SPF-USA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Program Officer
- Sasakawa USA As an Associate Program Officer
Abigail Williams joined Sasakawa USA as an Associate Program Officer in November 2022. She supports the US-Japan Security Alliance Series, the Congressional Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and the Indo-Pacific, and the U.S.-Japan Security Symposium. She also assists in Networking and Presentations for Sasakawa USA.
Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, she received her Master's in International Studies from the University of Washington where she focused on Japan Studies and received high honors. In graduate school, she volunteered at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington, participated in a summer program with the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, and worked as the Graduate Student Assistant for the University of Washington's Japan Studies Department.
Abigail also participated in the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program prior to graduate school, where she taught English for two years in Oita Prefecture.
Her bachelor's degree is in International Relations with a concentration in Asian Studies and History from Gonzaga University, where she was the president of the Japanese club and studied abroad at Akita International University. This study abroad experience in Akita developed her initial pursuit of a career in US-Japan relations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Admiral Philip S. Davidson was the 25 th Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command from 2018 to 2021. He retired from active service in the U.S. Navy in May 2021 after nearly 39 years of service.
USINDOPACOM is the United States' oldest and largest combatant command and includes 380,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Guardians, Coast Guardsmen and Department of Defense civilians and is responsible for all U.S. military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, covering 36 nations, 14 time zones, and more than 50 percent of the world's population.
Over the course of his U.S. Navy career, Admiral Davidson deployed across the globe in frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers, and he served in staff assignments in the Pentagon, at fleet headquarters, at the U.S. Department of State, and in the Office of the Vice President.
Over the course of his U.S. Navy career, Admiral Davidson deployed across the globe in frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers, and he served in staff assignments in the Pentagon, at fleet headquarters, at the U.S. Department of State, and in the Office of the Vice President.
His command tours include the ships USS TAYLOR (FFG 50) and USS GETTYSBURG (CG 64), Carrier Strike Group EIGHT/EISENHOWER Strike Group, as well as U.S. SIXTH Fleet in Naples, Italy and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO in Lisbon, Portugal.
He also commanded U.S. Fleet Forces Command/U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command in Norfolk, VA from 2014 to 2018 in his first 4-star assignment.
Admiral Davidson is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and a 1992 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies.
His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V," a Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun Medal, and other personal, service, unit, and campaign awards.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Chief Executive Officer of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
- Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy
- Distinguished Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
became Chief Executive Officer of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA in February 2017. In September 2019, he transitioned to the role of Distinguished Senior Fellow (Non-Resident.) Ambassador Zumwalt was the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Guinea Bissau from 2015 to January 2017. Previously, he was responsible for policy toward Japan and Korea as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asia Affairs. When the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck Japan in 2011, Ambassador Zumwalt was serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, where he coordinated the United States' support for the Japanese Government's response to that crisis.
During his 36-year Foreign Service career, Ambassador Zumwalt has served in a variety of assignments with a focus on Asia and international economics in Washington, Tokyo, Beijing, Kinshasa, Dakar, and Bissau. In Washington, D.C., he worked in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Japan, Korea, and Philippines desks and also at the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and the United States Trade Representative's Office. He speaks Japanese, French, and some Chinese.
Ambassador Zumwalt received a master's degree in International Security Studies from the National War College in 1998 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in American History and also in Japanese Language from the University of California at Berkeley in 1979. He is from El Cajon, California and is married to Ann Kambara, a retired Foreign Service Officer who is now pursuing a second career in social work.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Advisory Committee Member / Ambassador
- Managing Partner at the Asia Group
Ambassador Kurt Tong is Managing Partner at The Asia Group, where he leads the firm's work in Japan and the broader East Asia region. A leading expert on diplomacy and economic affairs in East Asia, Ambassador Tong brings thirty years of experience in the Department of State as a career Foreign Service Officer and member of the Senior Foreign Service.
Prior to joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Tong served as Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department, Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, U.S. Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and Director for Asian Affairs at the White House National Security Council. He served abroad as a U.S. diplomat in Manila, Tokyo (twice), Beijing, Seoul and Hong Kong.
Before entering the Foreign Service in 1990, Ambassador Tong was an Associate with the Boston Consulting Group in Tokyo. He holds a B.A. from Princeton University, and speaks and reads Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan / Honorary Advisor
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
Dr. Ayako Takemi, MPH, PhD, is an associate professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, where she leads the Global Consensus Making Policy lab. Her research addresses global coordination development, consensus building, and implementation to address transnational issues, in particular, global health policy and health-security. In addition, Dr. Takemi assesses policies to strengthen the foundation of science and technology capabilities with a focus on enhancing economic security. These are all areas in which Dr. Takemi is strongly convinced that U.S.-Japan cooperation and collaboration are becoming even more crucial.
