U.S. Congressional Staff Exchange Program

The thirteenth U.S. Congressional staff delegation comprising nine members visited Japan on March 30-April 6, 1997, at a time when foreign policy experts were troubled by developments in Asia Pacific. Accordingly, the U.S.-Japan security relationship and the challenges posed by a Japanese economy in recession were priorities on the program agenda. Speakers to the delegation included Masashi Nishihara, an international relations expert with the National Defense Academy; Ira Wolf, an executive with Eastman Kodak, Asia-Pacific Ltd., and former assistant U.S. trade representative; Glen Fukushima, an executive with AT&T Japan; Koichi Kato, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party; and senior members of three opposition parties. The delegation also met executives of major Japanese corporations, gaining a sense of the difference in opinions between the corporate and government sectors on fiscal reform. Business leaders expressed particular interest in the delegation's views on the state of American politics; and a panel discussion at the Keidanren (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations) featuring the Congressional staff delegation attracted nearly fifty executives.

Participants