spending nearly
two decades at nonprofit organizations dedicated to US-Japan relations andinternational affairs in both the United States and Japan. Prior to JCIE/USA, she was
Senior Director of Global Partnerships and Initiatives at Japan Society in New York.
Before joining Japan Society in February 2020, Kazuyo worked for over five years at
Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA in Washington DC, and prior to that was responsible
for exchange programs and research projects at Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo(2010–2014) and the International Security Program of the Center for Strategic andInternational Studies in Washington (2003–2007) and worked in consulting businesses including Armitage
International and Arthur Andersen (later KMPG) in Tokyo. Kazuyo graduated from Stanford University witha BA in International Relations and an MA in International Policy Studies. She has a Certificate in NonProfit Management from Duke University’s Continuing Studies Program and is a Cohort V member of theMaureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation US-Japan Network for the Future program.

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Helena KOLENDA
Program Director for Asia, Henry Luce Foundation
Helena Kolenda joined the Henry Luce Foundation’s Asia Program in 1998, serving as
program officer prior to her appointment as Program Director in 2008. Ms. Kolenda
holds a BA in Chinese Language and Literature from the University of California,
Berkeley (1980) and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law (1989). Between
1981 and 1996, she spent a decade in China, working first as an English teacher with
Volunteers in Asia and later as an attorney with the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind,
Wharton & Garrison. She is board chair of the Harvard-Yenching Institute and amember of Phi Beta Kappa and the National Committee on United States-China
Relations.

Sachiko KUNO
Co-Founder & Managing Member, S&R Technology Holdings, LLCd; Co-Founder, President & CEO, S&R
Foundation
Sachiko Kuno earned her PhD in biochemical engineering from Kyoto University andconducted post-doctoral research at the Technical University of Munich, Germany.
In the mid-1980s, Sachiko joined Dr. Ryuji Ueno in establishing R-Tech Ueno Ltd. inJapan and launched Rescula® eye drops in 1994, to treat glaucoma. She moved to
the US and co-founded Sucampo Group serving there until 2012. At Sucampo, theylaunched AMITIZA® to treat irritable bowel syndrome. As a social entrepreneur, Sachikoco-founded S&R Foundation in Washington DC in 2000. In April 2020, she became
Executive Vice President for International Liaison and Funding at Kyoto University.

Yuting LI
Program Associate, Henry Luce Foundation
Yuting was born and raised in China and holds a BA in International Studies and a MA in Comparative Politics
from Peking University. In 2016 she received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Washington,
Seattle. Her academic focus is the study of political economy and social welfare, especially public housing
in China. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2017, Yuting devoted herself to women in philanthropy and earlychildhood education.
Julie MAKINEN
Executive Editor, The Desert Sun; 2016 JCIE US-Japan Journalism Fellow
Julie Makinen is executive editor of The Desert Sun and State Editor – California
for the USA Today Network, overseeing 11 newsrooms in the Western United States.
Before joining The Desert Sun, she was a reporter, editor, and foreign correspondent
for publications including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and theInternational New York Times. She has served as a journalism trainer with theInstitute for War and Peace Reporting in Afghanistan and on the board of the Foreign
Correspondents Club of China. She was a JSK Journalism Fellow at Stanford 2016–2017, traveled to Japan on a JCIE US-Japan Journalism Fellowship in 2016, and later
was on staff at the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. She is theincoming treasurer of the California News Publishers Association.

24 Seeking the “Next Normal”

June MclVOR
President & CEO, Tolosa Winery
June McIvor has led the team at Tolosa winery since 2015, first as General Manager
and now as President & CEO. In that time, she has overseen the comprehensive
refresh and elevation of Tolosa, including an across-the-board overhaul of Tolosa’s
approach to direct-to-consumer sales. Committed to raising the profile of the San
Luis Obispo Coast wine country in general and the Edna Valley AVA in particular, June
recently concluded a three-year term as president of the San Luis Obispo Coast Wine
Collective. She has been very active in the San Luis Obispo community, serving inleadership positions on many nonprofit boards, including as Board President of the San
Luis Obispo Symphony, Regional Commissioner of the American Youth Soccer Organization, Board Chairof Leadership San Luis Obispo, and a Board member of the French Hospital Medical Center Foundation.
An attorney, June was a partner in the San Luis Obispo law firm of Sinsheimer Juhnke McIvor & Stroh (nowMcCormick & Barstow) and was previously associated with the global law firm of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
June has also held executive positions in the sport of soccer, including with World Cup USA 1994, Major
League Soccer, and the 1999 and 2003 Women’s World Cups.