Prior to joining the University of Tokyo, Dr. Takemi worked as a consultant for the World Health Organization and the World Bank. She also served as a management consultant at McKinsey and Company. Dr. Takemi received her doctorate in law with a specific focus on global health governance from the University of Tokyo and holds a master's degree in public health from Harvard School of Public Health.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
Dr. Haruka Sakamoto, MD, MPH, PhD, is a primary care physician and associate professor at the Department of International Health and Tropical Diseases, Tokyo Women's Medical University.
In 2022, the Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) of public health experts visited Japan where they met Dr. Sakamoto to learn and exchange their perspectives on public health and pandemic issues. Her research focuses on the strengthening and financing of healthcare systems, as well as the politics in global health. From 2011-2013 and 2016, she worked at the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan where she was deeply involved in health policy activities in Japan; participating in WHO meetings, G7 meetings, and bilateral cooperation activities through Japan International Cooperation Agency. She strongly believes that Japan-U.S. cooperation is crucial in the field of global health. She's currently working as a consultant at WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, Senior Fellow at Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, Senior Fellow at Health and Global Policy Institute, and Kushiro City Policy Advisor in public health. She obtained her MD from Sapporo Medical University, MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and PhD in public health from the University of Tokyo.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
Dr. Hidetoshi Hirata began his Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) career in 1980 after completing his master's degree at Tokyo University, where he specialized in aeronautical engineering. During his career, Dr. Hirata was involved in operationally testing the F-15J fighter, flight testing the T-2CCV (control configured vehicle) research aircraft, as well as developing the XT-4 intermediate trainer aircraft and the FSX (currently known as the F2 fighter jet). From 1994, Dr. Hirata worked for many years at the Defense Planning and Policy Department of the Air Staff Office, where he was involved in drafting several National Defense Program Outlines and Mid-term Defense Programs, the relocation of the Air Combat Command headquarters to Yokota AFB which strengthened Japan-U.S. corporation, the introduction of aerial refueling aircraft, and the selection of the F-35 fighter jet. In addition, Dr. Hirata engaged in defense policy related to the Air Self-Defense Force, development of defense capabilities, and defense exchanges with other countries. Furthermore, Dr. Hirata served as the director general of the Defense Planning and Policy Department (A5) at the Air Staff Office from 2007-2009.
Additionally, Dr. Hirata served as commander of various units such as the 3rd Air Wing stationed at Misawa AFB (2004-2006), Air Rescue Wing (2006-2007), and the Southwestern Composite Air Division (currently the Southwestern Air Defense Force) stationed in Okinawa (2009-2011). Afterwards, he oversaw human resource development for the Japan Air-Self-Defense Force as the commandant of the Air Staff College (2011-2012) and the commander of the Air Training Command (2012-2013). Dr. Hirata became a major general in 2004 and lieutenant general in 2009 and retired from the JASDF in 2013 as commander of the Air Training Command.
Throughout Dr. Hirata's JASDF career, his thorough knowledge of aerospace engineering and adept networking skills helped increase the JASDF's recognition on the international stage and modernize the JASDF's airpower. He also exercised strong leadership as commander of various wings and forces. Currently, Dr. Hirata serves as a strategic advisor for Nippon Aircraft Supply Co., Ltd. He received his PhD in aeronautical engineering from Stanford University (1990). In addition, Dr. Hirata received a MS in national resources strategy from the Industrial College of Armed Forces at the National Defense University (1999) in Washington, DC, and master's and bachelor's degrees from Tokyo University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Advisory Committee Member / Secretary
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts
- Is University Distinguished Service Professor
Dr. Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is University Distinguished Service Professor and former Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, studied at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, and earned a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard where he joined the faculty in 1964. In 2008, a poll of 2700 international relations scholars listed him as the most influential scholar on American foreign policy, and in 2011 Foreign Policy listed him among the 100 leading global thinkers.
From 1977-79, Dr. Nye was Deputy Undersecretary of State and chaired the National Security Council Group on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In 1993-94 he chaired the National Intelligence Council which prepares intelligence estimates for the president, and in 1994-95 served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He won Distinguished Service medals from all three agencies.
