U.S.-Japan Relations: Toward New Areas of Bilateral Cooperation
A Panel Discussion
November 15, 2005
Mansfield Room, U.S. Capitol
Featured Speakers:
James A. Kelly, Senior Advisor and CSIS Distinguished
Alumni, Center for Strategic and International Studies Junichi Ihara, Chargé d’Affairs
ad interim, the Embassy of Japan in the United States Jennifer F. Sklarew, Intenational Trade Specialist,
U.S. Department of Commerce, Mansfield Fellow (2003-05) Adrienne B. Vanek, International Aviation Operations
Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, Mansfield Fellow
(2002-04), formely Economist with the U.S. Senate Committee on
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
This program, organized by the Mansfield Foundation with support
from the Toshiba International Foundation and the U.S. Department
of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, focused on
the current state of the U.S.-Japan relationship as it addresses
challenges in Asia and throughout the world. The program also highlighted
the expertise and insider’s perspectives of two Mansfield
Fellows who recently returned from a year of full-time work inside
ministries and agencies of Japan’s government.
James Kelly’s remarks focused on how the U.S.-Japan alliance
has changed over the years. After tracing the evolution of the
bilateral partnership since the Cold War, he highlighted a number
of contemporary challenges that require close, public U.S.-Japan
coordination of responses: 1/ the North Korea nuclear issue; 2/
China’s “Peaceful Rise”; 3/ international organizations,
including the mismatched influence of Japan and China in United
Nations, as well as the paucity of Asian multilateral organizations;
4/ Bilateral issues, including the U.S. military presence in Okinawa
and on the main islands, the economic issues such as BSE; and 5/
The history issue, which is troubling to Japan’s neighbors
in the region.
Click here to read the full text of
James Kelley’s remarks.
Junichi Ihara reminded the audience that the United States and
Japan share certain values such as democracy, freedom of expression,
a market economy, and support for human rights, as well as vital
security interests. He noted that U.S.-Japan cooperation extends
beyond the Asia-Pacific region today, with important overseas development
work in Iraq, Indonesia and several developing countries. Minister
Ihara identified a number of contemporary challenges facing the
United States and Japan, including regionalism versus globalization,
integrating our two economies, energy and the environment, IPR
protection and Avian flu, among others. He maintained that the
importance of Japan is evidenced in four key areas, each of which
has international ramifications: 1/ The measures Japan takes to
deal with its rapidly aging society; 2/ Japan’s democratic
values, which are the most reliable in Asia; 3/ The quality of
Japan’s products; and 4/ The interdependent relationships
Japan is forming in the region.
Jennifer Sklarew commented on observations drawn from her perspective
as a Mansfield Fellow with placements in Japan's Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet
Office and Diet Internship. In the domestic arena, she mentioned
aging society issues and pension reform, small to medium enterprises
(SMEs), investment dialogue, and tourism. On the international
side, she discussed foreign labor issues, energy and the environment,
and domestic and third country natural disaster relief. She has
agreed to write an article on the observations she derived from
her fellowship.
Adrienne Vanek spoke about her expectations and goals as a Mansfield
Fellow in Japan, where she was posted at the Finance Ministry’s
Policy Research Institute, Regional Financial Cooperation Division,
Customs Bureau; METI’s International Economic Cooperation
Division; and a Diet internship. Hoping to learn as much as possible
about the formulation and implementation of Japanese international
trade and economic policies, and free trade agreements in particular,
she discovered that her Japanese colleagues were just as intent
on learning about the U.S. Congress as well as U.S. politics and
trade policies. Ms. Vanek shared a number of observations from
her postings in Japan. Her insights focused on three areas: 1/
trade and the economy; 2/ politics; and 3/ policy making. In the
area of trade and the economy, she noted that Japan’s overseas
technical assistance and financial cooperation initiatives are
geared towards South Asian nations. With intra-regional trade integral
to the Japanese economy, she observed that Japan is playing catch-up
in joining the FTA (or EPA) bandwagon. In the political area, Ms.
Vanek described some the differences and similarities in the U.S.
and Japan legislative systems, though she found especially noteworthy
the overwhelming amount of time and energy the ministries put into
writing legislation, briefing Diet members and answering their
questions. As for policymaking, she discovered the complex environment
Japanese bureaucrats and politicians face in formulating and negotiating
trade agreements, lacking institutions such as the USTR to handle
negotiations. Ms. Vanek concluded with the observation that Japanese
government officials and business leaders need to do a better job
more clearly articulating to the domestic population the job creation
and consumer welfare benefits derived from liberalized trading
in goods and services, along with reducing foreign investment barriers.
