Partnerships Promote Expertise and Strengthen U.S.-Japan Relationship
Partnerships Promote… (continued from page five)
Recent Mansfield Foundation-sponsored programs in
Japan and the United States highlighted the breadth of
interest in issues affecting the U.S.-Japan relationship
and gave Mansfield Fellows and Japan specialists an
opportunity to field questions about the level of
American interest in Japan and the depth of American
commitment to the bilateral relationship.
After a full-day of interviewing candidates for selection to
the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program, Kiichi
Fujiwara, Professor of International Politics, Faculty of
Law at the University of Tokyo and Edward Lincoln,
Director of the Center for Japan-U.S. Business and
Economic Studies and Professor of Economics at New
York University’s Stern School of Business had energy left
to comment on the political and economic implications
This spring, four MFP No.12 Fellows shared their
expertise in three seminars jointly organized by the
Mansfield Foundation and the Graduate Research
Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan.
On April 16, 2008, R. Logan Sturm (U.S. Department
of Treasury) discussed “Japan’s Financial Diplomacy and
Its Implication for the United States.” In a May 13,
2008 program titled “FDA: Meeting the Challenges of a
Rapidly Changing World,” Sema Hashemi (U.S. Food
and Drug Administration) explained the FDA's mission,
responsibilities, and international challenges, and
offered a comparison of regulatory systems for pharmaceuticals in Japan and the United States.
and outcome of the Japan-China summit. The May 13,
2008 event titled “Populism to Prudence? The State of
Sino-Japanese Relations,” paired the political scientist and
economist for a timely exchange on Capitol Hill. This
program was the final installment in a series of Toshibafunded policy dialogues designed to build greater public
understanding in the United States about contemporary
Japan and the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship.
Nexus
Volume 10
Issue 1
Summer/Fall 2008
The Newsletter of the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program
Contents
Diet Member Briefs Fellows .............1
Mansfield Fellows Honored
at Japanese Embassy .........................2
Fellowship Application Deadline
April 1, 2009
Dr. Deirdre Lawrence (MFP No. 11) speaks at an event on “An Insider’s
Perspective on Health Policy and Tobacco Control in Japan and the
United States,” co-sponsored by the Mansfield Foundation and the
Japan-America Society of Washington in cooperation with the Virginia
Mason Medical Center.
Dr. Deirdre Lawrence (MFP No. 11, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, National Cancer
Institute) spoke in Seattle, Washington about her placements at Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and
Welfare, the Shizuoka Prefecture Government Office, the
National Institute of Public Health, and the National
Cancer Center. Deirdre shared her analysis of Japan's
cancer control policies to reduce tobacco use and other
lifestyle factors associated with cancer prevention. She
also cited potential areas of cooperation between Japan
and the U.S. to advance global initiatives on tobacco
cessation and to share information and resources.
(continued on page six)
Prospective applicants and agency representatives are
invited to learn more about the Mike Mansfield
Fellowships by attending an information session at the
Mansfield Foundation, 1401 New York Avenue, NW,
Suite 740, Washington, D.C. 20005-2102. To reserve
a space or to sign up for a conference call, please contact:
Ms. Sara M. Seavey, Program Assistant
Mansfield Fellowship Program
(202) 347-1994 or [email protected]
THE MAUREEN AND MIKE MANSFIELD FOUNDATION
Advancing Understanding and Cooperation in U.S.-Asia Relations
TOKYO, JAPAN
Nakata Mac Toranomon Building 1F
1-1-10 Atago, Minato-ku
Tokyo 105-0002
www.mansfieldfdn.org
Partnerships and collaborations continued to advance
the Mansfield Foundation’s mission to improve understanding and cooperation between the U.S. and Asia.
Funding from the Toshiba International Corporation
supported two events this spring. On April 22, 2008
Selection Committee members Professor Kiichi Fujiwara and
Dr. Edward Lincoln discuss Sino-Japanese relations with Capitol Hill
audience.
five
2008 Sessions
Wednesday, September 24
Wednesday October 8
Wednesday, October 22
Wednesday, November 5
Wednesday, November 12
Wednesday, December 3
Wednesday, December 17
Fellows Wrap Up Fellowship
in Japan.................................................3
2009 Sessions
Wednesday, January 14
Wednesday, January 21
Wednesday, February 11
Wednesday, February 25
Wednesday, March 11
Lessons From the Japanese Diet......4
Mansfield Foundation Awards Five
Mansfield Fellowships .......................4
Partnerships Promote Expertise
and Strengthen U.S.-Japan
Relationship..........................................5
The Honorable Yoshimasa Hayashi (center) speaks to MFP No. 13 Fellows and executive
director, Gordon Flake (right) prior to their Fellows departure to Japan.