Dr. Nye has published fourteen academic books, a novel, and more than 200 articles in professional and policy journals. Recent books include Soft Power, The Powers to Lead, The Future of Power, Is the American Century Over?, and Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump.
Dr. Nye is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and an honorary fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He is the recipient of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson Award, the Charles Merriam Award from the American Political Science Association, France's Palmes Academiques, Japan's Order of the Rising Sun, and various honorary degrees.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
- President and CEO of the Dwight Group
Dr. Peter S. Watson is President and CEO of the Dwight Group, LLC, which assists international transactions. He earlier served as President and CEO of the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), now the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), under President George W. Bush. Prior to his OPIC appointment, he served as Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) under President Bill Clinton. Prior to his five years on the ITC, he served in the George H.W. Bush administration as the Director of Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), later serving as Senior Advisor to Armitage Associates, LLC. Dr. Watson served on the Board of Directors of the Fluor Corporation, and is Adviser to NuScale Power. For several years he served as Legal Advisor to the Government of Japan in Washington, D.C. He was most recently appointed by the Biden administration as a member of the Palau Economic Advisory Group.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Board
- President
- Chairman of the Board and President of Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
- Writer for the Japan Times
Dr. Satohiro Akimoto is chairman of the board and president of Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. He joined the organization in January 2019 and brings with him experience in the areas of business, research, dialogue, and exchanges between Japan and the United States.
On top of his responsibilities at Sasakawa USA, Dr. Akimoto is a contributing writer for The Japan Times, associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the UK, a contributing commentator for the Okazaki Institute in Japan, and a Japan Advisory Committee member of the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Program Officer
- Sasakawa USA As an Associate Program Officer
Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, Dustin worked as an intern with the German Marshall Fund of the United States's Indo-Pacific program, the Stimson Center's Japan program, the Japan Society of Boston, and Congressman Jim McGovern. Hailing from Massachusetts, he holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, an associate's degree in liberal arts from Massachusetts Bay Community College, and is pursuing a master's degree in international affairs: United States foreign policy & national security from American University's School of International Service focusing on the U.S.-Japan alliance and U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific region.
Dustin has conducted research on Japan's policy on Taiwan, European engagement in the Indo-Pacific, alliance management and extended deterrence in Northeast Asia, and the peace and security contributions of regional multilateral groupings like the Quad, NATO, and the Arctic Council.
Erim graduated with a master's in international affairs with a focus on Japan and politics in 2021 from UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS). At GPS, he led the school's Japan focus society, and interned at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Prior to graduate school he worked on the JET Program in the City of Kitakyushu from 2016-2018. He considers his time on JET as integral to his decision to change careers from education to international relations. While studying history & education at Hofstra University, he was a volunteer firefighter/EMT in his hometown, which he credits as critical to the development of his passion for public service. Erim is enthusiastic about building connections between people, cross cultural interactions, and contributing to the US-Japan alliance.
Job Titles:
- Program Officer
- Sasakawa USA As a Program Officer
joined Sasakawa USA as a program officer in September 2023. She began her career at the Nippon Foundation in Tokyo and previously worked for the Council on Foundations in Washington, DC. Fumiyo also has experience advising Japanese companies on corporate social responsibility programs in Hong Kong and Beijing, including conducting research on the role of technology and philanthropy in China.
She completed graduate studies at the University of California San Diego as a Japanese Ministry of Education (Monbusho) scholar and served as an international fellow at the International Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at the City University of New York. Fumiyo earned her master's of engineering in econometrics from Tokyo Institute of Technology and bachelor of arts in policy management from Keio University.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Fellow ( Non - Resident )
Mr. Hideshi Tokuchi joined Sasakawa USA in September 2016 following a 36-year career of service to the government of Japan, most recently as the nation's first Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs.
Tokuchi joined the Japanese Defense Agency (the predecessor of the Ministry of Defense) in 1979 as a civilian and retired from public service on October 1, 2015, after completing several senior assignments at the Ministry of Defense, including as Director-General of the Operations Bureau, of the Personnel and Education Bureau, of the Finance and Equipment Bureau, and most recently of the Defense Policy Bureau.
During most of his service, Tokuchi focused on Japan-U.S. defense cooperation, security-related legislation, defense buildup programs, and operations of the Japanese Defense Forces. He participated in the review work of "Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation" twice (in 1997 and 2015), and in the establishment of "National Defense Program Guidelines" twice (in 2004 and 2013), and also in security-related legislation, including Peace-Keeping Operations Law, a set of legislation to deal with contingency, Counter-Piracy Law, and most recently the new security legislation to put the new interpretation of the Japanese Constitution into practice.