Sheila SMITH
Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Sheila A. Smith, an expert on Japanese politics and foreign policy, is Senior Fellow
for Japan Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She is the author ofIntimate Rivals: Japanese Domestic Politics and a Rising China (2015), Japan’s New
Politics and the US-Japan Alliance (2014), and most recently, Japan Rearmed: The
Politics of Military Power (2019). She is also the author of the CFR interactive guide
Constitutional Change in Japan and a frequent contributor to major media outlets
in the United States and Asia. Smith joined CFR in 2007, having previously worked
at the East-West Center, where she directed a multinational research study on thedomestic politics of the US military presence in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Smith is Chair of
the Japan-US Friendship Commission and the US advisors to the US-Japan Conference on Cultural and
Educational Interchange (CULCON). She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and serves on
the board of its Journal of Asian Affairs. She earned her MA and PhD from the political science department
at Columbia University.
Saori TSUCHIYA
Vice President for Government Affairs at Toyota Motor North America
Saori Tsuchiya serves as Vice President (Government Affairs) of Toyota Motor North
America, Inc. (TMNA). Based in Washington DC since January 2019, she has a primary
responsibility for coordinating one-voiced external and governmental outreachactivities between the parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation, and TMNA, theholding company for Toyota’s North American sales, engineering and production
operations. She joined Toyota Motor Corporation in June 2015. From 2015 to 2018,
she was in Tokyo Headquarters to oversee Toyota’s global external and government
affairs. Her main responsibility was North America and Asia. Prior to joining Toyota,
she held a position at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) from 2006 to May 2015. From 2000
to 2004, she worked for Japan International Cooperation System (JICS), where she mainly oversaw NonProject Grant Aid for Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mongolia, Thailand, etc. She graduated from the Faculty of Law
at the University of Tokyo in March 2000. She also obtained a master’s degree in international public policy
at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo in March 2006.

Report of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

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Deborah WALSH
Director, Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), Rutgers University
Deborah Walsh is director of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a
unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Walsh joined the Center
staff in 1981 and became the director in 2001. She oversees CAWP’s multi-faceted
programs and speaks to a variety of audiences across the country on topics related
to women’s political participation. CAWP is nationally recognized as the leading
source of scholarly research and current data about American women’s politicalparticipation. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about
women’s participation in politics and government and to enhance women’s influenceand leadership in public life. She is a member of the Circle of Advisors to Rachel’s Network and was named
one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women’s eNews. She earned her bachelor’s degree in politicalscience from SUNY Binghamton and her MA in political science from Rutgers, where she was an Eagleton
Fellow.

Sheryl WUDUNN
Author; Co-founder of FullSky Partners
Sheryl WuDunn, co-founder of FullSky Partners, works in banking and also consultswith young companies, primarily in healthcare. More recently, she has been working
with companies to address the pandemic through testing and vaccines. The first
Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, WuDunn is co-author of five bestselling books, including most recently Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope, andalso Half the Sky, which address issues of public health as well as social and economic
inequality in the United States and the developing world. PBS aired Tightrope, adocumentary based on the book. Previously, WuDunn was a vice president in theinvestment management division at Goldman, Sachs & Co., a foreign correspondent for the New York Times,
an executive team member of The Times’s Circulation Department and a director in its Strategic Planning
Department. She is a former Board Trustee at Princeton University and Cornell University. WuDunn holds a
BA from Cornell University, an MPA from Princeton, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

