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US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program Japanese Women Leaders Delegation to the United States SEPTEMBER 2017 FOR THE FIRST time in its history, JCIE hosted a par- Memorial Seminar,” hosted in partnership with the liamentary delegation from Japan composed exclu- Council on Foreign Relations, and participated in a sively of women leaders. Five Diet members and one corporate roundtable at Japan Society. Their visit cul- senior journalist traveled to Washington DC, New York minated in a two-day retreat, the US-Japan Women City, and Tarrytown NY for a weeklong program fo- Leaders Dialogue, held at the Pocantico Center of the cused on foreign policy, women’s empowerment, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund. There, they were joined by the state of US-Japan relations. While in the United Internal Affairs Minister Seiko Noda and had intensive States, the delegation met with over 50 leaders (many discussions on issues of shared concern in US-Japan of whom were women), including Congressional relations, as well as ways to strengthen women’s voices members, CEOs, nonprofit executives, and scholars. in the political and economic spheres. They also spoke at JCIE’s annual “Tadashi Yamamoto Delegates at the White House Discussions on North Korea with Senator Cory Gardner PARTICIPANTS Aiko Doden, Senior Commentator on International Takae Ito, Member, House of Councillors Affairs, NHK Broadcasting; Special Affairs (Democratic Party) Commentator, NHK World Takae Ito, Member, House of Councillors (Komeito) Kuniko Inoguchi, Member, House of Councillors Hanako Jimi, Member, House of Councillors (LDP) (LDP); former Minister of State for Gender Toshiko Takeya, Member, House of Councillors Equality (Komeito) 2 KEY POINTS OF DISCUSSION Strengthening US-Japan Relations Under have been called into question, experts predicted that President Trump trade between the two countries will remain strong. Delegation members were eager to learn more about the ways in which the new administration is approaching US-Japan Cooperation on North Korea US foreign policy. A few were concerned, for example, With North Korea firing a ballistic missile over by President Trump’s departure from traditional foreign Hokkaido the week prior, there was a renewed ap- policy-making mechanisms and sought to be reassured preciation evident during the delegation’s meetings of the US’s commitment to global leadership, in contrast of the importance of the US-Japan alliance in provid- to the “America First” policies that were touted on the ing stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Scholars at the campaign trail. Both the Republicans and Democrats Brookings Institution noted that President Trump’s they met with emphasized the strong foundations that rhetoric and actions involving North Korea have been ensure the US-Japan alliance’s strength and longevity. cause for anxiety in Japan and throughout Asia. And They also wished to learn more about the state of yet, many leaders testified that the alliance stands firm; US-Japan economic ties, as many of the delegates felt the United States, through its relations with Japan, is that trade between the two countries had become more committed to deterring North Korean aggression in precarious. In one discussion, experts noted that with the region. Shortly after the missile launch, for ex- his career as a businessman, President Trump has been ample, the United States, Japan, and South Korea col- keen to frame trade relations as a zero-sum game, and lectively called upon the United Nations to impose using trade deficits as a marker, he has portrayed current stricter sanctions on the North Korea. US-Japan trade relations as a “bad deal” for American Senate East Asian Subcommittee Co-Chair Cory interests. With that in mind, delegates were told to ex- Gardner, in his meeting with the group, also stressed pect continued resistance to multilateral trade agree- the importance of bilateral and trilateral relations ments and a renegotiation of bilateral trade as well. among and between the United States, Japan, and However, many experts affirmed the US’s com- South Korea. Additionally, Senator Gardner empha- mitment to the US-Japan alliance. A few mentioned sized that Congress, too, supports action against North President Trump and Prime Minister Abe’s early- Korea, reiterating that President Trump does not act established and friendly relationship, which stands alone in crafting America’s foreign policy. in stark contrast to President Trump’s engagement Additionally, several other Congressional mem- with other world leaders. Prime Minister Abe, recog- bers emphasized that it is in the interests of the United nizing Japan’s dependence on the United States, has States, given the ever-rising tensions with North displayed an overt willingness to stand by President Korea, to sustain and strengthen the US-Japan alli- Trump’s side. And while the countries’ trade relations ance. This was proven by the eagerness shown by US Sharing challenges that women face in government with At Emily’s List, with