From July 1995 through November 1996, Tokuchi was stationed in Washington, D.C. to study the Asia policy of the U.S. in the post-Cold War era as a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) of the US National Defense University (NDU). He taught a course on Japan's national security policy at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo for 14 years from 2002 to 2015 as a visiting professor, and has been teaching Japan's defense policy at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo since 2006 as a part-time instructor.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Senior Director
- Senior Director of the US - Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
is senior director of the US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. As leader of this initiative, Schoff fosters networking and the development of joint recommendations involving a wide range of policy and technical specialists, in and out of government, to stimulate new alliance connections across foreign, security, and technology policy areas. The purpose is to help improve the alliance and how it serves shared interests, preparing it for new challenges in an increasingly complex and fluid geostrategic environment.
Previously, Schoff was a senior fellow and director of the Japan Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for nine years, following two years as senior adviser for East Asia policy at the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense. At the Department of Defense, he supported strategic planning and policy development for security cooperation with Japan and the Republic of Korea. Schoff's career spans over thirty years working in the fields of business, education, government, and the non-profit sector, all related to Japan, East Asia, and the U.S.-Japan alliance. This includes six years living in Japan and one year in Saipan.
Schoff has written extensively on East Asian security, foreign policy, and emerging technology issues. Sample publications include: Modernizing US-Japan Command & Control Relationships for New Challenges | NEXT Alliance Conference Summary: Tokyo 2023 (Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, 2023) China and the New Role for Economic Security in the US-Japan Alliance (Sasakawa Peace Foundation, 2022), A High-Tech Alliance: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S.-Japan Science and Technology Collaboration (Carnegie, 2021), U.S.-Japan Technology Policy Coordination: Balancing Technonationalism With a Globalized World (Carnegie, 2020), Uncommon Alliance for the Common Good: The United States and Japan after the Cold War (Carnegie, 2017), and Tools for Trilateralism: Improving U.S.-Japan-Korea Cooperation to Manage Complex Contingencies (Potomac Books Inc., 2005).
Kaede Ishidate joined Sasakawa USA in July 2023 and serves as an associate program officer. In her role, she supports the Congressional Study Group on Japan (CSGJ), the Japan-U.S. Military Program (JUMP), and Networking and Presentations.
Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, Kaede worked with International Student Conferences to facilitate the 74 th Japan-America Student Conference (JASC) as a member of the American Executive Committee. She attributes the development of her program management skills and passion for people-to-people exchange and diplomacy to her experiences with this organization. She also has interned at Schmidt Futures, facilitating connections between emerging experts in technology and geopolitics, as well as at Primetals Technologies, where she coordinated the establishment of a bonded warehouse in Malaysia for the company's customers in Asia. Kaede graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor of arts in government and East Asian studies, with a focus on international relations and the U.S.-Japan bilateral relationship.
Job Titles:
- Associate Communications & Program Officer
Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, Kathryn worked at International Business-Government Counsellors, a Washington, DC-based government relations firm, where she helped manage an international trade association's conferences, communications, executive committee, and membership.
Kathryn's connections to Japan include an internship at the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies and experience as an assistant language teacher on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program in Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken. For three years, she feels fortunate to have lived in Hida-Takayama, often known as a "Little Kyoto" and "snow country." Additionally, Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country is one of her favorite books.
She holds a bachelor's degree in Classics from St. Olaf College and a certificate in project management from Georgetown University.
Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, Louise lived in Mie prefecture Japan and worked as an elementary school English teacher through the JET Program. She attributes this experience to her interest in grassroots level diplomacy due to the strong connections she made with her community.
Louise graduated from Macalester College with a bachelor's in Japanese and international studies with a concentration on Asian studies. Her senior research focused on the current relationship between the Republic of Korea and Japan, particularly how online right-wing radicalization contributes to tension within the US-Korea-Japan trilateral security cooperation.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
Job Titles:
- Chief of the Public Affairs Office, GSO
- Distinguished Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
Job Titles:
- Administrative Manager
- Sasakawa USA As an Administrative Assistant
Masako Hariu joined Sasakawa USA as an administrative assistant in January 2023. Previously, she worked as an executive showroom attendant at NTT Docomo to introduce its R&D technologies developed for both domestic and international enterprises and organizations. Before she moved to the United States, Masako also worked as a customer service specialist for an American organization at their Singapore regional office and supported supply chain logistics, purchasing, and fulfillment for their customers in Japan and Southeast Asia. During her time in Singapore, Masako developed a passion for global relations. She recently moved to Washington, D.C. to continue developing her career in U.S.-Japan relations.