Fellowship Application Deadline ....6
MISSOULA, MT OFFICE
4th floor ● Mansfield Library
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812-9976
The final seminar in the 2007–08 Mansfield-GRIPS
series took place June 12, 2008. During the program,
“An Insider View on U.S. and Japanese Policy towards the
Asia Pacific,” William R. Golike and Dawn N. Kawasaki
(U.S. Department of Commerce) spoke on U.S.-Japan
trade and foreign aid policies in East Asia as a means of
economic development.
Director’s Message .............................2
six
WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 740
Washington, D.C. 20005
William Golike and Dawn Kawasaki (MFP No. 12) discuss the maturing
U.S.-Japan bilateral relationship and areas for international collaboration
at the Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan.
Information Session Schedule:
Diet Member Briefs Fellows
The Maureen and Mike Mansfield
Foundation
1401 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 740
Washington, DC 20005
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Website:
202-347-1994
202-347-3941
[email protected]
www.mansfieldfdn.org
Executive Director
L. Gordon Flake
Deputy Executive Director
Paige Cottingham-Streater
Editor
Sara Mizuta Seavey
Contributing Writer
Scott Johnson
Contributing Editor
Margo Grimm Eule
Design and Layout
Bobbi Simmons
Simmons + Associates Graphic Design
Funded with the generous support
of the U.S. Congress and the U.S.
Department of State, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs
A June 18, 2008 meeting with the Honorable Yoshimasa Hayashi
(LDP Member, House of Councillors) in Washington, offered MFP
No.13 Fellows an opportunity to practice their Japanese, discuss
current events in Japan and gain historical perspective on the Mike
Mansfield Fellowship Program. After ten months of full-time language
and area studies training, the Fellows were anxious to apply their skills
and embark on the next phase of their fellowship—six weeks in
Kanazawa, Ishikawa-ken, to be followed by a year of full-time work in
the Japanese government.
Councillor Hayashi, a frequent visitor to Washington, D.C visited the
city from June 16–17, as a member of the inaugural U.S.-Japan
Interparliamentary Exchange, a working group of legislators from
Japan and the United States. Hayashi has been a longtime advocate of
exchanges. His support of the Mike Mansfield Fellowship program
began in 1992 while serving as an intern in the office of former
Senator William Roth (R-DE), where he researched the number of
U.S. civil servants with Japan expertise and helped draft legislation
that would become the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program Act.
During his June visit, Hayashi recalled the bipartisan support the
program received and the respect members of Congress and the
Japanese government held for Mike Mansfield. “The Mansfield
Fellowships are as important to the U.S.-Japan relationship today as
they were when we first conceptualized the program in 1994,” he said.
(continued on page three)
Director’s Message
Mansfield Fellows Honored at
Japanese Embassy
Dear Friends,
The Embassy of Japan hosted a March 13, 2008 reception at the Old Residence in Washington, D.C. for alumni
and current Mansfield Fellows, Embassy of Japan officials,
and Mike Mansfield Fellowships supporters. The occasion
honored MFP No. 11 Fellows, who returned from Japan
in September 2007, and MFP No.13 Fellows, who began
their two-year fellowships in September 2007.
As the Maureen and Mike
Mansfield Foundation celebrates its 25th Anniversary, it
seems to be an appropriate
occasion to reflect on the
Foundation’s largest program,
the Mike Mansfield Fellowships, and the many ways it
continues to fulfill the legacy of Mike Mansfield. Now in
its fourteenth year, the Mike Mansfield Fellowships are
building U.S. expertise about Japan and helping to
strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship.
