Monday in Washington September 30, 2013

INFRASTRUCTURE 2.0: INVESTING IN THE TECHNOLOGY OF TOMORROW. 9/30, 8:00 am -Noon, Washington, DC. Sponsors: AEI; Third Way; The Atlantic. Speakers: Coral Davenport, Energy and Environment Correspondent, National Journal; Dan Utech, Deputy Director for Energy and Climate Change, Domestic Policy Council, The White House; Eric Rohlfing, Deputy Director for Technology, ARPA-E; Janet Kavinoky, Executive Director, Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Jim Hunter, Utilities Director, IBEW; John Delaney, D- MD, United States Congressman; Lisa Wood, Executive Director, IEE; Ralph Cavanagh, Senior Attorney and Co-Director, Energy & Transportation Program, NRDC; Rick Boucher, Head of Government Strategies Group, Sidley Austin, LLP; Ron DeFeo, Chairman & CEO, Terex Corporation; Ronald Brownstein, Editorial Director, National Journal; Spencer Abraham, Former Secretary of Energy, U. S. Department of Energy; Steve Clemons, Editor-in-Chief, AtlanticLIVE, and Washington Editor-at-Large, The Atlantic.

THE US AND JAPANESE ECONOMIES, THE CURRENT STATE OF THE GLOBAL AUTO INDUSTRY AND THE CHALLENGES TOYOTA HAS CONFRONTED AND OVERCOME IN RECENT YEARS. 9/30, 7:50-9:15am. Sponsor: The Economic Club. Speaker: Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board, Toyota Motor Corporation.

J STREET NATIONAL CONFERENCES. 9/30, 9:00am-10:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: J Street. Speakers: Meir Javedanfar, Professor of Contemporary Iranian Politics, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya; Ken Pollack, Senior Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings; Koby Huberman, CEO, Strategic Landscapes Ltd.; MK Meir Sheetrit, Hatnuah Party; David Eichenbaum, Political Consultant, Struble Eichenbaum Communications; Danny Seidemann, Founder and Director, Terrestrial Jerusalem; Noam Sheizaf, Journalist, +972 Magazine; Rabbi Amy Small; MK Ruth Calderon, Yesh Atid Party; Robi Damelin, Director of International Relations, The Parents Circle; MK Merav Michaeli, Labor Party; Yael Patir, Director of Israel Programs, J Street; Kate Press, J Street; Jessica Rosenblum, J Street; Bernard Avishai, Professor of Business and Politics, Hebrew University and Dartmouth College; Oded Eran, Senior Researcher, Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv; Nader Khateeb, Palestinian Director, EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East; MK Zehava Galon, Chairwoman, Meretz Party; Tim Kaine, United States Senator, Virginia; Joe Biden, Vice President of the US; Danielle Leshaw, Rabbi and Director, Hillel at Ohio University; Leonard Saxe, Klutznick Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Social Policy, Brandeis University; Alex Sinclair, Director of Programs in Israel Education, Jewish Theological Seminary; Harpo Jaeger, Student, Brown University; Bashar Azzeh, Chief Executive Officer, Jerusalem Business Forum; Bassam Aramin, Director of International Relations, The Parents Circle; Riman Barakat, Co-CEO, Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information; MK Tzachi Hanegbi, Likud Party; Aaron David Miller, Vice President, New Initiatives, Wilson Center; Tamara Cofman Wittes, Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings; Jim Gerstein, Founding Partner, Gerstein | Bocian | Agne Strategies; Jan Schakowsky, United States Congresswoman, IL-09; Sarah Wildman, Visiting Scholar, International Reporting Project, SAIS; Gerry Connolly, US Congressman, VA-11; Tammy Duckworth, Congresswoman, IL-08; Jared Polis, Congressman, CO-02; Peter Welch, Congressman, VT-AL; Bridget Todd, New Organizing Institute; Alana Alpert, Co-Director, Project Hayei Sarah; Bassam Aramin, Director of International Relations, The Parents Circle; Robi Damelin, Director of International Relations, The Parents Circle; Donna Edwards, Congresswoman, MD-04; Les Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations; Nancy R. Bagley, President, Arca Foundation, Editor-in-Chief, Washington Life Magazine; Morton H. Halperin, Senior Advisor, Open Society Foundations.

REFORM UNDER ROUHANI: ASSESSING POSITIVE CHANGE IN IRAN. 9/30, 9:00-10:30am. Sponsors: Stimson Center; Heinrich Boll Foundation North America. Speakers: Ramin Asgard, Former US Diplomat, Former Director, State Department's Iran office in Dubai; Arash Ghafouri, 2013 Presidential Election Candidates’ Consultant.

EXPANDING THE US-INDIA DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP. 9/30, 10:00-11:00am. Sponsor: Center for American Progress (CAP). Speakers: Ashton Carter, Deputy Secretary of Defense; Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IN THE NEAR TERM: EXPECTATIONS, CONCERNS, AND OPPORTUNITIES. 9/30, Noon-1:15pm Sponsor: Environmental Law Institute (ELI). Speakers: Elliot Diringer, Executive Vice President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions; Jennifer A. Smokelin, Counsel, Reed Smith LLP; Dan Utech, Deputy Director, Energy and Climate Change, White House Domestic Policy Council.

PUTIN VS CIVIL SOCIETY. 9/30, Noon-2:00pm, Lunch. Sponsors: National Endowment for Democracy (NED); George Washington University (GWU). Speakers: Leon Aron, AEI; Miriam Lanskoy, NED; Robert Orttung, GWU.

THE US AND THE BALTICS: ENERGY, RUSSIA AND NATO. 9/30, Noon-2:20pm. Sponsor: Women’s Foreign Policy Group. Speaker: H.E. Deborah A. McCarthy, Ambassador of the United States to Lithuania.


