US-Japan Research Institute Week

I. Cyber Security in East Asia and Policy Cooperation between Japan and  the United States 

 September 8, Wednesday, 10:30am-Noon

 
Venue　Ambassador Room, Hilton Washington Embassy Row, Washington, D.C.

                2015 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC, DC 20036

Moderator: Dr. Motohiro Tsuchiya, Associate Professor, Keio University

Panelist: Mr. David Hoffman , Director of Security Policy and Global Privacy Officer, Intel  Corporation

                  Dr. Lance J. Hoffman , Distinguished Research Professor, The George Washington University
                   Mr. Tomohiko Yamakawa , Producer of NTT Corporation, Cyber Security Project,
                   Research and Development Planning Department

Commentator: Mr. Greg Nojeim , Senior Counsel and Director, Center for Democracy and Technology

Topic:

On the Independence Day of the United States in 2009 cyber attacks in a massive scale against major web sites broke out without warning. Soon thereafter, similar attacks began in South Korea and they continued in a wavelike fashion. Experts found that these attacks were conducted by the same group, but could not find who they were. As Japan maintains close relationships with both the United States and South Korea, these attacks made the Japanese government realize seriousness of emerging threats in cyberspace. In this session, they will discuss possible defense methods against cyber attacks, which are expected to increase in number in the near future, and necessary policy cooperation and coordination between Japan and the United States.

II.  How the LDP Was Defeated in 2009 and How the DPJ was Defeated in 2010 in Japan? 

September 8, Wednesday, 3:00-4:30pm

 
Venue　Ambassador Room, Hilton Washington Embassy Row, Washington, D.C.

                2015 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC, DC 20036

Moderator & Panelist: Dr. Aiji Tanaka, USJI Operating Adviser, Professor, Waseda University

Panelist: Dr. Michael A. Bailey, Professor, Georgetown University
                  Mr. Fred Hiatt, Editorial Page Editor, The Washington Post

Topic:

In this short presentation, Prof. Aiji Tanaka is going to point out the following characteristics of Japanese voters in recent national elections. First, some macro data of the voters in Japan suggest that those unorganized voters who turned out to vote for the LDP led by Koizumi in 2005 were approximately the same unorganized voters who made the DPJ led by Hatoyama in 2009. Second, their public opinion data (Yomiuri Newspaper and Waseda University collaborated a series of nation-wide public opinion surveys from October 2008 through June 2010) show how disappointed those Japanese voters who supported the DPJ in 2009 were at the DPJ in 2010. Third, the same public opinion data also suggest how those unorganized voters felt toward the LDP, and suggest little possibility that the LDP may come back to the government.

III. Commitment to Development Index: Its Meaningfulness and Policy Implications

 September 9, Thursday, 10:30am-Noon

 
Venue　Ambassador Room, Hilton Washington Embassy Row, Washington, D.C.

                2015 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC, DC 20036

Moderator: Dr. Yoshiaki Abe, USJI Operating Adviser, Professor, Waseda University
Main Speaker: Mr. David Roodman, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development
Panelist: Mr. Hiroto Arakawa, Senior Special Advisor, Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA

Topic:

The annually prepared index from 2003, the Commitment to Development Index, rates 22 rich countries on how their foreign aid, trade and other policies help or hurt development efforts of the developing countries. Japan US have been rated low. The key points are related to how to quantify various policies and how to weigh different policy execution.

IV.  The Partisanship and Bipartisanship in Contemporary US Politics
September 9, Thursday, 3:00-5:00pm

 


Venue　Ambassador Room, Hilton Washington Embassy Row, Washington, D.C.

                2015 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC, DC 20036

Moderator: Dr. Fumiaki Kubo, USJI Operating Adviser, Professor, the University of Tokyo

Lecturers:

Ms. Ayako Hiramatsu, Ph.D Student, the Johns Hopkins University      Presentation "Ideology Caucuses in the House of Representatives" Mr. Rentaro Iida, Ph.D Candidate, Georgetown University      Presentation "Interest Groups, Polarization, and the Structure of Abortion Debate" Dr. Kazuyuki Sugawara, Associate Professor, Kushiro Public University of Economics     Presentation "Did President Obama's Appointments Overcome Ideological     Differences?" Mr. Takeshi Umekawa, Fox International Fellow, Yale University      Presentation "Presidential Signing Statement and Conservative lawyers"

Commentator: Dr. Shoko Kiyohara, Lecturer, Meiji University
                       Dr. Clyde Wilcox, Professor, Georgetown University

Topic:

The ideological polarization is one of the most noteworthy features of contemporary American politics. At the same time, we should not ignore some of the real and earnest efforts to regain or pursue bipartisanship even in this hyper-partisan atmosphere, especially on such issues as foreign policy, fiscal policy, social security, or health care reform. In this perspective, four research designs and preliminary results will be presented on various topics ranging from Presidency, Congressional Caucus, to interest groups.

This seminar will be held as a midterm presentation of USJI research project.