Busy Monday

DOMESTIC FOREIGN POLICY DEBATES: WORLDVIEWS OF RISING POWERS. 4/25, 9:00am-6:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Sigur Center, George Washington University (GWU). Speakers: Evan Medeiros, Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council; Professor David Shambaugh (GWU); David Lampton, Johns Hopkins University; Michael Schiffer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia; Professors Richard Samuels (MIT); Narushige Michishita, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Japan; Sheila A. Smith, Council on Foreign Relations; Robert O. Blake Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs; Professors Deepa Ollapally (GWU); Rajesh Rajagopalan, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Daniel Markey, Council on Foreign Relations; Walter Russell Mead, James Clarke Chace, Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities, Bard College, Editor-at-Large of The American Interest magazine; Jim Hoagland, Washington Post; Andrew Kuchins, Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS; Igor Zevelev, Director, Moscow Office, MacArthur Foundation; Thomas Graham, Kissinger & Associates; Barbara Slavin, The Atlantic Council; Professor Farideh Farhi, Affiliate Graduate Faculty, University of Hawai'i-Manoa; Gary Sick, Columbia University; Professors Henry R. Nau, GWU; Deepa Ollapally, GWU; Thomas R. Pickering, Hills and Company and Career Ambassador; David Sanger, New York Times.

THE ORIGINS OF POLITICAL ORDER: FROM PREHUMAN TIMES TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 4/25, 12:30-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsors: SAIS, Johns Hopkins University; American Interest. Speakers: Fukuyama, a senior fellow, SAIS Foreign Policy Institute; Olivier Nomellini, Senior Fellow, Stanford University.

YAKUZA INFLUENCE ON THE JAPANESE FINANCIAL SECTOR: SECURITY AND SOLVENCY IN JAPAN. 4/25, 3:30-5:30pm, Arlington, VA. Sponsor: Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC), George Mason University. Speaker: Grant Newsham, spent the last decade in Tokyo assisting a major Western financial services firm address issues related to Japanese organized crime groups and other transnational criminals.

Tea for Tohoku

CHANOYU 

An Introduction to the Japanese Tea Ceremony

Chado Urasenke Tankokai Washington DC Association 

and 

Japan-America Society of Washington you DC invite you to 

Friday, April 22, 2011 

Noon - 2:00PM 

1819 L Street, NW, 2nd floor

Washington, DC 

$10 (Please pay at the door by cash or check payable to Urasenke Association) 

All proceeds will be donated to CARE FOR JAPAN, a fund established by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA for the Great Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami relief efforts 

Japan related items, including beautiful handmade origami boxes and pottery will be for sale

Contemporary Buddhist Artwork

Peace & Unity: Contemporary Buddhist Artwork

by

Ms. Park Soo Youl

Public Opening Reception and Artist Introduction


Monday, April 18, 2011
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Korean Cultural Center, Embassy of the Republic of Korea
2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington DC 20008

Painting with crushed pearl and precious stone, melted gold and silver, artist Park Soo Youl draws on training in traditional Korean Buddhist artwork and philosophy to create radiant works of contemporary art that are at once eye-catching and quietly meditative. Her artwork strives to distill the elegant lines of nature and the empty spaces between to reflect on Buddhist teachings and principles of inner calm, peace, and a heart unified with one’s surroundings.Through the use of natural materials and colors on a silk canvas, the resulting visuals lend a deep shimmering spirituality to everyday scenes of nature.

The Korean Cultural Center at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea is proud to present to American audiences this solo exhibition of 25 pieces, including a selection of Park’s traditionalBuddhist religious works.

The April 18 opening reception at the Korean Cultural Center will include a short presentation by the artist on the Buddhist philosophy and versatile painting techniques behind her unique art style. A light Korean reception will be served following the presentation. Park is currently the owner of OM Gallery in Seoul and an alumnus of the Dongguk University Graduate School of Buddhist Culture and Fine Arts.

RSVP Required

This exhibition will remain on display for just one week, through Friday, April 22. The Korean Cultural Center is open to the public from 9 am to 5:30 pm every weekday (closed 12 – 1:30pm daily).