Masako earned her master's in photography from the University for the Creative Arts, studied at De Montfort University in England, and lived in Taiwan in order to study Mandarin at National Taiwan University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
In 2009, President Obama nominated Melanne Verveer to be the first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. In that capacity, she worked with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to coordinate foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women, traveling to nearly sixty countries. She led efforts to integrate women's rights and participation into U.S. foreign policy. President Obama also appointed Verveer to serve as U.S. Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Today she is the Director of Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security. The Institute seeks to enhance national and global security by documenting the crucial role women play in peace-building and security through research and scholarship and by engaging global leaders from government, civil society and the private sector in conversations on the urgent issues of our time. She also serves as Special Representative on Gender Equality for the OSCE Chairmanship.
Prior to her role at the State Department, Ambassador Verveer was Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO she co-founded to invest in emerging women leaders. Prior to Vital Voices, she served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady in the Clinton Administration. She also led the effort to establish the President's Interagency Council on Women and was instrumental in the adoption of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Prior to her time in the White House, Verveer served in a number of leadership roles in public policy organizations and as congressional staff.
Job Titles:
- Director of Administration
Misa Imanaka-Miller has been with Sasakawa USA since the late 1990s and serves as the Director of Administration. Miller became acquainted with Sasakawa USA as a patron of Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA Library. In 1999, she joined the foundation as a Library Assistant. She was later promoted to overseeing all the operations of Library, which was the largest Japanese library in the DC area. She started her new role, Office Manager, in 2006 to assist the Directors both in administrative and financial duties. She was promoted to Director of Finance in 2019, then to Director of Administration in 2020. Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, Miller obtained a Master Degree in linguistics, and has worked as a language instructor and a freelance translator both in the United States and Japan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Executive Director, General Affairs, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan / Secretary
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Executive Director, Nippon Foundation
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Secretary
- Advisory Committee Member / Ambassador
- Chairman of the Board of the Project
- Staff Secretary
Mr. Randall Schriver is the Chairman of the Board of the Project 2049 Institute and a strategic advisor to Pacific Solutions LLC. He is also a lecturer for Stanford University's "Stanford-in-Washington" program, is on the Board of Advisors to Sasakawa USA, and Board of Directors of the US-Taiwan Business Council.
Just prior, he served for two years as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs where he led a team of nearly one hundred professionals and was the principle advisor to the Secretary of Defense on matters related to the Indo-Pacific region.
Prior to his senate confirmation, Mr. Schriver was one of five founding partners of Armitage International LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in international business development and strategies. He was also CEO and President of the Project 2049 Institute, a non-profit research organization dedicated to the study of security trend lines in Asia. He was also an adjunct lecturer for Stanford University's "Stanford-in-Washington" program where he taught a quarter long course on U.S. foreign policy every fall and spring for fourteen years.
Previously, Mr. Schriver served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He was responsible for China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. From 2001 to 2003, he served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State. From 1994 to 1998, he worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including as the senior official responsible for U.S. bilateral relations with the People's Liberation Army and the bilateral security and military relationships with Taiwan.
Prior to his civilian service, he served as an active duty Navy Intelligence Officer from 1989 to 1991, including a deployment in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. After active duty, he served in the Navy Reserves for nine years, including as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and an attaché at U.S. Embassies Beijing and Ulaanbaatar.
Mr. Schriver hails from Oregon, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Williams College and a Master of Arts degree from Harvard University. He has won numerous military and civilian awards from the U.S. government and was recently presented with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service (highest civilian award). While at the State Department, he was presented with the Order of the Propitious Clouds by the President of Taiwan for service promoting U.S.-Taiwan relations. He is married to Jordan Schriver, and is father to Lucas, Rory, Brody and Mae.
