Included in this issue of the newsletter:

December Activities

• U.S.-Japan Research Exchange: Drs. Kimberly and Frederick W. Kagan Visit Japan
• U.S.-Japan Research Exchange: Ms. Tomoko Matsuzawa Visits the U.S.

External Engagements

• Ms. Shanti Shoji Participates in Naval War College's 11th Annual Women, Peace and Security Symposium
• Mr. James Schoff Participates in Sasakawa Peace Foundation's Asia Strategy Initiative

Publications

• Commentary & Analysis: Challenges for the U.S.-Japan Alliance to Become Full Global Partners (ADM Tomohisa Takei, JMSDF, Ret.)

Upcoming Activities

• Congressional Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and the Indo-Pacific: Winter 2025 Sessions

Announcements

• Ms. Yumiko Mori Joins Sasakawa USA as a Senior Fellow (Non-Resident)

December Activities

U.S.-Japan Research Exchange:

Drs. Kimberly and Frederick W. Kagan Visit Japan

As part of Sasakawa USA’s U.S.-Japan Research Exchange, Dr. Kimberly Kagan, founder and president of the Institute for the Study of War, and Dr. Frederick W. Kagan, senior fellow and director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, travelled to Tokyo from December 2 to 6. Over the course of their study trip, they held fruitful discussions with academics, government officials, civil society leaders, and journalists to further their research on lessons from the Ukraine war for the Asia-Pacific theater and how growing cooperation between Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China impacts the region’s security landscape.

Photo (left to right): Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, LTG Koichiro Bansho (JGSDF, Ret.), Dr. Frederick W. Kagan, Dr. Kimberly Kagan, and GEN Yoshihide Yoshida (JGSDF)

U.S.-Japan Research Exchange:

Ms. Tomoko Matsuzawa Visits the U.S.

As part of Sasakawa USA’s U.S.-Japan Research Exchange, Ms. Tomoko Matsuzawa, director for international cooperation on Women, Peace and Security, and gender advisor at the Japan Ministry of Defense travelled to Washington, DC, from December 9 to 13. Over the course of her study trip, she held valuable discussions with various Women, Peace and Security (WPS) stakeholders – U.S. government and U.N. officials, members of Congress, civil society leaders, and academic experts to gain insights and exchange ideas on improving the U.S. and Japan’s respective and collaborative integration and implementation of the WPS agenda to foster a more inclusive and resilient partnership that enhances peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. 

Top photo (first row, left to right): Ms. Shanti Shoji, Ms. Tomoko Matsuzawa, and Dr. Sonya Finley, (second row, left to right) Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, Ms. Jennifer Hong Whetsell, Ms. Monica Weller, Ms. Francesca McCallister, Ms. Shiori Okazaki, Ms. Eri Kimura, Ms. Makoto Tsujiguchi, Ms. Mirna Galic, and Ms. Cassie Rodriguez

Bottom photo (left to right): Ms. Shanti Shoji, Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, Ms. Tomoko Matsuzawa, Rep. Jen Kiggins (R-VA), and Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL)

External Engagements

Ms. Shanti Shoji Participates in Naval War College's

11th Annual Women, Peace and Security Symposium

From December 16 to 17, Sasakawa USA Director of Programs Shanti Shoji attended the 11th Annual U.S. Naval War College Women, Peace and Security Symposium in Newport, Rhode Island, which carried the theme “Rethinking Global Security in a Complex World.”

The Symposium featured two full days of engagements with over 50 speakers, ranging from a keynote and fireside chat with Her Excellency Dr. Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, president of Kosovo; remarks from the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy; a lecture from Dr. Valerie Hudson of Texas A&M University, a foremost scholar on gender and security; and various workshops and dialogues on a wide range of themes related to Women, Peace and Security (WPS) within the global security context. Over 500 people attended the Symposium – which provided an opportunity for both newcomers and experienced champions and leaders in the WPS field to engage on the subject matter. In addition, Ms. Shoji reconnected with former WPS Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) participants from the Department of Defense, the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and civil society, as well as established new connections with WPS practitioners across security sectors. 

Photo (left to right): Ms. Avery M. Alpha, Department of Homeland Security; Ms. Katrina Fotovat, Secretary of State's Office of Global Women's Issues; VADM Sara Joyner, U.S. Navy; and VADM Arti Sarin, Indian Armed Forces Medical Services

Mr. James Schoff Participates in Sasakawa Peace Foundation's Asia Strategy Initiative

US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative Senior Director James Schoff participated in Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Asia Strategy Initiative (ASI) in Honolulu from December 2-5. Established in 2017, ASI brings together leading U.S. and Japanese experts to facilitate dialogue on topics related to the U.S.-Japan alliance and to identify potential allied efforts to meet critical global issues. Mr. Schoff joined other American and Japanese participants from various think tanks and universities to discuss the recent elections in the U.S. and Japan, China’s Taiwan strategy, international responses to a Taiwan contingency, and U.S.-Japan bilateral operations. 