Last minute Friday

CHINESE CYBER-ATTACKS 4/15 -12:00 pm,2172 Rayburn House Office Building. House Foreign Affairs Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on "Communist Chinese Cyber-Attacks, Cyber-Espionage and Theft of American Technology."Witnesses: Pat Choate, director of the Manufacturing Policy Project; Richard Fisher, senior fellow of Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center; Edward Timperlake, former director of technology assessment and international technology security in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; and Adam Segal, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

PREVENING DISASTER AFER MARCH 11: RISING TO THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE. 4/15, 6:15pm-7:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsors: Japanese Ministry of Finance and the World Bank . Speakers: Rintaro Tamaki, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, Japan; Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Managing Director of the World Bank; and Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. In addition to a short presentation highlighting the findings from the recent World Bank-UN Report Natural Hazards, Unnatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention, high-level representatives from Australia, Ethiopia (tbc), Japan, Pakistan (tbc) and Philippines will participate in a panel discussion to showcase the lessons learned from recent disasters around the world—including Japan’s experience. Closing remarks will be provided by Inger Andersen, Vice President and Head of Network, Sustainable Development, the World Bank. Location: The World Bank, MC 2-800. Contact: Space is Limited. Please RSVP with subject line "Preventing Disasters" to cseki@worldbank.org. Please include your name, affiliation, and contact information. Visitor passes can be picked up at MC building visitor entrance on 18th St. NW.

This week in Washington

LAUNCH OF THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK'S FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION, ASIAN DEVELOPMENT OUTLOOK 2011. 4/13. 3:00-5:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsors: Asian Development Bank, Asia Society Washington Center, and the Wilson Center's Asia Program. Speaker: Changyong Rhee, Asian Development Bank’s newly-appointed Chief Economist. By invitation only but webcast.

CHINA’S FOREIGN POLICY: CHALLENGES AND PLAYERS. 4/13, 8:40am-3:05pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Speakers: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA); Mr. Daniel Kritenbrink, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Mr. David Helvey, Principal Director for East Asia Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Mr. Andrew Small, Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund; Dr. J. Peter Pham, Director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Atlantic Council; Dr. Alan M. Wachman, Associate Professor of International Politics, Tufts University; Dr. John W. Garver, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology; Dr. Victor Cha, Director of Asian Studies, Georgetown University; Dr. Richard Weitz, Director of the Center for Military-Political Analysis, Hudson Institute; Dr. Yu-wen Julie Chen, Visiting Scholar, University of Virginia; Dr. Erica S. Downs, Fellow, Brookings Institution; Ms. Susan V. Lawrence, Analyst in Asian Affairs, Congressional Research Service.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS. 4/13, 11:30am-12:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: United Nations Association of the National Capital Area’s Sustainable Development Committee. Speakers: Anita van Breda: Director, Humanitarian Partnerships at World Wildlife Fund; Marion Pratt: Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Social Science Advisor; Stephanie Fritz Savolaine: U.S. Forest Service, Assistant Director for International Programs Disaster Assistance Support Program (DASP); Joseph Ashmore: Independent consultant, co-compiler, illustrator, and author of the UNOCHA, IFRC and CARE International supported booklet "Timber as a construction material in humanitarian emergencies"; Mary Beth Brennan: Acting East Asia and Pacific Regional Coordinator, Office of Disaster Assistance, USAID. 

THE U.S.-INDIA STRATEGIC DIALOGUE: PRIORITIES AND NEXT STEPS. 4/13, 3:00-4:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsors: CSIS; Wadhwani Chair in US–India Policy Studies; CII. Speakers: Ambassador Ronen Sen, Former Ambassador of India to the United States; Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee. Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry; Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Company, Ltd., India; Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth, Senior Advisor and Wadhwani Chair, CSIS.

GREEN FINANCE IN KOREA AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT. 4/13, 10:00am-Noon, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Korean Economic Institute. Speakers: Dr. Hyoung-Tae Kim,President, Korea Capital Market Institute; Dr. Young-Tae Kim, Transportation Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Korea; Dr. Debra Lynn Perry, Principal Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation; Mr. William F. (Bill) Tyndall, Senior Vice President, Federal Government and Regulatory Affairs, Duke Energy.

DEMOCRACY IN ASIA. 4/14, 10:00-11:00am, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Southeast Asia Program, CSIS. Speakers: Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Leader of the People’s Justice Party and Former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia; Ernest Z. Bower, Senior Advisor & Director, Southeast Asia Program.

IDENTITY AND RISING ASIAN POWERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION. 4/14, Noon-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsors: Sigur Center for Asian Studies; MacArthur Foundation. Speakers: Allen Carlson, Associate Professor of Government, Cornell University; Mike Mochizuki, Associate Dean for Academic Programs & Associate Professor of Political Science & International Affairs, The George Washington University; Deepa Ollapally, Associate Director, Sigur Center for Asian Studies; Shawn McHale, Director, Sigur Center for Asian Studies.

CONFUCIANISM IN CHINA TODAY. 4/14, Noon-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown U. Speaker: Yi Liu, postdoctoral fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.

