April 9, 2018 - In This Issue:


 

Event Recap: "Testing Trilateral, U.S.-Japan, and U.S.-ROK Responses to North Korean Provocations: Tabletop Exercise Pacific Trident"

Sasakawa USA hosted a luncheon on March 22 to present the publication of a new report, "Testing Trilateral, U.S.-Japan, and U.S.-ROK Responses to North Korean Provocations: Tabletop Exercise Pacific Trident." The panel discussion, held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., focused on Exercise Pacific Trident, a three-day tabletop exercise hosted by Sasakawa USA in Tokyo in February. Exercise Pacific Trident was designed to test the policy, diplomatic, and military responses of the United States, Japan, and South Korea to North Korean provocations that involve all three countries. 

The panel was moderated by Katrina Manson, Foreign Policy and Defense Correspondent for the Financial Times. The panelists include Ambassador  James Zumwalt, CEO, Sasakawa USA; Admiral  Dennis Blair (Ret.) Chairman, Sasakawa USA;  Lt. Gen In-Bum Chun (ret.), Former Deputy Commander, First ROK Army; and Vice Admiral  Masanori Yoshida (Ret.), Vice President, International Security Affairs, Sojitz Corporation of America.

Read a recap of the discussion, as well as find links to the report and a video of the event on the Sasakawa USA Blog.

Event Recap: "Abe, Modi, and Partnership: India's Views of Japan, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific Partnership" 

Sasakawa USA examined the importance of the U.S.-Japan-India relationship at a public panel discussion, "Abe, Modi, and Partnership: India's Views of Japan, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific Partnership" held on April 4 at the Army Navy Club in Washington D.C. The event was presented as part of the 2018 National Cherry Blossom Festival and was the fourth installment of the Views of Japan series. A video and photographs taken at the event can be viewed on the Sasakawa USA website.  

Journalist Paul Beckett, Washington Bureau Chief for The Wall Street Journal, moderated a panel discussion. Panelists included Dr. Raja Mohan, Director of Carnegie India; Sumona Guha, Senior Director of the U.S.-India Business Council; and Ambassador Akitaka Saiki, Board Member of Mitsubishi Corporation and a former Japanese Ambassador to India. Prior to the panel, Yoshiaki Koga, Editor and India Project Director for Kodansha, spoke with Kazuo Kato, Director for Education and Finance for Sasakawa USA.

New Publication: "U.S.-Japan Nuclear Cooperation: The Significance of July 2018"

In a new report from Sasakawa USA, Dr. Phyllis Yoshida, Fellow for Energy and Technology, writes about the "123" agreement between the United States and Japan under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act. 

In July 2018, the U.S.-Japan Agreement for Cooperation Between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy will extend automatically. Its extension means Japan can receive U.S.-origin special nuclear material, retain advance consent for reprocessing, and is bound by the non-proliferation criteria and practices set out in the agreement. The agreement also means U.S.-Japan nuclear technology exchanges and collaborative scientific research can continue. 


New Publication: "The Intellectual Origins of Abenomics" 

Sasakawa USA Fellow for Economy, Trade and Business Tobias Harris has written the first section in a series called "Understanding Abenomics," which will explore the intellectual and institutional drivers of Abenomics; what the Abe government has achieved in monetary, fiscal, and industrial and microeconomic policy; and the debates surrounding what economic policy will look like after Abenomics.

"The Intellectual Origins of Abenomics" examines Abe's personal beliefs about economic policy, arguing that while Abe is often seen as having little interest in economics, his economic policy instincts are consistent with his broader commitment to conservative "National Greatness" politics, and draw upon a rich intellectual vein to make the case for state-led economic revival.

Sasakawa USA Forum: Japan's Defense Exports: Three Years Sitting on a Stone 
In the latest Sasakawa USA Forum issue, authors Michael Hadlow, a former Defense Attach é  (Tokyo) for Australia, and Dr. Crystal Pryor, Program Director and Research Fellow at Pacific Forum, look at Japan's defense exports. In the more than three years since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government lifted restrictions on such exports, sales of defense products overseas have yet to heat up. 
"Japan's Defense Exports: 'Three Years Sitting on a Stone'" focuses on the contradiction created by Japan's overall stance as a pacifist country that does not, and likely will not, possess an offensive military force, and the change in direction Tokyo recently made to allow overseas military sales. In particular, the bureaucracy in Japan has acted as gatekeeper, policing export opportunities while allocating insufficient resources for promoting the defense industry. 
MAP Analysis: Taiwan's Policy Evolution After the South China Sea Arbitration

In a new article from the Maritime Awareness Project (MAP), Ting-Hui Lin, Deputy Secretary General of the Taiwan Society of International Law, looks at Taiwan's new  
South China Sea policy.

Taiwan did not accept a 2016 tribunal decision by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the case brought by the Philippines against China over disputed territory in the South China Sea. Despite the initial rejection of the ruling, President Tsai Ing-wen approved a new South China Sea policy that does not directly challenge the arbitration decision. In addition to adopting this new policy framework, the Tsai administration has implemented shifts in its legal positions that further harmonize Taiwan's approach to the South China Sea dispute with UNCLOS. This essay examines each of these shifts and draws implications for Taiwan's policy toward the South China sea. 

Recap: Sasakawa USA sponsored recent Congressional Study Group tour to Tokyo and Sapporo

Seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives participated on a tour of Japan in late February. The tour was held through the Congressional Study Group on Japan (CSGJ) and sponsored by Sasakawa USA. The delegation arrived in Tokyo on February 18 to embark on a week-long trip to enhance their understanding of Japan. The trip included meetings with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Ambassador Bill Hagerty, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. 

The delegation included CSGJ House co-chairs Diana DeGette (D-CO-1) and Billy Long (R-MO-7), along with Representatives Lou Correa (D-CA-46), Bill Flores, (R-TX-17), Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX-15), Andy Harris (R-MD-1), and Mark Pocan (D-WI-2). 
                    
Accepting Submissions: Sasakawa USA Forum

The Sasakawa USA Forum is currently accepting submissions for Fall/Winter 2018-2019. Submissions should be 750 to 2,000 words in length and written on issues that previously have been inadequately covered regarding Japan or U.S.-Japan relations from a bilateral, regional, and global context. For more information, contact Darah Phillip at dphillip@spfusa.org

                    
We're hiring: Communications and Education Intern for summer

Sasakawa USA is hiring a Communications and Education Intern for summer 2018. This role will work primarily for the Communications Manager to support the upkeep and growth of Sasakawa USA's websites, social media pages, and newsletters, among other tasks, and will support the Education Program team with contact database management and program logistics. The application deadline is April 20. Please read the Communications and Education Intern job description for details, including how to apply.

                    
Upcoming Events

Join Sasakawa USA for upcoming events in Tokyo and Washington, D.C. focused on U.S.-Asia relations. Please check our events page for event details and new listings as we post them.

Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA

1819 L Street NW
Suite 300
Washington DC 20036

202-296-6694
info@spfusa.org