IMPLOSION: THE END OF RUSSIA AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR AMERICA. 9/30, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Heritage. Speakers: Author Ilan Berman; John Edward Hilboldt, Director, Lectures & Seminars, Heritage.

THE CHINA-RUSSIA REVERSAL. 9/30, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Kennan Institute, Wilson Center. Speaker: Harley D. Balzer, Former Title VIII-Supported Research Scholar, Kennan Institute, Associate Professor of Government and International Affairs, Georgetown University.

ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION: EVIDENCE FROM THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR DISASTER. 9/30, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: Center for Global Development (CGD). Speakers: Hiroaki Matsuura, Departmental Lecturer, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford; Victoria Fan, Research Fellow, CGD.

THE US-RUSSIA RELATIONSHIP: TRANSCENDING MUTUAL DETERRENCE. 9/30, 2:00-3:30pm. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Gary Samore, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, Arms Control Initiative; William Tobey, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

FILM DIPLOMACY: A WIN-WIN FOR US-CHINA RELATIONS (THE IRONMAN 3 STORY). 9/30, 2:00-3:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: US-Asia Institute. Speaker: Chris Fenton, President, DMG Entertainment Motion Picture Group & General Manager, DMG North America.

A CONVERSATION WITH CATHERINE ASHTON. 9/30, 3:00-4:00pm. Sponsor: Global Europe Center, Wilson Center. Speakers: Catherine Ashton, High Representative, European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; Jane Harman, President and CEO, Wilson Center.

ANTI-CORRUPTION FAILURES AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMS: A FRESH ASSESSMENT. 9/30, 3:30-5:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Hills Program on Governance, CSIS. Speakers: Michael Johnston, Professor of Political Science, Colgate University; Ronald Goldstock, NY Commissioner, Waterfront Commission of NY Harbor; Nancy Boswell, Director, US & International Anti-Corruption Law Program, AU Washington College of Law.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule September 2-8, 2013

September 2, 2013 (Mon)

AM

09:19 Office

09:28 Practice presentation for International Olympic Committee general assembly

10:18 Sekou, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Saiki, Administrative Vice Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs; Kubo, Sports Youth Bureau Director General, Ministry of Education etc.

10:43 Sekou and Kubo leave

10:44 Hiramatsu, MoFA Foreign Policy Bureau Director General; Miyakawa, MoFA Middle East African Affairs Director General; and Matsutomi, MoFA Intelligence and Analysis Service Director join

11:09 All leave

11:16 Present the Prime Minister's Commendation to Contributors for Disaster Prevention for FY2013

11:29 Take Photo with the contributors

11:35 Motegi, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; Ueda, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Director; Shunichi Tanaka, Chair of Nuclear Regulatory Committee

PM

12:04 Government, Ruling Party Liaison meeting

01:05 Suga, Kato, Sekou, and Sugita; Chief and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries

01:25 Suga leaves

01:33 All leave

01:34 Yamamoto, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy

01:50 Inada, Administrative Reform Minister

02:18 Courtesy Call from a Delegation led by the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dana Rohrabacher

03:33 Video recording for APEC

03:56 LDP Headquarters

03:57 Give recommendation certificate to Okayama City Mayoral Election candidate

04:00 LDP National Secretary Generals Assembly

04:18 Office

04:31 Sugawara, Economy and Industry Policy Bureau Director General, METI

05:02 Industrial Competitiveness Council

06:19 LDP National Secretary Generals Assembly reception, City Center Hotel, Hirakawa Cho

06:58 Dinner with Yoshiyuki Kasai, JR Central Board Chair; Shigetaka Komori, Fuji Film Holdings Board Chair; Akimitsu Ashida, Shosen Mitsui Board Chair; and Masami Iijima, Mitsui, Co. President

09:16 Home in Tomigaya

September 3, 2013 (Tue)

AM

08:53 Office

09:30 Conference call with President Obama

10:06 Ministerial meeting

10:25 Joint Meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters and the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Council

10:50 Courtesy Call from United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and others

11:32 Courtesy Call from Members of the Wise-men Group on the Japan-Brazil Strategic Economic Partnership

 11:48 Amari, Minister for TPP; Tsuruoka, Chief Negotiator of TPP Headquarters; Sasaki, Domestic Coordinator

PM

12:16 Ishiba, LDP Secretary General

01:16 Mochizuki, LDP Administrative Reform Promotion Director

01:36 Onodera, Defense Minister; Tokuchi, MoD Policy Bureau Director General; Kouno, Maritime Self Defense Force Chief of Staff

 01:55 Kinoshita, Administrative Vice Finance Minister; Furusawa, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs; and Yamazaki, MoF International Affairs Bureau Director General

02:10 Aso, Finance Minister; Amari, Minister of Economic Revitalization; Matsumoto, Administrative Vice Minister of Cabinet Office; and Kinoshita, Administrative Vice Finance Minister

03:01 Matsumoto and Kinoshita leave

03:37 Amari leaves

03:45 Aso leaves

03:46 Kitamura, Cabinet Office Intelligence Director; and Kinomura, MoD Head of Intelligence Headquarters

03:50 Kinomura leaves

04:13 Kitamura leaves

04:14 Saiki, Administrative Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Sugiyama, Deputy Foreign Minsiter

04:58 Sugiyama; Ishiguro, Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; and Yamazaki, MoF International Affairs Bureau Director General

05:33 Motegi, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; Amari, Minister of Economic Revitalization; and Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary

06:25 Interview with NHK

08:40 Home in Tomigaya

September 4, 2013 (Wed)