IT'S A DISASTER

THE GREAT EASTERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE AND THE US-JAPAN ALLIANCE: PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT. 4/5, 2:30-4:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Stimson Center. Speakers: Brian Finlay, Stimson Center; Taku Ishikawa, National Defense Academy of Japan; Jane Nakano, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Heigo Sato, Takushoku University; Yuki Tatsumi, Stimson Center.

JAPAN'S EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI: DIMENSIONS OF THE DISASTER AND FUTURE PROSPECTS. 4/5, 6:30-8:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: SAIS. Speakers: Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki; Jessica Einhorn, dean of SAIS; Capt. David Barlow; Hironori Kawauchi, senior economist, East Asian and Pacific Region of the World Bank; Ryo Tsuzukihasi, Japanese SAIS graduate student; Kent Calder, director of the Reischauer Center.

U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND/U.S. FORCES KOREA BUDGETS
4/6 - 10:00am, 2118 Rayburn House Office Building. House Armed Services Committee full committee hearing on the FY2012 national defense authorization budget requests from the U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea, including military efforts to support the humanitarian relief efforts in Japan. Witnesses: Navy Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; Army Gen. Walter Sharp, commander, U.S. Forces Korea.

RESPONDING TO DISASTERS: MYTHS, MISTAKES, AND RECOVERY. 4/6, 3:00-5:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Wilson Center. Speakers: Frederick Burkle, senior public policy scholar, WWC; Leonard Doyle, International Organization for Migration; Arif Hasan, chairman and founder, Urban Resource Centre of Karachi, Pakistan; Elaine Ubalijoro, adjunct professor of practice for public-private sector partnerships, Centre for Developing-Area Studies at McGill University.

DISASTER AND POLITICS: JAPAN AFTER MARCH 11. 4/6, 10:30am-Noon, Washington, DC. Sponsor: US-Japan Research Institute. Speakers: Dr. Akihiko Tanaka Vice Chair, USJI Executive Vice President, The University of Tokyo; Dr. Michael Auslin, AEI; Dr. Andrew Oros, Washington College.

LEGAL AND POLICY PERSPECTIVES ON THE JAPANESE CRISIS. 4/6, 6:00-7:30pm, New York, NY. Sponsors: Center on Japanese Economy and Business at Columbia University; Center for Japanese Legal Studies; "NHK" (Nihonho Kenkyukai) Student Organization; Columbia Law School. Speakers: Masayoshi Arai, Special Advisor, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan, and Director, Japan External Trade Organization, New York; Michael Gerrard, Professor, Professional Practice in Law, and Director, Center on Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School; Curtis J. Milhaupt, Fuyo Professor, Japanese Law, and Parker Professor, Comparative Corporate Law at Columbia Law School; Hajime Matsuura, Senior Columnist, Sankei Shimbun.

ASSESSING U.S. EARTHQUAKE RISK REDUCTION
4/7 - 10:00am, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. Technology and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on "Are We Prepared? Assessing Earthquake Risk Reduction in the United States." Witnesses: Dr. Jack Hayes, Director, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program(NEHRP), National Institute of Standards and Technology; Mr. Jim Mullen, Director, Washington State Emergency Management Division; President, National Emergency Management Association; Mr. Chris Poland, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Degenkolb Engineers; Chairman, NEHRP Advisory Committee; Dr. Vicki McConnell, Oregon State Geologist and Director, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

JAPAN’S NUCLEAR CRISIS: AN UPDATE AND NEW PERSPECTIVES. 4/7, 3:30-5:00pm, Stanford, CA. Sponsor: Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University. Speakers: Chaim Braun, Consulting Professor, CISAC; Edward Blandford, Postdoctoral Fellow, CISAC; Charles Perrow, Visiting Professor, CISAC; Professor Emeritus, Sociology, Yale University; Lynn Eden, Senior Research Scholar & Associate Director for Research, CISAC.

NUCLEAR SAFETY AFTER FUKUSHIMA. 4/7, 2:00pm-5:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Moderator: Ms. Sharon Squassoni, Director, CSIS Proliferation Prevention Program; Mr. Alex Flint, Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute; Ms. Ellen Vancko, Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Project Manager, Union of Concerned Scientists; Mr. Mark Holt, Specialist in Energy Policy, Congressional Research Service; Dr. Olli Heinonen, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; Mr. Carlton Stoiber, Chair of the Nuclear Security Working Group, International Nuclear Law Association; Ms. Carol Kessler, Chair of the Nonproliferation and National Security Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) (F.R. Page 16457) holds a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, April 7-8.