26 Seeking the “Next Normal”

Japan Participants
Seiko NODA [CO-CHAIR]
Executive Acting Secretary-General, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); former Minister of Internal Affairs
and Communications; Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment; Member, House of Representatives ofJapan (LDP)
Seiko Noda was appointed by Prime Minister Abe to be the Minister of Internal
Affairs and Communication in August 2017. She simultaneously was named to theposts of Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment and Minister of State for theSocial Security and Tax Number System. She started her political career by winninga seat in the Gifu Prefectural Assembly and, in 1993, she was elected to the Houseof Representatives. She served in several posts in the Koizumi Cabinet, most notably
as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, and, in 2012, she became the second
woman ever named to chair the LDP’s General Council, one of the ruling party’s
three most influential posts. She also serves as chair of the Women’s Committee of the Japan–South
Korea Parliamentary Friendship Association and is a member of the Japan-Taiwan and Japan-China
parliamentary friendship organizations. Her areas of interest include the declining birth rate in Japan,
measures for persons with disabilities, and consumer issues. Her publications include Thank You for theLife that Was Born.

Noriko AKIYAMA
Senior Political Writer, Asahi Shimbun
Noriko Akiyama is a senior political writer at Asahi Shimbun, the second-largest
newspaper company in Japan. Ms. Akiyama joined the Asahi Shimbun in 1992. Before
assuming her current post, she served as an assistant political editor, political reporter,and reporter for AERA, a Japanese weekly magazine owned and published by Asahi
Shimbun. She is the first female senior political writer and an assistant political editor
in Asahi. In addition, Ms. Akiyama has authored six books on women in nonprofits,gender politics in Japan, female bureaucrats, civil society leaders, a guide to Japan’s
political history, and a biography on Chiyo Obata, Japan’s first female professional
wrestler. In 2018, Ms. Akiyama received the Social Journalist Award from the Japan Association of New
Public. She is also an alumna of the Japan Women Leadership Initiative (2018), and the International Visitor
Leadership Program (2016), the US Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. She
holds an MS from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA in sociology from the
University of Tokyo, and is currently pursuing a PhD.

Rie ASAYAMA
Executive Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Rie Asayama joined Sumitomo Bank in April 1987 (current SMBC). She is the Executive
Officer and Deputy Head of Retail Banking Unit and Quality Management Dept. sinceApril 2018. She has gained extensive experiences in Retail Banking Unit throughout her
career assuming various positions at departments covering consumer services andcustomer satisfaction. She has also been leading promotion of Women’s Initiatives as
the first GM at Diversity and Inclusion Department. She holds a BA in Economics from
Kyoto University.

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Mariko EGUCHI
Vice President, Head of Corporate Communications and CSR Activities Office, Aflac Life Insurance
Japan Ltd.
Mariko started her career at Mitsubishi Bank as the part of the first group of female
professionals under the effort to enforce the equal employment opportunity law.
There, she focused on the Capital Market and Investment Banking businesses. She
then joined Salomon Brothers (presently Citigroup) as Vice President for Investment
Banking Department and UBS as Director for Investment Banking Department. Withher expertise in corporate finance and corporate IR advisory, she moved within UBS to
the COO Office—Corporate Communications, where she dedicated over a decade to
UBS Group’s Corporate Communications and Branding. Before joining Aflac, she was
Head of Asia Pacific Corporate Communications at LaSalle for its Australia, HK, SGP, Shanghai, and Korea
businesses. She assumed her current position in 2020. Ms. Eguchi is a graduate of Keio University with an
MA in Law. She completed the University of Tokyo Executive Management Program in 2014. She specializes
in Strategic Corporate Communications and Corporate Branding.

Sachiko HABU
Editor-in-chief, Nikkei xwoman
Sachiko Habu joined Nikkei BP in 2005 and is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei
xwoman. She is also founding Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei ARIA (2019–2020), Editorin-Chief of ecomom (2018–), founding Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei DUAL (2013–2018),
and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei MONEY (2005–2012). Ms. Habu has created anumber of websites and magazines related to women’s careers, working mothers, andthe financial and digital sectors. She is a guest lecturer on women’s empowerment
and career development at Waseda University, Chuo University, Showa Women’s
University, and other universities, and is a frequent commentator on Japanese TV andradio. She has served on a number of government committees and panels, including Selected Future 2.0(Minister for Economic Revitalization, 2020), the Cabinet Office’s Committee for Countermeasures against
Declining Birthrate (2015–2019), the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s IKUMEN Project (2016–), andthe Roundtable for Kyoto’s Future. After graduating from the Kyoto University Faculty of Integrated Human
Studies, she studied in France as well. She previously worked at the Editorial Engineering Research Instituteand as a freelancer.

