U.S.-Japan Young Political Leaders 11th Japanese Delegation to the United States (1996)

The ten Japanese participants traveled to the United States from July 20 to August 2, 1996. Part of the visit was spent in Washington, D.C., Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco. In Washington, D.C., the delegation received briefings on U.S.-Japan relations from Ed Royce (Republican of California), majority member of the House International Relations Committee, and Charles Robb (Democrat of Virginia), ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The group met a variety of people, including John Hart, White House deputy assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs, officials of the American Medical Association, and—as this visit occurred the summer before the U.S. presidential election—several Democratic and Republican Party officials involved in campaign strategy. In Boston, the focus shifted to local issues: The group was briefed on the Superfund toxic waste clean-up, the Big Dig highway project, and various state government concerns. The delegation then flew to San Diego, where they met the mayor and members of the city council, port authority officials, and the Asian Business Association. The program culminated in San Francisco with a dinner attended by, among others, Jim Gonzalez, former San Francisco County Supervisor, and Michael Yamaguchi, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.

Participants List