Program An exchange program to deepen American understanding of the political, economic, and social environment in Japan. Fifteen young US officials from a variety of national government agencies travel to Japan in June 1998 as a follow up to a Japanese delegation's visit to the United States in 1996. Participants, including members of the State Department, the US Information Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Departments of the Treasury, Agriculture, and Commerce, meet with officials in various Japanese ministries and agencies to discuss Japanese policy and the administrative process. Each participant spends a day in their counterpart ministry or agency to learn about issues of direct relevance to their individual work. In addition, the American delegation visits a variety of nongovernmental sites including businesses, broadcasting stations, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Delegations travel to each other's country for a two-week visit of the capital and major cities.
Conducted in collaboration with the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and the Institute on World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences, this dialogue, composed of scholars and policy makers from all three countries, seeks to develop concrete policy recommendations aimed at reducing tension and creating a sense of trust among countries in the region. Security Issues A project to bring Japanese Diet members to visit the United States to meet with several Congressmen and other policy experts. Meetings focus on issues such as the revision of strategic doctrine in the post-Cold War era, the burgeoning Chinese economy and military, the world's military structure, and possible multilateral measures to control regional and ethnic warfare. This project is to be carried out to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the America-Japan Society and the ninetieth anniversary of the Japan Society. It invites key players in US-Japan interaction including policy makers, business leaders, and the media to examine the domestic and international forces that could divide the two countries.