Mansfield Foundation Board Member Norman Mineta
offered the more than 40 Fellows words of congratulations and praise for their commitment to federal service
and the U.S.-Japan relationship. As former Secretary
of Commerce and former Secretary of Transportation,
Mr. Mineta acknowledged the Fellowship Program’s
value and thanked U.S. agency representatives for nominating government officials to participate. Mr. Mineta
proudly welcomed back two MFP No.11 Department
of Transportation Fellows, Martin Koubek (National
Highway Institute) and Bill Kaag (Maritime Administration), who were nominated to participate in the Fellowship
Program during his tenure as Secretary of Transportation.
In this issue of Nexus, we feature current and alumni
Fellows; describe activities in which Fellows are engaged
with their Japanese hosts and each other; highlight the
strong support we receive from the government of Japan;
announce the next group of Mansfield Fellows; and
demonstrate the breadth of our partnerships and collaborations with organizations and individuals who are also
committed to a strong bilateral relationship. With thanks
to our supporters and friends, we are pleased to report that:
■
In June 2008, the Foundation selected the fourteenth
group of Mansfield Fellows, bringing the total number
of federal officials participating to eighty-six;
■
In September 2008, the twelfth group of Fellows will
complete their fellowships and increase the number of
alumni to seventy-five;
■
Twenty-two U.S. government agencies have participated
in the Mansfield Fellowships;
■
■
Mansfield Foundation Executive Director L. Gordon Flake
observed the increase in the number of Mansfield Fellows
to 81 participants. Guests at the annual reception enjoyed
networking, information sharing and sake tasting contest.
Lessons From the Japanese Diet
Diet Member Briefs Fellows (continued from page one)
With a previous placement in METI under his belt,
William Golike (U.S. Department of Commerce) said
about his placement at the Americas Division, Trade
Policy Bureau of METI, “I felt very integrated into the
work of the office because I have constant interaction
with the staff that examined U.S.-Japan trade policy.”
The three-term member of Japan’s Upper House has
hosted six Mansfield Fellows in his Diet offices. Most
recently, MFP No.12 Fellow James Hathaway (U.S.
Department of State) enjoyed the opportunity to spend
three months in Hayashi’s Upper House offices.
Through Diet internships, Mansfield Fellows learn the
relationship between the central government and the
legislative branch of the Japanese government.
R. Logan Sturm (U.S. Department of Treasury) also
returned to an earlier placement at Japan’s Financial
Services Agency (FSA) after spending one month in the
Diet. “My transition back to the FSA was very smooth,
and I have gotten used to this very large and busy office.
There are over 50 people touching on just about every
area the FSA is working on, which exposes me to a
number of timely and important issues,” Logan said.
Luckily for Logan, his one-month placement at the Diet
also exposed him to the debate on legislation that would
allow FSA to implement its “Plan for Strengthening the
Competitiveness of Japan’s Financial Markets.” Logan
attended the Upper House Committee debate and saw
first-hand resolution of the year-long effort to strengthen
the Japanese financial markets.
Governor Masanori Tanimoto (standing) welcomes Mansfield
Fellows to Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture for the ninth year.
A fellowship program highlight for Sema Hashemi (Food
and Drug Administration) and Dawn Kawasaki (U.S.
Department of Commerce) was their participation in international programs. During Sema’s placement at the
Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Office
of Pharmaceutical Industry Research, Sema attended the
International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) meeting
held in Portland, Oregon with her Japanese colleagues.
Fellows Wrap Up Fellowship
in Japan
In May 2008, Dawn Kawasaki attended the 4th Tokyo
International Conference on African Development
(TICAD IV). She was delighted to be able to help plan
and attend the conference. Dawn says that “it was fantastic
to be surrounded by so many dignitaries, attend informative sessions, and be inspired.”
More than nineteen Japanese ministries and agencies
have hosted Mansfield Fellows;
Twenty-five Diet members have hosted Mansfield
Fellows;
■
Forty-five Fellows have had Diet internships;
■
The Foundation has collaborated with twenty-eight
institutions and organizations in Japan and the United
States to share the Fellows’ expertise; and
■
Forty-two Alumni Fellows have participated in educational outreach programs.
MFP No. 12 Fellows tour Toyota and Panasonic’s state-of-the-art facilities
during two-day study trip to Nagoya and Osaka.
Mansfield Foundation Board Member Norman Mineta addresses
alumni and new Fellows at Embassy of Japan reception.