AM

09:30 Office

09:37 Kitamura, Cabinet Intelligence Director

 09:40 Yamaguchi, President of New Komei Party

10:37 Press interview

10:59 Haneda Airport

11:27 Leave the airport for G20 Summit in St. Petersburg

(Local time September 4) PM

Arrive at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg

Park Inn Pulkovskaya; talk with the press

Conference call with Prime Minister Cameron of UK

September 5, 2013 (Thu)

G20 St. Petersburg Summit

September 6, 2013 (Fri)

(Local Time September 5 )PM

Meeting with President Putin, then President Obama

Standing meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping

Standing meeting with Korean President Park Jonghee

Dinner party

Leave St.Petersburg Pulkovo Airport for IOC general assembly in Argentina

(Local Time September 6 )AM

Arrive at Boston Logan Airport for fueling

September 7, 2013 (Sat)

First Day of the Prime Minister's Attendance at the 125th IOC Session

September 8, 2013 (Sun)

Second Day of the Prime Minister's Attendance at the 125th IOC Session

Requiescat in pace

KIM J. WILLENSON, a former Asia Policy Point Board Member, passed away on September 24, 2013 at the Virginia Hospital Center, surrounded by his family who loved him dearly. He was a veteran journalist who worked in Vietnam and Japan for Newsweek and was the author of the 1988 book, The Bad War: An Oral History of the Vietnam War. He was editor and publisher during the 1990s of the seminal Japan Digest, which made Japanese news accessible and understandable to the American policy community. He set the standard for reporting on Japan.

A farewell gathering will be held at 1:30 pm, Sunday, September 29 at the National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042. The meeting will be followed by a graveside ceremony at the adjacent grounds of the National Memorial Park/King David Memorial Gardens. Reception following at funeral home. His friends are welcome to make remarks at the gathering or to leave comments HERE.

Caroline Kennedy: a Perfect Choice as Ambassador to Japan

By William Brooks, APP Senior Fellow, Adjunct Professor, SAIS Johns Hopkins
This essay first appeared in the Monday, September 30th edition of the Asia Policy Calendar.

Forget any brickbats in the media: Caroline Kennedy is a wonderful choice to be the new U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Japan, like Britain, has become a key ally and friend of the United States; and Tokyo has become like London a leading cosmopolitan city. It is a logical place for a U.S. President to award a distinguished ambassadorial post to a close supporter and confidante. Unlike her grandfather, Joseph P. Kennedy, the U.S. Ambassador in London during The Blitz (1940), she will enjoy the trust of the President.

Ambassador Caroline Kennedy can be expected to bring traditional diplomacy to Japan. Until now, this highly social and elegant form of statesmanship seemed more appropriate for European capitals than for Asian ones. The famous Kennedy name and the new ambassador’s personal credentials will be a tremendous boost for this kind of American-style public diplomacy. Moreover, the new ambassador will have the ear of the President, as well as the Secretary of State – extremely important for a Japan that often has seemed off the radar for Washington policymakers.

The new ambassador’s priorities will obviously include developing close personal relations with Japan’s movers and shakers in the political, government, educational and cultural sectors, as well as nurturing the already friendly ties between the two peoples. She can build on the good work that her predecessor Ambassador John Roos began under the Operation Tomodachi initiative.

In recent years, the Japanese and American societies seem to be growing somewhat distant from each other, not surprising perhaps in an environment in which pressing global issues crowd out the diplomatic and security agendas for East Asia, and given the already short attention span of the media. Indeed, the growing lack of American media interest in Japan can be charted by the scarcity of news articles and journalism, the dwindling number of Japanese students in the U.S. and vice versa, and even the waning presence of Japanese business representatives in the U.S.

The new Ambassador must not only find suitable sparring partners with important opinion leaders, but also expand efforts of the previous ambassador, also initially seen as an “amateur” to diplomacy and things Japanese, to deepen and broaden ties from the grass-roots level up. Despite being a fast read, the new ambassador will most likely need some time to learn the essentials about dealing with Japan and its bilateral issues, but she will have on hand an expert staff of diplomats and advisers who can guide her through her first months in office.

She will need to reach out quickly to the Japanese public through speeches, op-eds, and the usual array of meetings, receptions, and soirees with Tokyo’s elite. She should also get out and see the country, meeting average Japanese at every opportunity and taking advantage of Japan’s great natural beauty and the many cultural heritages sites. A climb up Mt. Fuji, just declared a World Heritage site, would be a golden opportunity.

Just about every American ambassador who has come to Tokyo sooner or later seems to encounter their own version of baptism by fire: a crisis that tests their management abilities to the core. How an ambassador resolves each crisis can shape the relationship. The famous photo of Ambassador Mike Mansfield bowing deeply in apology to Japanese leaders after a U.S. submarine had fatally collided with a Japanese fishing boat in Tokyo Bay earned the respect of many Japanese.

Ambassador Walter Mondale worked hard to bring to closure a period of great national outrage in Japan over the gang rape of a schoolgirl in Okinawa by setting in motion a mechanism to reduce the U.S. military footprint in that prefecture. Ambassador Tom Foley masterfully dealt with the tragic collision near Hawaii of a U.S. submarine and a Japanese training ship filled with students. Ambassador Howard Baker faced the horror of 9-11 and then the war on terror just after arriving at his new post in Tokyo. Ambassador Jon Roos played a critical role in U.S. efforts to console Japan and mobilize assistance after the triple earthquake disaster struck northern Japan on March 11, 2011.

Not that Ambassador Kennedy will encounter a crisis of like proportions on her watch, but the region is a dangerous place. North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are a direct threat to Japan and American security interests. China’s risky game of military brinksmanship in the waters off the disputed Senkaku Islands make that area a potential flashpoint should an incident or accident occur.