Photo: Mr. James Schoff

Publications

Commentary & Analysis:

Challenges for the U.S.-Japan Alliance to Become Full Global Partners (ADM Tomohisa Takei, JMSDF, Ret.)

Admiral Tomohisa Takei’s recent Commentary and Analysis paper for Sasakawa USA, titled “Challenges for the U.S.-Japan Alliance to Become Full Global Partners,” outlines five key themes for strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance. In this piece, ADM Takei, the 32nd chief of staff in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Ret.), highlights the interconnected nature of strategic situations across the Eurasian continent and the increasingly multilayered strategic framework in East Asia. In addition, ADM Takei emphasizes that democratic values alone cannot guarantee international stability, stressing the importance of international law in maintaining global order. Furthermore, ADM Takei explores the critical challenges in transforming the U.S.-Japan alliance into a partnership capable of contributing significantly to both the Indo-Pacific region and the world.  

Photo: ADM Tomohisa Takei (JMSDF, Ret.)

Upcoming Activities

Congressional Program on U.S.-Japan Relations

and the Indo-Pacific: Winter 2025 Sessions

Sasakawa USA, in partnership with the East-West Center in Washington, will soon commence the Winter 2025 Congressional Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and the Indo-Pacific, taking place from January 21 to February 13, 2025. The eight-session series offers Congressional staff the opportunity to engage with prominent experts from government agencies, think tanks, universities, and other policy institutions, on crucial aspects of U.S.-Japan relations and their impact on the Indo-Pacific region.

Session topics include: Japanese Domestic Politics: Implications for Japan’s International Engagement; The U.S.-Japan Alliance as the Cornerstone of Indo-Pacific Peace, Security, and Stability; U.S.-Japan-ROK Cooperation; The United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia; The Taiwan Contingency; The United States, Japan, and the Pacific Islands; Economic Security; and Future National Security Architecture in East Asia.

Please visit the East-West Center website for more information. Details on past Congressional Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and the Indo-Pacific programs are available on Sasakawa USA’s website.

Announcements

Ms. Yumiko Mori Joins Sasakawa USA

as a Senior Fellow (Non-Resident)

Sasakawa USA is pleased to announce that Ms. Yumiko Mori has joined our team as a senior fellow (non-resident).

Ms. Mori is the founder and chairwoman of Comachiplus, a non-profit organization she established in February 2012. With over a decade of experience, she previously worked at Toyota Motor Company from 2004 to 2012 in the Overseas Sales Department China Division and Overseas Research Department. Since 2018, she has served as a board member for the Board of Education in Yokohama City and, more recently, became a committee member for the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Human Resource Development Program of a Multi-Layered Support System” in May 2024.

Ms. Mori has been appointed senior fellow (non-resident) following her engagements with the 2024 Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) in July and the U.S.-Japan Regional Alliance Series event on “Equitable Resilience and Social Vulnerability” at Tulane University in November. Sasakawa USA thanks her for sharing her expertise on integrating women, children, and individuals with disabilities into her community of Totsuka through various impactful initiatives.

At Comachiplus, Ms. Mori leads a team of 40 staff members and over 300 volunteers. She has pioneered several initiatives, including a collaborative and innovative café model supporting isolated child-rearing in Japan, and a training program that has inspired over 100 people to establish their own community cafés. Her notable works include the creation of a Japan-first project to send birthday gift boxes from the community, developed in collaboration with Yamato Transport. Over the past eight years, approximately 8,000 gift boxes have been sent to families with newborns in four regions of Japan. This project also led to the creation of Japan’s first diaper vending machines, with over 300 machines now available nationwide. Her efforts have earned numerous awards, including the Semi-Grand Prix in the Japan Regional Revitalization Award and the Excellence Award in the 7th Wellbeing Award by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.

Ms. Mori holds a bachelor’s of public policy management from Keio University, where she represented Japan in the Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative. Her leadership has been recognized through various fellowships and awards, such as the Champion of Change Japan Award in 2019 and fellowships with the Japan Women Leadership Initiative Program and Salzburg Global Seminar.

Photo: Ms. Yumiko Mori 

Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA

1819 L Street, NW, Suite 300

Washington, DC 20036

+1.202.296.6694