Sincerely,
The final months of their two-year fellowship found the five
MFP No.12 Fellows fully engaged in Japanese corporate
offices, central government agencies and the Diet. Fellows
conducted research for their host offices, attended international fora, participated in study tours, and observed the
decision-making processes between Japan’s public and
private sectors.
two
A part of the Mansfield fellowship experience may include
two-week to three-month placements in a Diet member’s
office. Forty-five Mansfield Fellows have been assigned to
twenty-four Diet member offices.
Sema Hashemi (MFP 12) joins Customs laboratory chemist during her
placement at Tokyo Customs Headquarters.
three
Diet placements are intended to enhance the Fellows’ overall
understanding about the Japanese policymaking process and
offer a different perspective than their activities in
Kasumigaseki’s central government offices. Each Fellow’s
experience is unique. Among MFP No. 12, four Fellows
completed Diet placements. According to James Hathaway
(MFP No. 12, US Department of State), who recently
completed a three-month placement in the office of
Yoshimasa Hayashi, “Councillor Hayashi’s office offered a
perfect vantage point for observing the stresses in the divided
congress.” During R. Logan Sturm’s (MFP No. 12, US
Department of the Treasury) one-month placement in the
Diet’s lower house with Representative Shiozaki Yasuhisa, he
witnessed a debate over whether or not Japan should create
a Sovereign Wealth Fund to aid the economic sector. “This
was a great way to get the perspective of the Diet debate after
being in the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Financial
Supervisory Agency (FSA),”Logan said.
On February 29, 2008, the Mansfield Foundation held
a supplemental seminar on the role of the Diet in
Japanese policymaking featuring four alumni Fellows
and a representative of the Government of Japan:
L. William Heinrich (MFP No.11, U.S. Department of
State); Adrienne Vanek (MFP No.8, Federal Aviation
Administration); Martin Koubek (MFP No.11, U.S.
Department of Transportation); Robert Letteney (MFP
No.9, U.S. Congress); and Ms. Keiko Osato, Embassy
of Japan. In addition to explaining the organizational
structure of the Diet, Ms. Osato underscored the importance of gaining an understanding of the processes as
well as the issues. She and the panel of Fellows
commented on the differences between the U.S. and
Japanese legislatures. For example, there are far fewer
professional staff, including policy specialists, in the
Japanese Diet. These specialists have an important role
Mansfield Foundation Awards Five Mansfield Fellowships
In June 2008, the Mansfield Foundation invited five U.S.
government officials to participate in the Mike Mansfield
Fellowship Program. “The fourteenth group of Mansfield
Fellows has diverse backgrounds and professional
expertise. The Foundation is proud that the Fellowship
program continues to attract the interest of government
Janet Won Cho
Asia Pacific
Regional Specialist,
United States Department
of Defense
After spending six months at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and three months in the Diet, James Hathaway
(U.S. Department of State) joined the staff of the Ministry
of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) International
Economic Affairs Division, Trade Policy Bureau.
to play and can be central to ensuring Fellows have a
productive Diet experience. L. William Heinrich
encourages Fellows interested in Japanese policy to get to
know the policy secretaries. “Policy secretaries are the
foremost experts on policy issues and can provide all the
details,” says Bill. As a congressional staffer, Bob Letteney
especially enjoyed the opportunity to work side-by-side
with his Japanese counterparts. All the Fellows agreed the
Diet experience is an invaluable opportunity to gain a
better grasp of Japanese policymaking, make connections, and enhance Japanese language skills.
Just across the moat that surrounds the Imperial Palace
stands the Japanese National Diet Building, an impressive marble brick building. While regular tours of the
building are offered, it can be difficult to gain a perspective on the inner workings of the politics and processes
within the Japanese Diet. That is, unless you happen to
be a Mansfield Fellow.
Michael Louis Clark
Fishery Management Specialist,
National Marine Fisheries Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, United States
Department of Commerce
employees from diverse locations—Tokyo, Japan to
Boston, Massachusetts, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and
between,” says Paige Cottingham-Streater, deputy executive director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield
Foundation. The Mansfield Fellowship Program extends a
warm welcome to the following new Mansfield Fellows:
Patrick Robert Hollen
Commander,
United States Navy
four
Douglas Ryan Jacobson
International Trade Specialist,
United States Department
of Commerce
Elizabeth Curtis Machek
Community Planner,
Research and Innovative
Technology Administration,
United States Department
of Transportation