Ambassador Kennedy will be well served by a team of experts and advisers already in place in the U.S. Embassy, and she will be kept well informed of moods and trends in Japan by media watchers in the press section. Some key issues seem now well underway toward resolution, such as Japan as part of a TPP agreement. Others, such as the resolution of U.S. basing in Okinawa, remain open and contentious. These will demand concerted efforts in Washington and Tokyo, and some imagination.

Most important, the Ambassador will have to ensure that democracy flourishes in Japan as the security environment worsens. Unlike her grandfather in embattled Britain, she cannot dismiss democracy as impractical or capitulation as inevitable. She promises to be an ardent defender of human rights, individual liberties, tolerance, and women’s empowerment. A fresh look by the new ambassador and her team at the current state of U.S.-Japan relations that goes beyond the usual defense and security perimeters may be just what is needed.

September 23, 2013

Monday in Washington September 23, 2013

MYANMAR: THE DYNAMICS OF POSITIVE CHANGE. 9/23, 8:30am-5:30pm. Sponsor: Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speakers: Karl Jackson, Director, Asian Studies, SAIS; William Wise, Associate Director, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS; Robert Taylor, Professorial Research Fellow, Institute of South East Asian Studies, Singapore; Andrew Selth, Research Fellow, Griffith University Asia Institute; Matthew Walton, Senior Research Fellow, St Anthony’s College, Oxford; Meredith Weiss, Visiting Associate Professor, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS; Renaud Egreteau, Research Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences; Elliott Prasse-Freeman, Associate Fellow, Carr Center for Human Rights, Harvard; David Steinburg, Visiting Scholar, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS; Kwan Yin Hliang, Myanmar Economic and Social Advisory Council; Ashley South, Australian National University; Lex Rieffel, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings; Tin Maung Maung Than, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore; Christina Fink, Professor, Elliott School, GW; Jurgen Haacke, Senior Lecturer, Department of International Relations, London School of Economics; Yun Sun, Visiting Fellow, Brookings.

PONARS EURASIA POLICY CONFERENCE 2013. 9/23-9/24, 9:00am-1:15pm. Sponsor: Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Speakers: Kimberly Martin; Nikolay Petrov; James Richter; Brian Taylor; Henry Hale; Mikhail Alexseev; Theodore Gerber; Mark Kramer; Oxana Shevel; Elise Giuliano; Serghei Golunov; Paul; Goode; George; Gavrillis; Yulia Nikitina; Polia Sinovets; Mikhail Troitskiy; Cory Welt; Andrey Makarychev; Sergey Markedonov; Robert Orttung; Suifan Zhemukhov; Pavel Baev; Volodymyr Dubovyk; Kornely Kakachia; Sergey Minasyan; Arkady Moshes; Oleksandr Sushko; Juliet Johnson; Andrew Barnes; Adam Stulberg; Samuel Charap; Dmitry Gorenburg; Marlene Laurelle; Eric McGlinchey; Sebastien Peyrouse; Scott Radnitz; Shairbek Juraev.

BROTHERS AT WAR: THE UNENDING CONFLICT IN KOREA. 9/23, 9:30-11:00am, Washington, DC. Sponsors: Cold War International History Project, History and Public Policy Program, and Asia Program of The Wilson Center. Speakers: Author, Sheila Miyoshi Jager, Director, East Asian Program at Oberlin College; Gregg Bazinsky, Author, Nation Building in South Korea and Co-director of George Washington University's Cold War Group.

AFGHANISTAN IN THE POST-KARZAI ERA. 9/23, 10:00-11:15am. Sponsor: Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, Brookings. Speakers: Saad Mohseni, Chief Executive Officer, MOBY Group; Michael O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Brookings.

CLIMATE CHANGE RECONSIDERED: SCIENCE THE UN WILL EXCLUDE FROM ITS NEXT CLIMATE REPORT. 9/23, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Heritage. Speakers: Robert Carter, Paleontologist, Stratigrapher, Marine Geologist, Environmental Scientist; Willie Soon, Editor, New Astronomy; Joseph Bast, President and CEO, Heartland Institute.

3-D PRINTING: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SCIENCE. 9/23, Noon-2:00pm. Sponsor: Center for Science, Technology, and Security Policy, AAAS. Speakers: Michael Hopmeier, Unconventional Concepts Inc.; Rob Carlso, Biodesic; Robert Schouwenburg, Shapeways; Melba Kurman, Triple Helix Innovation.

SHADOW FINANCIAL REGULATORY COMMITTEE. 9/23, Noon–1:30pm. Sponsor: AEI. Speakers: Richard J. Herring, (cochairman), The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania: George G. Kaufman (cochairman), Loyola University Chicago; Marshall Blume, University of Pennsylvania; Kenneth W. Dam, University of Chicago Law School and Brookings Institution; Franklin Edwards, Columbia University; Robert A. Eisenbeis, Cumberland Advisors; Edward Kane, Boston College; Kenneth E. Scott, Stanford Law School; Chester Spatt, Carnegie Mellon University; Peter J. Wallison, AEI.

DISCUSSION WITH YORIKO KAWAGUCHI. 9/23, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (SPFUSA). Speaker: Yoriko Kawaguchi, Visiting Professor, Meiji Institute for Global Affairs, former Foreign Minister of Japan.

AIDING CIVILIANS IN A SECTARIAN CONFLICT: CAN ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA HEAL WITHOUT HARM? 9/23, 2:00-3:30pm. Sponsor: US Relations with the Islamic World, Brookings. Speakers: Abed Ayoub, President, Islamic Relief USA; Mouaz Moustafa, Executive Director, Syrian Emergency Task Force; Maria Stephen, Strategic Planner, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, US State Department.