Tomoko HAYASHI
Director-General of Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office
Tomoko Hayashi is Director-General of Gender Equality Bureau in the Cabinet
Office. She reports to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Gender Equality as
the head of the national machinery for promoting gender equality in Japan. Before
the above appointment in August, 2020, Tomoko Hayashi was Director-General for
Economic and Fiscal Affairs, serving as Vice Chair of the OECD Economic Policy
Committee and supporting the Prime Minister at the G7/G20 Summit meetings as
the chief representative of the Cabinet Office. She joined the government as an
economist in 1987. She has held various positions of economic research, forecasting
and macroeconomic policymaking, including Director for Macroeconomic Policy Coordination with the
Bank of Japan, and Director for Economic Policy Framework in charge of medium- and long-term fiscal
consolidation issues. In the academic field, she has taught the Japanese economy at the Graduate Schoolon Public Policy of the University of Tokyo since 2010. Her major publications include Macroeconomic Policy
Frameworks (2003), Inflation Target and Monetary Policy (2006) (with Takatoshi Ito), and Global Financial
and Economic Crisis (2010) (with Kazuo Ueda et al). She is a board member of the Japan Association ofBusiness Cycle Studies and a member of the Japanese Economic Association.

28 Seeking the “Next Normal”

Maiko ICHIHARA
Maiko Ichihara, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Law and the School of International and Public
Policy, Hitotsubashi University; Visiting Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace
Maiko Ichihara is Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Law and the Schoolof International and Public Policy at Hitotsubashi University, Japan, and Visiting
Scholar at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is a steering committee
member of the World Movement for Democracy, East Asia Democracy Forum, andPartnership for Democratic Governance (Japan), and is a co-chair of Democracy for
the Future project at the Japan Center for International Exchange. Throughout her
career, she has undertaken research on international relations, democracy support,
and Japanese foreign policy. She earned her PhD in political science from the George
Washington University and her MA from Columbia University.

Naoko ISHIDAManaging Officer & General Manager, Accounting Department, Prince Hotels, Inc.
Naoko Ishida is Executive Officer and General Manager of the Accounting Departmentof Prince Hotels, Inc. She joined Arthur Andersen (currently Accenture Co., Ltd.) in
1989, and served as Manager, Senior Manager, Associate Partner, and Principal. She
joined Prince Hotels, Inc. in 2007, and was appointed to her current position in 2015.
Ms. Ishida received a master’s in geophysics in 1985 from the Graduate School of
Science of the University of Tokyo where she also completed the doctoral courseworkfor geophysics in 1989.

Takae ITO
Member, House of Councillors of Japan, Komeito
Takae Ito is a member of the Komeito Party who represents Hyogo Prefecture as a firstterm member of the House of Councillors. She was elected to the Diet in 2016 and iscurrently a Director of the Committee on Judicial Affairs, and serves on the Committee
on Audit, the Special Committee on Regional Revitalization and Consumer Affairs, andon the Commission on the Constitution. Born in 1968, Ito grew up in Hyogo and earned
her law degree from Kansai University. She passed the National Bar Exam in 1995 andbegan practicing law, working with small and medium-sized business owners and also
focusing on housing and homelessness issues and intellectual property rights. She
became a member of the Human Rights Protection Committee of the Japan Federation of Bar Association,and served as chief director for a nonprofit organization, Architecture Sergeant for JUSTICE. She was also
registered as a licensed tax accountant in 2010.
Takae ITO
Member, House of Councillors, Democratic Party for the People (DPFP)
A first-term Diet member from Aichi Prefecture, Ms. Takae Ito was elected to theHouse of Councillors in 2016 and currently serves on the Committee on Education,
Culture and Science; the Committee on Oversight of Administration; and the Special
Committee on Regional Revitalization and Consumer Affairs. She is also a Directorof the Research Committee on National Life and Economy. Born in 1975, Ito earneda degree in Japanese literature and then entered the workforce, first working for
Television Osaka and then moving to Recruit, an advertising, publishing, and HR
company. As a mother of two young children, she campaigned on the promise ofbringing a working mother’s perspective to policies for Japan’s futureReport of the 2021 US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue

29

Hideko KATSUMATA
Executive Director and COO, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE)
Hideko Katsumata joined JCIE in 1969. She currently manages the organization’s
overall operations and is heavily involved in numerous programmatic areas. Ms.
Katsumata has been involved in citizen movements to strengthen the nonprofit
sector in Japan and served as a member of the Council for the Reform of the Public
Interest Corporations that was created to advise the Prime Minister’s Office. She
has served as external director on the board of the Chubu Electric Power Company,a member of the Board of Governors of the Japan Broadcast Corporation (NHK),
vice chair of the NHK Advisory Council on International Broadcasting, a memberof the Review Committee of Asahi Shimbun, and a member of the board of the Japan NPO Center and of
the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium. She currently serves as a board member of the Sacred Heart
School Corporation and a member of the board of counselors of the Public Resource Foundation. She isa Screening Committee member of the ORACLE Volunteer Activities Fund. She has authored numerous
articles on civil society, including “Japanese Philanthropy: Its Origins and Impact on US-Japan Relations” inPhilanthropy & Reconciliation: Rebuilding Postwar US-Japan Relations.

Akiko KAMEI
Member of the House of Representatives (CDP)
After graduating from Gakushuin University in 1988 (Bachelor of Law), she moved to
Canada and received the second degree from Carleton University in 1992 (BA in Mass
Communications). Having returned to Tokyo, she worked as an English-Japaneseinterpreter and travelled to more than 50 countries. She was engaged in various fieldsof business such as construction projects, lawsuits, youth exchange programs, sports
events, etc. While working as interpreter, she started supporting his father who was an
MP, and became a secretary in charge of policy. In 2007, she was elected to the Houseof Councilors and worked in the committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for 3
years, in the committee on Environment for the later 3 years. After completing one term in office, she started
preparing for the Lower House election. In October 2017, she was elected to the House of Representatives
and assigned to the committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. She represents a historic and ruralpart of Japan (Shimane Prefecture). In October 2018, the CDP opened the International Bureau and she
became the first director-general. She continues to work as Director of International Department in the
reorganized CDP.

Yayoi KIMURA
Member, House of Representatives (LDP)
Ms. Kimura was first elected as a member of House of Representatives in 2014 andnow serves in her second term. After graduating from Ferris University, she served as asecretary to Representative Ben Kimura, her father. She then entered Keio University’s
School of Nursing and became a registered nurse in 2007, working at Keio University
Hospital. She then worked at the Japan Nursing Association until she was elected to
the House of Representatives. Now in her second term, she is serving as a memberof the Committee on Health, Labour and Welfare and on the Special Committee on
Consumer Affairs. In the LDP, she serves as Deputy Secretary-General.

30 Seeking the “Next Normal”

Izumi KOBAYASHI
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mizuho Financial Group Inc.; Member of the Board of Director, ANA
Holdings, Inc., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and OMRON Corporation
Izumi Kobayashi is Director and a member of the Board, ANA Holdings, Inc., Mitsui &Co., Ltd., Mizuho Financial Group, Inc., and OMRON Corporation. In 2008–13, she was
CEO and Executive Vice President of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency(MIGA), the political risk insurance arm of the World Bank Group. From 2001 to 2008,
she was in the position of Representative Director and CEO of Merrill Lynch in Japan.
She also served on the Osaka Securities Exchange as a Non-Executive Board Member
from 2002–08 and Board Member of Japan Association of Corporate Directors from2007–09 and from 2015-19. Ms. Kobayashi is also co-chair of the Japan chapter ofthe Women Corporate Directors. She is a graduate of Seikei University in Japan.
Yukako MAEKAWA
Senior Vice President, General Manager, Marketing Department of Management Service Division, NTT
Learning Systems Corporation
Yukako Maekawa is Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Marketing
Department, Management Service Division of NTT Learning Systems. She is also
Chair of the Global Networking Committee of the J-Win Executive Network. She
joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) in 1988 and then NTT
Communications Corporation in 1999. Ms. Maekawa graduated from Doshisha
University in Kyoto in 1988 with a BA in economics and received her MBA from the
Graduate School of Business Administration of the University of Southern California
in 1993.