Executive Director Emily Cain, to learn about Congresswoman Diana DeGette women in American politics 3 Congressional members to meet with their Japanese Eileen Fisher, Inc. headquarters, discussing female counterparts to discuss the shared challenge of North entrepreneurship and young women’s empower- Korean aggression. ment with Eileen Fisher herself and the Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute team. Lastly, JCIE and Japan Lessons from US Corporations on Diversity Society co-hosted a roundtable where representatives and Inclusion Initiatives from Citi, MetLife, KPMG, and Mizuho discussed Because the delegation was composed entirely of their respective approaches to diversity and inclusion women, special attention was given to how the pri- at their places of work. vate sector can implement more inclusive policies and practices for women and other marginalized com- Women’s Political Leadership munities in the workplace. More than once, speakers Several of the Diet members in the delegation were not only made the moral case for a more equitable recently elected to office, and so discussions about the workplace, but also provided the economic rationale. process through which women enter politics were of This resonated with many in the Japanese delegation, particular interest to the group. To hear about how an who noted that Japan is facing labor shortages due American becomes elected to office, the group paid to an aging population and a low birthrate, but that a visit to Emily’s List. While there, they also talked women’s ability to play a greater role in filling that about the ways in which many women in America si- gap is still hampered by the lack of childcare facili- multaneously felt defeated and inspired after Hillary ties. A number of organizations aim to address these Clinton’s loss to then-candidate Donald Trump, some- issues worldwide. The delegation visited one such thing the Diet members said also was felt by women nonprofit, Catalyst, which works in the United States politicians abroad. and abroad (with one of their global offices in Japan) There were also practical discussions about the to produce research and provide consultations on best ways in which women can achieve political office. One practices for diverse, inclusive workplaces. obstacle is the very act of convincing women to run in The delegation met with various corporate execu- the first place. For example, Rutgers Professor Debbie tives to discuss how women’s careers can be better Walsh—one of the country’s leading experts on women supported. Estee Lauder co-founder Leonard Lauder in politics—frankly stated that the challenge is not that and his son William Lauder, who serves as executive women cannot win elections if they run, but rather that chairman, shared that their company approaches and there are too few women running in the first place, as prioritizes gender issues in the workplace as a means women often perceive themselves to be underquali- of care for their employees, as over 84 percent of their fied to hold office, even as men with lesser credentials global workforce are women. They also visited the successfully win elections. Additionally, the pressures Eileen Fisher speaking to the delegation at her company’s headquarters Posing with Estee Lauder Executive Chairman William Lauder 4 women face to serve as the primary caretakers in their The delegation ended their stay in the United States families are considerably difficult to overcome— by participating in JCIE’s US-Japan Women Leader’s something felt with a particular strength in Japan due Dialogue, where a group of 25 women from the po- to the shortage of caretakers for the old and young. litical, business, think tank, academic, media, and However, many leaders emphasized that through philanthropic sectors came together to discuss ways the act of women supporting women, together they to advance women’s leadership in domestic politics can work to dismantle the systems in place that are and business, work-life balance, and broader issues disadvantageous to women pursuing and holding of policy concern: the US-Japan alliance and promot- political office. A much-valued aspect of the Diet ing stability in the Asia Pacific, US-Japan cooperation members’ visit to the United States was the opportu- in supporting the international order, and the shared nity to have candid, off-the-record discussions with challenges of globalization and economic populism. their American counterparts in government. They discussed the bipartisan work of the Congressional Women’s Caucus with its co-chair, Congresswoman Lois Frankel, and had productive discussions with three other Congresswomen about the shared chal- lenges they face as women politicians. The US Congress is doing just slightly better than the Diet in terms of gender parity, as women hold 21 percent of seats in the US Senate, compared with to women holding 20 percent of the seats in Japan’s Upper House, and 19.3 percent of the seats in the US House of Representatives, compared with just barely 10 percent in Japan’s Lower House.

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