THE INDONESIAN 2014 ELECTORAL PROCESS: HOW DOES IT WORK? HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE 2014 ELECTION? 9/23, 2:30-4:00pm. Sponsor: US-Indonesia Society (USINDO). Speaker: Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, Assistant Professor, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE: PREVENTING MASS VIOLENCE. 9/23, 5:30-7:00pm. Sponsor: American Foreign Policy, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speakers: Author, David Hamburg, President Emeritus, Carnegie; Terry Hopmann, Director, SAIS Conflict Management Program; Michael Mandelbaum, Director, SAIS American Foreign Policy Program.

*PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. 9/23, 2013, 5:30-07:30pm. Sponsors:  American Society of International Law (ASIL) and Royal Netherlands Embassy. Speakers: Welcome: Ambassador Rudolf Bekink, Royal Netherlands Embassy; Judge Stephen M. Schwebel, International Court of Justice (ret.); Judge Thomas Buergenthal, International Court of Justice (ret.); Moderator: John Bellinger, Arnold & Porter, LLP; former Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule August 26-September 2, 2013

August 26, 2013 (Mon)

Prime Minister's Visit to the State of Kuwait

August 27, 2013 (Tue)

Prime Minister's Visit to the Republic of Djibouti

August 28, 2013 (Wed)
Prime Minister's Visit to the State of Qatar




August 29, 2013 (Thu)

PM
04:13 Arrive at Haneda Airport
53 Imperial palace: report of return
05:21 Haircut at Hair Guest in Shibuya
07:03 Home in Tomigaya

August 30, 2013 (Fri)

AM
09:00 Office
09:05 Deputy Prime Minister Aso; Foreign Minister Kishida; Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga; Senior Vice Minister of Defense Eto
09:36 Ministerial meeting
09:52 Headquarters for Healthcare and Medical Strategy Promotion
10:07 Tatsuya Ito, LDP SME Business Policy Research Council Chief
10:33 Kimura, PM Advisor
10:39 Foreign Minister Kishida; Administrative Vice Foreign Minsiter Saiki; Hiramatsu, MoFA Foreign Policy Bureau Director General; and Miyakawa, MoFA Middle East and African Affairs Bureau Director General
11:00 Miyakawa leaves
11:01 Kouzuki, MoFA European Affairs Director General, joins
11:28 All leave
11:32 Receive a Request from the Council for Promotion of Dezoning and Reutilization of Military Land in Okinawa

PM
12:28 Lunch with Cabinet Office Councilors Hamada and Honda
01:06 Nobufusa Sugita, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
01:26 Amari, Minister of Economic Revitalization; Matsumoto, Administrative Vice Minister of Cabinet Office; and Ishii, Director-General for Policy Planning
01:51 Takayuki Kasai, JR Central Board Chair; Dr. John Hamre, President of CSIS; and Dr. Richard A. Meserve, President of the Carnegie Institution
03:02 Nagamine, Deputy Foreign Minister; Furusawa, Deputy Finance Minister; and Ishiguro, Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry
03:58 Takaichi, LDP Policy Research Council Chief
04:26 Kinoshita, Administrative Vice Minister of Finance; and Tanaka, Tax Bureau Director General, Ministry of Finance
05:11 Aso, Deputy Minister and Finance Minister
05:55 Courtesy Call from the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
07:10 Residence
07:11 Dinner with Kazuhiko Mori, Board Chair of Iida Sangyo; and Masashi Kanei, President
08:34 Both leave

August 31, 2013 (Sat)

AM
08:52 Keio University Hospital; Complete Medical Checkup

PM
03:39 Home in Tomigaya

September 1, 2013 (Sun)

AM
07:48 Office
08:07 Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Drill’s First Emergency Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Headquarters meeting
08:51 Press conference on disaster drill
08:56 Foreign Minsiter Kishdia; Saiki, Administrative Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Hiramatsu; Miyakawa; and Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary
09:51 Leave the office off from the rooftop on SDF helicopter
10:04 Arrive at Soga Sports Park, Chuo Ward, Chiba City; welcomed by Mayor Toshihito Kumagai of Chiba City
10:09 Explanatory session of nine prefectures joint drill by Mayor Kumagai; Shindo, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications; Defense Minister Onodera; Furuya, Minister of State for Disaster Management; and Governor Kensaku Morita of Chiba Prefecture
10:26 Taste rice; experience application of shatterproof film on windows; experience earthquake on earthquake generating vehicle
11:05 Observe the disaster drill
11:25 Make a closing remark
11:38 Press interview
11:45 Leave the park on GSDF helicopter

PM
12:02 Arrive at PM Office Roof Heliport
12:07 Kitamura, Director of Cabinet Intelligence

12:58 Home in Tomigaya

All Quiet in the Blue House

South Korea's New President

All Quiet in the Blue House

September 2, 2013 | by YOUNG-SIM SONG

From the Sustainable Development Indicator's project of the Bertelsmann Stiftung

The Blue House in Seoul, seat of the South Korean president © Jirka Matousek/Flickr

The election of Park Geun-hye as South Korea’s first female president signaled a historic change of governance. Yet, after her first six months in office Ms. Park still needs to translate her words into deeds.

In the perception of many South Koreans it has been rather quiet lately in the Blue House, the official residence of the president located in Seoul. During the first six months of Park Geun-hye’s term of office the biggest event has been a trip to the United States to meet with President Barack Obama. And this trip ended in a disaster clouded by a scandal of sexual harassment.

