Japan’s Political Transition and the U.S.-Japan Alliance

Director: Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies
January 11, 2011 - Present

The challenges that confront the U.S.-Japan relationship today are many, and the opportunities to devise new ways of cooperating ample. Yet we still know too little about how to adapt our alliance to the changing demands within Japan for greater accountability and transparency in governance. The March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake has confounded the governance pressures on Japan's new government, and expanded our bilateral alliance agenda. The confusion and disconnect between the two governments during the early months of Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) rule suggest the need for a much better understanding of the domestic pressures on Japan's new government for change in alliance policy. The Japan studies program is excited to announce a new study to analyze domestic political change in Japan and its effect on the U.S.-Japan alliance.

This project is made possible by grants from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the U.S.-Japan Foundation.

Meetings

Roundtable Meeting

Political Leadership in Japan and U.S.-Japan Relations

Speakers:

Jun Saito, Chief Executive Officer, Logos Education Group, Yuka Uchida, Former Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center

Presider:

Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
September 26, 2012

This meeting is not for attribution.

Workshop

Japan’s Political Transition and the U.S.-Japan Alliance

Speakers:

Masaaki Gabe, University of the Ryukyus, Matake Kamiya, National Defense Academy, Satoru Mori, Hosei University, Toshihiro Nakayama, Aoyama Gakuin University, Jun Saito, Logos Education, Tomohito Shinoda, International University of Japan, Sugio Takahashi, National Institute for Defense Studies

Presider:

Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
July 23, 2012

This meeting is not for attribution.

Roundtable Meeting

Update on Japan's Foreign Policy

Speakers:

Hideki Asari, Japan Institute of International Affairs, Tsutomu Kikuchi, Japan Institute of International Affairs, Taisaku Ikeshima, Japan Institute of International Affairs, Toshihiro Nakayama, Japan Institute of International Affairs, Asuka Matsumoto, Japan Institute of International Affairs

Presider:

Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
May 9, 2012

This meeting is not for attribution.

View All Meetings

Roundtable Meeting

What Do Japan’s “New Politics” Mean for U.S. Alliance Management?

Speaker:

J. Thomas Schieffer, Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan

Presider:

Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
January 12, 2012

This meeting is not for attribution.

Roundtable Meeting

What Do Japan’s “New Politics” Mean for U.S. Alliance Management?

Speaker:

Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Presider:

Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
November 22, 2011

This meeting is not for attribution.