Job Titles:
- Director of Central Japan Railway Company
- Distinguished Senior Fellow ( Non - Resident )
Mr. Torkel Patterson is Director of Central Japan Railway Company and concurrently Vice Chairman of the International High-Speed Rail Association. While in the U.S. Navy, he worked for President George Herbert Walker Bush on the National Security Council (NSC) staff as Director of Asian Affairs (Japan and Korea). After retirement from the Navy, Mr. Patterson was a political appointee as NSC Senior Director and Special Assistant for Asia for President George W. Bush; later the Senior Advisor for Senator Howard Baker when Senator Baker was ambassador to Japan; and a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia. He also served with Raytheon Company, including as Country Manager for Japan and Taiwan and more than five years as President of Raytheon International Inc. He is a member of the board of the Olmsted Foundation, Pacific Forum, Global Insight Corporation, and the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies. He is a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and was Olmsted Scholar at Tsukuba University, Japan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chairman, Nippon Foundation / Treasurer
Job Titles:
- Director of Programs
- Member of the Board
- Director of Programs at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
Shanti has spent her entire career in U.S.-Japan relations, which includes six years in Japan and 16 years in Washington, DC, covering issues ranging from grassroots diplomacy to foreign policy. Most recently in her work at Sasakawa USA, she launched the Sasakawa USA Women's Advancement Network (SWAN) as well as activities that focus on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) within the framework of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Prior to joining Sasakawa USA Shanti taught English in Japan on the JET Program and co-founded the educational non-profit Kizuna Across Cultures. She currently serves as a board member for Kizuna Across Cultures and American Friends of The International House of Japan. Ms. Shoji earned her master's degree in international communication from American University's School of International Service and received bachelor's degrees in Japanese language and international studies from the University of Oregon.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Fellow ( Non - Resident )
- Distinguished Non - Resident Fellow
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2005 As Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Director
Between February 2013 and March 2014, Taniguchi was a Counselor in the Prime Minister's Office. His responsibilities included writing foreign-policy speeches for Prime Minister Abe.
After spending twenty years with Nikkei Business, a weekly magazine, Taniguchi joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2005 as Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Director General for Public Diplomacy. Until he left the ministry three years later, he addressed the English speaking press and wrote speeches for Foreign Minister Taro Aso and other national leaders.
While with the magazine, Taniguchi worked in London as a correspondent from 1997 to 2000. In 1999, the Foreign Press Association in London elected him President, the first from Asia. He spent sabbaticals at Princeton University as a Fulbright Visiting Fellow, at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, and at the Brookings Institution as a CNAPS Fellow.
For five years until 2013, Taniguchi was Executive Adviser to Yoshiyuki Kasai, the then-Chairman of the Central Japan Railway Company, while holding visiting professorships at Keio SDM and Meiji University School of Global Japanese Studies.
Taniguchi holds an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo, has authored or co-authored more than 10 books on international affairs, and has appeared live more than 250 times on media outlets including BBC, Al-Jazeera English and CNN.
Expertise:
International Political Economy; Japanese diplomacy; Foreign Policy; International Affairs
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow for the US - Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa USA
Hello everyone, I am Tomoko Tanaka-Makino, a Visiting Research Fellow for the US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa USA, and cannot believe that I am about to complete my five-month fellowship.
I am originally a government official from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, where I was involved in policymaking in the telecommunications sector, including consumer protection and cybersecurity. Last year, when I decided to come to Washington, D.C. with my family, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to study U.S.-Japan collaboration in the telecommunication field from a position outside of government. I was fortunately accepted at Sasakawa USA as a fellow.
In my time at Sasakawa USA, I have conducted personal research on U.S.-Japan collaboration on the global deployment of secure 5G networks and was given the opportunity to write a paper based on my research and stakeholder interviews. Also, as a member of the US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative team, I had the chance to conduct background research on central bank digital currencies and Japan's DX policy, as well as participate in roundtables with top-level experts on high-tech alliances. These experiences greatly broadened my perspective on current important topics the United States and Japan are facing and deepened my understanding of the crucial role of U.S. think tanks in agilely aggregating the insights of experts from government, industry, and academia to make compelling policy recommendations.
In addition, I gained a great deal of inspiration from my talented and friendly colleagues. I will never forget the pleasant lunchtime conversations with them, where they shared their passion for U.S.-Japan relations, their dedicated work on various programs, and a taste of "real" American culture (how Americans enjoy seasonal events, etc.
Job Titles:
- Associate Manager and Executive Assistant
Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, she lived in San Francisco and worked at San Francisco International Airport as a customer service agent for a major airline. Before moving to San Francisco, Yoshiko worked as a merchandise coordinator for a wholesale trading company in NYC, working with the highest-quality Japanese knives and kitchenware products for the restaurant industry. There, she handled purchasing and logistics for imported products from Japan, China, France, and within the U.S.
She graduated from Senshu University in Japan with a BA in commerce and received a culinary certificate at the Institute of Culinary Education (former Peter Kump's New York Cooking School) when she was in New York. Yoshiko was born in Kanagawa, Japan and is a native speaker of Japanese.