It is not Ms. Park’s first time in the Blue House. She is the oldest daughter of Park Chung-hee who ruled South Korea as a military dictator from 1961 to 1979. She was born in 1952. After her mother was shot in 1974, she acted as the de facto First Lady. After her father’s death in 1979, Ms. Park stayed away from the public limelight for more than 20 years. In December 2012, the former party head of the major conservative party Saenuri-dang (New Frontier Party) – formerly Hannara-dang (Grand National Party) – was elected as president.

While Park Chung-hee had to fight starvation and try to build up an economy, people nowadays are more concerned with the distribution of wealth than with headline GDP figures. "The popular perception is of a successful country that is stricken with economic inequality, excessive power in the hands of the chaebol conglomerates (family-owned business conglomerates), and a lack of decent jobs for young graduates", writes the Economist after the inauguration on February 25, 2013.

Before the general’s daughter was elected as president she promised to fight these problems and expand the welfare state. She spoke of "a new era of happiness" for South Korea. When she was sworn in, Ms. Park also assured a tough stance on national security, saying that she would "not tolerate any action that threatens the lives of our people and the security of our nation".

The new president promises to reduce social inequality

On the economy, Ms. Park promised more focus on a "creative economy" based on "economic democratization" that would expand beyond existing markets and sectors. South Korea's economic growth has slowed, the population is rapidly aging, and demands for a fairer distribution of wealth are now being voiced.

Policies will be brought in to help small and medium-sized enterprises flourish, Ms. Park said. Unfair practices will be abandoned and misguided habits of the past rectified. She also promised a "clean, transparent and competent government".

According to the South Korea report of the new Asia study by the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) project, Ms. Park has been "very smart in asserting new political goals such as welfare state policies as a means of attracting low-income voters". Opposition parties have been caught off guard by these political shifts.

The SGI report shows that the former government has had little success in persuading the huge export-oriented business conglomerates to engage in corporate social responsibility, support small suppliers and leave certain markets to small companies. It remains uncertain, however, if the new president will prove able to act more forcefully in limiting economic concentration and facilitating greater transparency and accountability among the primarily family-owned companies through new laws and regulations.

Moreover, given that Ms. Park is the first female president in the history of South Korea it will also be interesting to see whether she will push for greater women rights. Discrimination is a big problem in South Korea and women remain underrepresented in almost all important sectors, according the SGI study. The wage gap between men and women is on average 38 per cent, the biggest in the OECD.

"More participation of women in the economy is a core engine for the nation’s growth," Park Geun-hye said on a campaign in July 2012. A work-life balance is no longer just an issue for women but the entire country. However,ensuring an easier combination of parenting and participating in the labor market might not be a heartfelt desire for a president who is 61 years old, unmarried and has no children.

South Koreans are divided over their new president

The SGI South Korea report also indicates that it might be a cause for concern that Ms. Park has not clearly distanced herself from the policies of her father. For many South Koreans this is a controversial issue.

Some people acknowledge the achievements of Park Chung-hee as the leader of the "miracle on the Han River". This refers to South Korea's rapid economic growth after World War II which brought racy industrialization, technological achievements, a boom in education as well as large improvements in living standards and fast modernization. Park Chung-hee had no choice back in those days, many older South Koreans say. He had to fight poverty and starvation first. Others – especially people who have been affected by the strict regime and military suppression – fiercely contest this claim.

But in the eyes of many South Koreans today – supporters and opponents – not much has happened in the first six months of Ms. Park’s presidency. She keeps on saying that she will fabricate a "creative economy", but what this really means hasn’t even been defined yet clearly. Nobody even knows what is meant by "creative economy".

Thus far, the issue many ordinary citizens in South Korea associate most with their new president is her first trip abroad, which ended in a disaster. Ms. Park fired her spokesman Yoon Chang-jung amid allegations that he sexually harassed a young South Korean woman. Later the senior secretary for public relations to the president took responsibility for the incident and resigned. South Koreans were shocked and hardly anybody paid attention to the outcome of the state visit.

Young-Sim Song, a business school graduate, is a journalist for economic affairs covering the European power and gas markets. She lives in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Monday in Washington September 16, 2013

9/17 - CONSTITUTION DAY, NB: The U.S. Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and ratified by conventions in eleven States. It went into effect on March 4, 1789.

AIR AND SPACE CONFERENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EXPOSITION. 9/16-18, National Harbor, MD. Sponsor: Air Force Association. Speakers: Eric Fanning, Acting Air Force Secretary; Carlo Margrassi, Lt. Gen., Italian Air Force; Michael Hayden, Former Director of National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency; Charles Wald, Former Deputy Commander of US European Command; Doug Fraser, Former Commander of US Southern Command; Loren Reno, Former Deputy Chief of Staff; David Deptula, Former Deputy Chief of Staff; Lani Kass, Former Special Assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff.

PROSPECTS FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN IRAN UNDER PRESIDENT ROUHANI. 9/16, 9:00-11:00am. Sponsor: Global Gender Program, George Washington University. Speakers: Fatemah Keshavarz, Director, Roshan Institute, University of Maryland; Maryam Abolfazli, Middle East North Africa Director, Eurasia Foundation; Sussan Tahmasebi, Co-founder, International Civil Society Action Network.

MAKING MACROPRUDENTIAL POLICY WORK - LOWERING THE FREQUENCY AND SIZE OF FINANCIAL BUBBLES. 9/16, 9:30-11:30am. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Jose Vinals, Financial Counselor and Director, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF; Erlend Nier, Senior Financial Sector Expert, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF; Charles Taylor, Deputy Comptroller for Capital and Regulatory Policy, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; Douglas Elliot, Fellow in Economics, Brookings; Donald Kohn, Senior Fellow in Economics, Brookings.

