After a competitive selection process, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and Japan Foundation are pleased to announce the sixth cohort of the “U.S.-Japan Network for the Future” program. These fifteen specialists on the U.S.-Japan relationship will bring diverse expertise and perspectives to the bilateral policy-making process.
Ambassador Mike Mansfield firmly believed that the U.S.-Japan relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, “bar none.” This conviction is honored through the Network, which identifies and supports professionals who demonstrate potential for becoming policy intellectuals in the mid- and long-term. The program assists in building the professional networks of the participants and enhances their opportunities and abilities to engage with policy-relevant research.
Cohort Six of the U.S.-Japan Network for the Future:
Ms. Noriko Akiyama, Asahi Shimbun
Dr. Benjamin Bartlett, Miami University
Dr. Paul Christensen, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Dr. Charles Crabtree, Dartmouth College
Dr. Sayako Kanamori, Osaka University
Dr. Nick Kapur, Rutgers University–Camden
Dr. Hiroko Kumaki, Dartmouth College
Dr. Kanako N. Kusanagi, University of Tokyo
Dr. Tom Phuong Le, Pomona College
Dr. Tom Mason, United States-Japan Bridging Foundation
Ms. Mihoko Matsubara, NTT Corporation
Dr. Charles T. McClean, Yale University
Dr. Lauren McKee, Berea College
Dr. Ryo Morimoto, Princeton University
Dr. Cindi SturtzSreetharan, Arizona State University
Since 2009, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and the Japan Foundation have been building this network and providing opportunities for specialists in the academic, government, non-profit, and corporate sectors of the United States, and more recently for those specialists in Japan. The 2022-24 cohort brings the size of the network to 84 individuals.
Cohort Six’s planned program agenda includes a two-day workshop in Washington, DC in September 2022, followed by a retreat held in the Mansfields’ home state of Montana. The following year, the cohort will conduct week-long study trips to Washington and Japan before the program culminates in a public symposium in June 2024.
The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes understanding and cooperation in U.S.-Asia relations. The Foundation was established in 1983 to honor Mike Mansfield (1903-2001), a revered public servant, statesman, and diplomat who played a pivotal role in many of the key domestic and international issues of the 20th century as U.S. congressman from Montana, Senate majority leader, and U.S. ambassador to Japan. Maureen and Mike Mansfield’s values, ideals, and vision for U.S.-Asia relations continue through the Foundation’s exchanges, dialogues, research, and educational programs, which create networks among U.S. and Asian leaders, explore the underlying issues influencing public policies, and increase awareness about the nations and peoples of Asia. The Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C.; Tokyo, Japan; and Missoula, Montana.
The Japan Foundation was established in 1972 to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. In order to cultivate these friendships and ties, the Japan Foundation supports opportunities to foster global partnerships, trust, and mutual understanding through culture, language, as well as dialogue and networking. The work of the Japan Foundation includes grant programs, self-initiated projects, and fellowships. The Japan Foundation maintains its headquarters in Tokyo and operates through a network of 25 overseas offices in 24 countries worldwide. The Japan Foundation is represented by two offices in the United States—New York and Los Angeles.