event

Post-War U.S.-Japan Reconciliation: Strategic Benefits of Healing

Thu. November 30th, 2017
Washington, DC

The committed alliance between the United States and Japan has emerged despite historical wounds from the twentieth century. Decades of concerted effort has brought about a remarkable level of reconciliation, not only providing significant strategic benefit to both nations, but also contributing to the peace and stability of the international community.

Carnegie hosted a day-long conference with a diverse group of specialists to consider the nexus of policy, strategy, and grassroots activism that has brought about U.S.-Japan reconciliation, as well as its implications around the world .

This event was cosponsored by the Japan Institute of International Affairs

Agenda

10:00 to 10:20 a.m.

Welcome

Douglas H. Paal, Yoshiji Nogami

10:20 to 10:30 a.m.

The Challenge and Opportunity of Historical Reconciliation

Representative Niki Tsongas (D-MA) - By video

10:30 to 10:45 a.m.

Break

10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

U.S.-Japan Historical Reconciliation

Michael Auslin, Jennifer Lind, Toshihiro Nakayama, James L. Schoff

12:15 to 1:00 p.m.

Networking Luncheon

1:00 to 2:15 p.m.

Keynote Address

Michael H. Armacost, Gerald L. Curtis

2:15 to 3:45 p.m.

U.S.-Japan Historical Reconciliation in a Global Context

Thomas Berger, Rohan Mukherjee, Keiko Iizuka, Koichi Ai

Participants

Representative Niki Tsongas

Representative Niki Tsongas represents the Massachusetts Third District. She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in a 2007 special election, becoming the first woman in twenty-five years to serve in Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Michael H. Armacost

Michael H. Armacost is Shorenstein APARC fellow at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. He previously served as the president of the Brookings Institution, undersecretary of State at the U.S. Department of State, and as ambassador to Japan and the Philippines.

Gerald L. Curtis

Gerald L. Curtis is Burgess professor emeritus of political science at Columbia University and concurrently distinguished research fellow at the Tokyo Foundation. He previously served as director of Columbia’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute.

Yoshiji Nogami

Yoshiji Nogami is president of the Japan Institute of International Affairs. He previously served as vice minister of foreign affairs for Japan, and was Japan's ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2008.

Douglas H. Paal

Douglas H. Paal is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.

Michael R. Auslin

Michael Auslin is the inaugural Williams-Griffis fellow in contemporary Asia at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 

Jennifer Lind

Jennifer Lind is an associate professor of government at Dartmouth College and a faculty associate at the Reischauer Center of Japanese Studies at Harvard University.

Toshihiro Nakayama

Toshihiro Nakayama is a professor of American politics and foreign policy at Keio University and an adjunct fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs

James L. Schoff

James L. Schoff is is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program. His research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations and regional engagement, Japanese politics and security, and the private sector’s role in Japanese policymaking.

Thomas Berger

Thomas Berger is a professor of international relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He joined Boston University in 2001 after having taught for seven years at the Johns Hopkins University.

Rohan Mukherjee

Rohan Mukherjee is an assistant professor of political science at Yale-NUS College in Singapore with a joint appointment (by courtesy) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He previously served as a Stanton nuclear security fellow at the MIT security studies program.

Keiko Iizuka

Keiko Iizuka is an editorialist and senior political writer for the Yomiuri Shimbun. She previously served as Yomiuri's Washington bureau chief, and was a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Koichi Ai

Koichi Ai is acting director general at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. He previously served in Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as counsel for Treaties Negotiation, director for Ocean Affairs, and director of Policy Planning.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Niki Tsongas

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas represents the Massachusetts Third District. She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in a 2007 special election, becoming the first woman in twenty-five years to serve in Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Michael H. Armacost

Michael H. Armacost is Shorenstein APARC fellow at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. He previously served as the president of the Brookings Institution, undersecretary of State at the U.S. Department of State, and as ambassador to Japan and the Philippines.

Gerald L. Curtis

Gerald L. Curtis is Burgess professor emeritus of political science at Columbia University and concurrently distinguished research fellow at the Tokyo Foundation. He previously served as director of Columbia’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute.

Yoshiji Nogami

Yoshiji Nogami is president of the Japan Institute of International Affairs. He previously served as vice minister of foreign affairs for Japan, and was Japan's ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2008.

Douglas H. Paal

Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program

Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.

James L. Schoff

Senior Fellow, Asia Program

James L. Schoff was a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program. His research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations and regional engagement, Japanese technology innovation, and regional trade and security dynamics.