B-2: THE SPIRIT OF INNOVATION. 9/16, 11:30am-12:45pm, National Harbor, MD. Sponsor: Northrop Grumman. Speakers: Author, Rebecca Grant, IRIS Independent Research; Dave Mazur, Vice President and B-2 Program Manager, Northrop Grumman.

AMERICAN EPIC: READING THE CONSTITUTION. 9/16, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: National Archives. Speaker: Author, Garrett Epps, Professor, University of Baltimore.

CONSTITUTION DAY LECTURE WITH JUSTICE SCALIA. 9/16, 1:00-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: George Washington University. Speaker: Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Justice.

UNTHINKABLE: IRAN, THE BOMB, AND AMERICAN STRATEGY. 9/16, 2:30-4:00pm. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Author, Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow Brookings; Moderator: Robin Wright, Distinguished Fellow, United States Institute of Peace.

FAST ACTION CLIMATE MITIGATION: A FOCUS ON SHORT-LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANTS. 9/16, 3:00-4:30pm. Sponsor: Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Speakers: Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Program; Jesse Young, Legislative Assistant, Office of Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT); Lumay Wang, Legislative Assistant, Office of Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA); David Turk, Counselor to the US Special Envoy for Climate Change, US State Department; Mack McFarland, Global Environment Manager, DuPont Fluorochemicals; Durwood Zaelke, President, Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development.

AID TO FRAGILE STATES: GERMANY'S APPROACH TODEVELOPMENT. 9/16, 4:00-5:30pm. Sponsor: American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS). Speaker: German State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Hans-Jurgen Beerfeltz. 

THE DISCREET CHARM OF LEGITIMACY: THE UN, CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND REFORM. 9/16, 5:30-7:00pm. Sponsor: International Law and Organizations, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speaker: David Türk, former President of Slovenia,  former Slovenian ambassador to the United Nations and UN Security Council member.

THE ROAD TO WAR: OBAMA, CONGRESS AND THE SYRIAN COLLISION. 9/16, 6:30-8:00pm,  fee. Sponsor: National Press Club. Speakers: Marvin Kalb, Professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Sam Litzinger, CBS News Radio Correspondent; The Road to War: Presidential Commitments Honored and Betrayed by Mr. Kalb will be available for sale.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule August 12-26, 2013

Shoin Shrine

[For a good review of this Week with the Prime Minister, see Shisaku.]

August 12, 2013 (Mon)

AM
09:37 Office
10:32 Courtesy Call from Youths from Israel and Palestine
11:21 Press Interview
11:49 Haneda Airport

PM
12:19 Leave the airport on JAL Flight 1645 with Mrs. Akie Abe
01:33 Arrive at Yamaguchi Ube Airport
02:54 Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, “Kaneko Farm,” Observe Japanese Pear Farm; Take photos with Akiyoshi Pear Production and Sales Cooperative members
04:07 Nagato-city, visity his father and ancestor’s grave yard
04:54 JR Nagato-shi Station, Walk through
05:48 In front of Nagato City Office
05:56 Give remarks at welcome ceremony
06:24 Ootani Sanso in Nagato city
06:56 Attend dinner party hosted by his local supporters; Stay in this hotel


August 13, 2013 (Tue)

AM
10:29 Nagato-city, observes Tougo Stepped Rice Paddy; Mrs. Abe accompanies
11:43 Visit his supporters’ homes in Hagi City, Yamaguchi

PM
12:10 Road Station “Hagi Seamart”; Lunch with Takeo Kawamura, LDP Lower House Member, in Seafood Restaurant “Hama Ryori Gangan”
01:25 Shoin Shrine
01:55 Press Interviews
02:03 Observes Shouka Sonjuku
02:26 Visit tomb of Shoin Yoshida [executed spiritual father of the Meiji Restoration, born August 4, 1830.]
04:09 Yamaguchi Ube Airport
04:53 Leave the airport on ANA Flight 698
06:12 Arrive at Haneda Airport
06:49 Dinner with friends in Japanese Restaurant Shinmai, Shirokane, Tokyo
09:28 home in Tomigaya

August 14, 2013 (Wed)

AM
10:49 Tokyo, Roppongi, Hotel Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Exercise at NAGOMI Spa and Fitness

PM
02:32 Home in Tomigaya
06:02 Hongaku-ji temple in Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama City; Attend funeral of his secretary’s funeral
06:47 Hotel New Otani; Dinner with Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga; Hidenao Nakagawa, Former LDP Secretary General; and Tsutomu Shida, Shidax Advisor
08:48 Home in Tomigaya

August 15, 2013 (Thu)

AM
08:44 Office
08:52 Deputy Foreign Minister Sugiyama; Kouzuki, MoFA European Affairs Director General
09:15 Kouzuki leaves
09:24 Sugiyama leaves
09:30 Courtesy Call from United States Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of the United States
10:12 Ministerial meeting
10:27 Ministerial Council on Monthly Economic Report and Other Relative Issues
10:39 Amari, Minister in charge of Total Reform of Social Security and Tax; and Nakamura, Cabinet Secretariat Social Security Reform Director
10:57 Courtesy Call from the Japanese National Team for the ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest
11:17 Press Interviews
11:26 Offers Prayers at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery
11:33 Nippon Budoukan
11:51 Attends the Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead

PM
01:02 The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, Nagata-cho; Lunch with Secretaries at Restaurant Origami
01:56 Hotel Hilton Tokyo, Nishi Shinjuku, Haircut at Barber Shop Muragi
03:21 Home in Tomigaya
05:50 Summer Home in Narusawa Village, Yamanashi Prefecture
06:56 Summer home of Yohei Sasakawa, President of Nippon Zaidan [Foundation, largest in Japan]: President Sasakawa; Former PM Yoshiro Mori; Motegi, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; Ishihara, Minister of Environment; Kato, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Koichi Hagiuda, LDP President Special Advisor
09:18 Summer home

Monday in Washngton September 9, 2013

JIHADIST TERRORISM: A THREAT ASSESSMENT. 9/9, 10:00-11:30am. Sponsor: Bipartisan Policy Center. Speakers: Peter Bergen, National Security Analyst, CNN; Lee Hamilton, Co-Chair, 9/11 Commission; Bruce Hoffman, Director of the Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University; Mike Hurley, President, Team 3i LLC; Thomas Kean, Co-Chair, 9/11 Commission.