Karen MAKISHIMA
Member, House of Representatives (LDP)
Karen Makishima is a third-term LDP member of the House of Representatives anda former Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office. She graduated fromInternational Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo and then went on to receive her MA
in political management from George Washington University and her PhD in politicalscience and public administration from ICU. She is a member of the Committee on
Cabinet and Director of the LDP Youth Division. Dr. Makishima also worked previously
at the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) office in Washington DC.

Rui MATSUKAWA
Member, House of Councillors (LDP)
After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Rui Matsukawa entered the Ministry ofForeign Affairs in 1993. She received her MSc in Foreign Service at the Georgetown
University in 1997. After serving as a Counsellor at the Embassy of Japan in Korea,
Deputy Secretary-General of the Japan-China-Korea Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat in Seoul, and Director of the General Mainstreaming Division of the Foreign
Policy Bureau, she was elected to the House of Councillors in 2016 as a member ofthe Liberal Democratic Party. She was appointed as Parliamentary Vice-Minister ofDefense and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office in September 2020.

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Yumiko MURAKAMI
Head, OECD Tokyo Centre
Since Yumiko joined the OECD in 2013 as the head of OECD Tokyo Centre, she has beenat the forefront of policy discussions between OECD and governments, businesses,
and academia in Japan and Asia, covering a wide range of economic policy issues. She
has been leading discussions with various stakeholders in Japan and Asia, particularlyin the areas of corporate governance, tax guidelines, gender diversity, education,international trade, and innovation. Prior to joining the OECD, Yumiko held a numberof leadership positions, including Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and Credit
Suisse. Yumiko’s diverse professional experiences range from banking in New York andLondon to UN Peacekeeping Operations in Cambodia. Yumiko has an MBA from Harvard University, an MAfrom Stanford University, and a BA from Sophia University. She sits on the Japan Advisory Board of Harvard
Business School as well as several advisory committees of the Japanese Government. She is the author ofa bestseller book, Turning Demographic Challenges into Economic Opportunities (in Japanese).

Atsuko OKA
Senior Vice President, General Manager, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Atsuko Oka is Senior Vice President and Head of Technology Planning of Nippon
Telegraph Telephone Corp. (NTT). She joined NTT Software Laboratories as a researcher
in 1988. She has served as President and CEO of NTT Navispace Corp. (2010–12);
Vice President of Corporate Planning, NTT Communications (2012–15); Vice President
and Head of IoT Office, NTT Communications (2015–17); Member of the Board andGeneral Manager of the Solution Business Division, NTT Resonant Corp. (2017–19);
and became NTT’s first female member of the board and Head of Technology Planningin 2019–20. Ms. Oka received her MS in industrial and system engineering from Keio
University in Tokyo in 1988, and an MS from the MIT Sloan School in 2000.

Akiko OKAMOTO
Member, House of Representatives (LDP)
Ms. Kimura was first elected as a member of House of Representatives in 2014 andnow serves in her second term. After graduating from Ferris University, she served as asecretary to Representative Ben Kimura, her father. She then entered Keio University’s
School of Nursing and became a registered nurse in 2007, working at Keio University
Hospital. She then worked at the Japan Nursing Association until she was elected to
the House of Representatives. Now in her second term, she is serving as a memberof the Committee on Health, Labour and Welfare and on the Special Committee on
Consumer Affairs. In the LDP, she serves as Deputy Secretary-General.
Yoko TAKEDA
Chief Economist / Deputy General Manager, Think Tank Unit General Manager, Center for Policy andEconomy, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
After joining the Bank of Japan in 1994, Yoko Takeda was engaged in a wide-ranging
policy work, specializing in global financial market analysis and global economic
research of the Bank. She joined the Mitsubishi Research Institute in 2009. After abrief stint as visiting researcher for the House of Councillors, she holds memberships
in a variety of councils of the Japanese government, such as Pension Committee of
the Social Security Council in MHLW, the Council for the Promotion of Social Security
System Reform, Fiscal System Council in MOF, the Council for the Realization of Work
Style Reform, Industrial Structure Council in METI, The Tax Commission in Cabinet
Office, Labor Policy Council in MHLW and Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy in METI.
She completed her graduate study in Washington DC, obtaining a master’s degree from the Public Policy
Institute of Georgetown University.

