The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation

Initiated by the Foundation and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership in 2009, the U.S.-Japan Network for the Future fosters a network of “new generation” Japan specialists. The second cohort of Network scholars concluded their June 2013 Japan study trip with a visit to Okinawa.

The Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1994 to build a corps of U.S. federal government employees with proficiency in the Japanese language and firsthand knowledge about Japan and its government.  The eighteenth group of Mansfield Fellows visited Japan’s National Diet in September 2013.

The Mansfield Capitol Hill Asia Policy Dialogue series brings experts to Capitol Hill to discuss Asia-related issues with members of Congress, congressional staff, corporate affiliates, and others.  

The Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program enables a select group of U.S. government employees to gain substantial knowledge about the government of Japan by serving in placements in Japanese government offices.  The eighteenth group of Mansfield Fellows met with host agency representatives to discuss their placements soon after arriving in Tokyo.

In February 2014 the Mansfield Foundation initiated a program on maritime and territorial disputes in East Asian waters.  Leading experts from the United States and Asia met to discuss these issues in Washington, D.C., and Tokyo and contributed essays that were compiled in “East China Sea Tensions, Perspectives and Implications.”

From 2010-2014, the Foundation held seven dialogues aimed at facilitating U.S.-Japan cooperation on an Integrated Approach (IA) to reducing emissions from passenger vehicles. In 2013 American and Japanese experts met in Sendai, Japan to consolidate lessons from these meetings.  The Foundation published their conclusions and policy guidelines in March 2014.

The U.S. Congress created the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation in 1983 to honor Mike Mansfield’s life and work and to advance his efforts to promote understanding and cooperation between the United States and Asia.  In 2013 the Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary with events including a November Tokyo symposium.

Since 1995, more than one hundred Fellows, representing twenty-three U.S. agencies and the U.S. Congress, have entered the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program.  Many alumni Fellows return to positions with direct responsibility for Japan and Asia issues, and they often participate in Foundation programs in the United States and Japan.

The Asian Opinion Poll Database (AOPD) serves as a unique reference for researchers by providing access to important public opinion trends in Northeast Asia.  The Foundation has collected and translated opinion polls on key policy-related issues from major media organizations and other agencies in Japan, South Korea, and China.

The U.S.-Japan Nuclear Working Group is an independent, bi-national group of experts convened to examine the strategic implications of Japan’s nuclear emergency. In October 2013 the group visited Japan to discuss their “Statement on Shared Strategic Priorities in the Aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.