Japan 101 2021 offers a 4-part series to provide a unique insight into the US-Japan relationship. Featuring speakers with firsthand knowledge of Japan – its culture, its people, and its policies—the 2021 series focuses on three areas of interest to U.S. policymakers and their advisors. Designed to increase awareness and understanding, the one-hour sessions offer staff the opportunity to hear from and interact with diverse experts from on and off the Hill. The 2021 Japan 101 Congressional Briefing Series will connect Congressional staff with academic, government, and business leaders with direct experience and expertise on the island nation.
The series will return Fall 2022!
If you are a Congressional staffer interested in participating in these exclusive off-the-record briefings on the US-Japan relationship, please email japan101@usasiainstitute.org to receive log in details for these sessions. If you missed a session and would like to view a recording, please visit our Japan 101 Password Protected page and request the password from the email listed above.
This series is open exclusively to Congressional staff and staffers who attend 2 out of the 4 sessions will receive a Professional Development Certificate for their participation.
Previous Sessions
Session 1, May 17, 2021, 1:00-2:00 pm EDT: Understanding Japan: Historical Underpinnings, Contemporary Domestic Political Dynamics, and Foreign Policy Goals
Tobias Harris, Professor Kiyoteru Tsutsui, and James Schoff explored how the history of the US-Japan relationship and Japan’s engagement in Asia, and the historical evolution of Japanese political norms, have influenced Japan’s domestic and foreign policy today. They focused on Japan’s lacking Covid-19 response, post-Cold War US-Japan security relations, and current dynamics of the Japan-China relationship.
Thank you to our guest speakers, moderator, and attendees who tuned into this important discussion!
Speakers:
Tobias Harris, Senior Fellow for Asia, Center for American Progress, and Author of The Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan
James Schoff , Senior Fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Professor Kiyoteru Tsutsui, Henri H. and Tomoye Takahashi Professor, Professor of Sociology, Stanford University, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Session 2, May 24, 2021, 1:00-2:00 pm EDT: US-Japan Economic Opportunity: Bilateral Trade and Regional Priorities
Shihoko Goto, Ryuji Baba, and Brock Williams explored the importance of US-Japan trade objectives in the post-pandemic era, focusing on shifting supply and demand chains as well as the impacts of Chinese economic statecraft. Specifically, they considered the implications of the reauthorization of the Trade Promotion Authority and several multinational trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and how these will contribute to the future dynamics of Japan-US relations.
Speakers:
Shihoko Goto, Deputy Director for Geoeconomics and Senior Associate for Northeast Asia, Asia Program, The Wilson Center
Ryuji Baba, Counselor (Economic), Embassy of Japan in Washington DC
Brock Williams, Specialist in International Trade and Finance, Congressional Research Service