CYBER WAR WILL NOT TAKE PLACE, OR WILL IT? 9/9, 10:00-11:30am. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Thomas Rid, Reader in War Studies, Kings College; Peter Singer, Director, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, Brookings; Ian Wallace, Visiting Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, Brookings; Jason Healey, Director, Cyber Statecraft Initiative, Atlantic Council.

NEW STRATEGIES FOR THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE: A PERSPECTIVE FROM BRAZIL. 9/9, 12:30pm. Sponsor: SAIS. Speaker: Alfredo Sirkis, Chairman, Climate Negotiation Subcommittee of the Brazilian Parliament's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Commission.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE? TAIWAN AND THE US PIVOT TO ASIA. 9/9, 12:30-1:45pm. Sponsor: Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University. Speaker: Yeh-Chung Lu, Assistant Professor, Department of Diplomacy, National Chengi-chi University.

OPERATIONAL ENERGY IN THE NEXT DECADE-POLICY, STRATEGY AND INNOVATION. 9/9, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: Ground Forces Dialogue, CSIS. Speakers: Sharon Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs; Lieutenant General Robert R. Ruark, Director of Logistics, J-4, Joint Staff; Moderated by Dr. Maren Leed, Senior Advisor, CSIS Harold Brown Chair in Defense Policy Studies.

ADVANCED FOSSIL ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES. 9/9, 1:30-6:00pm. Sponsor: Atlantic Council. Speakers: Randall Rush, General Manager, Gasification Technology, Southern Company; Victor Der, General Manager, North America, Global CCS Institute; Darren Mollot, Director, Office of Clean Energy Systems, US Department of Energy; Maryann Locke, Energy Counselor, Royal Norwegian Embassy; Stephen Anderson, Founding Co-Chair, Montreal Protocol Technology & Economic Assessment Panel; Seshadri Guha, Chairman and Managing Partner, CGN Global; Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Climate Change Policy and Technology, US Department of Energy; Mohammad Zaidi, Strategic Advisory Board, Braemar Energy Ventures.

RESEARCH OF INTERNATIONAL TUNA NEGOTIOATIONS. 9/9, 2:00-3:30pm. Sponsor: US-Japan Research Institute. Speakers: Atsushi Ishii, Associate Professor, Tokohu University; Susan Lieberman, Former Senior Director, The Pew Charitable Trusts; Ayako Okubo, Lecturer, Tokai University; Isao Sakaguchi, Professor, Gakushuin University.

YOUTH AND PUBLIC SERVICE IN A GLOBAL ERA. 9/9, 4:30-6:00pm. Sponsor: Berkeley Center, Georgetown University. Speaker: Former US Senator Tom Daschle, D-SD. KEYNOTE FOR "The Future of the Asia-Pacific: New Paths for Japan-US Cooperation" symposium.

The Spirits of Heroes: What is Wrong with Yasukuni

Via ShisakuBlog, the Saturday (August 24) of Shisaku’s local newspaper, Tokyo Shimbun, published a letter-to-the-editor (in a special box, so as to attract the eye) by a reader who took issue with the whole concept of heroes being enshrined at Yasukuni:

[Dear Editor]

Last year my grandfather passed away. He served in the war as a merchant marine sailor. The story is that the ship that my grandfather was on was attacked by Americans and sunk. My grandfather, in the confusion inside the ship, grabbed ahold of a door. By holding tight to the floating door, he survived to be picked up by another merchant marine vessel, thereby escaping the fate of losing his life in the battle zone.

Many times did my grandfather say to me, "Had I died then, your father, and of course you, Tetsu, would never had been born." However, never did anything like "Ah, to fight for one's country is a glorious thing!" come to his lips.

Those wishing to legitimize Yasukuni or the Great War always talk about "heroes (eiyu) who died fighting for their country" or some such thing. But to make it sound like a Hollywood movie where alien life forms were coming to our land to unilaterally to attack us -- this is mistaken. Those whose lives were sacrificed in that war were sacrificed for the idiotic lusts and policy failures of the military leaders and the politicians, and the capitalists who insinuated themselves into their company.

In the first place, as was written in the Sanmen no kakushin article "Thinking about visiting Yasukuni" (Yasukuni sanpai o kangaeru) published in this newspaper on the 14th [of August], how much value should we be assigning Yasukuni? The shrine was built to honor the battle dead of imperial forces, those who died in the Meiji Restoration and other conflicts of the time, using Japan's tradition of imperial rule to political ends.*

If there are those who wish to believe that the spirits of their ancestors, who, unlike my grandfather, did indeed die on the battlefield, are honored at this shrine, fine -- I have no problem with that. However, the statement "They died fighting for their country" -- that I want revised. At the very least, it was not for these chest-thumpers in the present day who say "the honored dead (eiyu) are the pride of Japanese people and the State (kokka)" that those who sacrificed their bodies and lost their lives on the field of battle did what they did.
Kameda Tetsu
Age: 35
Occupation: company employee
Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture

* The implication being that far from being a place for honoring those who fought for the protection of Japan, Yasukuni was at its origins a shrine tasked with the placation of the spirits of those who lost their lives in domestic political violence, a civil war.