32 Seeking the “Next Normal”

Keiko TASHIRO
Vice President, Daiwa Securities Group Inc.
Ms. Tashiro began her career with the Daiwa Securities Group in 1986, following her
graduation from Waseda University with a BA in Political Science. She received an
MBA from Stanford University in 1991 and attended the Advanced Management
Program at Harvard Business School in 2011. She has held various positions at Daiwa,
including overseas assignments in Singapore, London, and New York. In Japan, in
addition to her role as Head of Investor Relations (1999–2005), she spent six years in
the retail division of the Group. She rose to the post of Head of Overseas Operationsin 2016 and Deputy President in 2019, and from April 2020, she has served as Deputy
President, Head of Overseas Operations and Head of SDGs. She serves as a member of the Council for
Promoting the SDGs in the Securities Industry at the Japan Securities Dealers Association, a memberof the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Responsive Financial Systems, a trustee at theJapan Association of Corporate Executive and a member of the Harvard Business School Japan Advisory
Board.

Yukako UCHINAGA
Board Chair, Japan Women’s Innovative Network (J-Win)
Yukako Uchinaga has been Chair of J-Win (Japan Women’s Innovative Network) since2007. She graduated with a degree in physics from the University of Tokyo in 1971 andjoined IBM Japan, Ltd., where she served as Director of the Board, Senior Executive
Officer in charge of Research, Development and Manufacturing, and Vice Presidentof Asia Pacific Technical Operations. She was inducted into the Women in Technology
International Hall of Fame in 1999, selected Business Stateswoman of the Year by theHarvard Business School Club of Japan in 2002, and received the Upward MobilityAward from the Society of Women Engineers in 2006, Prime Minister’s Commendation for Efforts Toward the Formation of a Gender-Equal Society in 2013, and Achievement Award fromthe Council for Info-Communications Promotion Month in 2016. Ms. Uchinaga is also Independent Board
Director of Hoya Corporation and Teijin Limited, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the UnitedStates-Japan Foundation.

About JCIE
Founded in 1970, the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisanorganization that works to strengthen US-Japan relations and build international cooperation. Operating with partner organizations in Tokyo and New York (JCIE/USA), JCIE sponsors a wide range of projects in collaboration withinstitutions around the world. These include policy research and dialogue on cutting-edge issues in international
relations, leadership exchanges, and efforts to strengthen the contributions of civil society to domestic and international governance. Through these initiatives, JCIE aims to create opportunities for informed policy discussions thatcan contribute to a more peaceful and stable world.
In 2016, JCIE launched the Empowering Women Leaders program to provide opportunities for women leaders
to participate in international dialogues, to build networks among women leaders, and to share lessons learned on
ways to encourage fuller participation by women in the political, economic, and social policymaking processes.
Over the course of its five-decade history, JCIE has addressed women’s leadership in a number of studies and dialogues, and JCIE publications that touch on this topic include the following:
Common Ground and Common Obstacles: US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue (2017)
Looking for Leadership: The Dilemma of Political Leadership in Japan (2015)
A Gender Agenda: Asia-Europe Dialogue 3—Economic Empowerment for Gender Equality (2006)
		A Gender Agenda: Asia-Europe Dialogue 2—Transformational Approaches to the Roles of 			
Women and Men in Economic Life and Political Decision-Making (2003)
A Gender Agenda: Asia-Europe Dialogue—New Visions and Perspectives for Women and Men (2001)
Japan-US Women Leaders Dialogue: Community Development and the Role of Women(Co-published with the Institute of International Education, 1994)

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