The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and Japan Foundation are honored to announce fifteen experts who will be joining the “U.S.-Japan Network for the Future” program. These specialists on the U.S.-Japan relationship have been identified and selected for demonstrating potential as policy intellectuals and bringing diverse expertise and perspectives to the bilateral policy-making process.
As part of the program’s eighth cohort, they will begin a two-year program this June. Over a series of events spanning both countries, the participants will benefit from programming that assists in building professional networks and enhances their opportunities and abilities to engage with policy-relevant research.
This program honors the legacy of both Ambassador Mike Mansfield, who firmly believed that the U.S.-Japan relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, “bar none,” and Professor Ezra Vogel, the founding member of the Advisory Committee, who provided the initial vision for the Network for the Future program.
Cohort Eight includes:
- Stephen Ching, Japan Country Director, Department of the Air Force
- William Chou, Senior Fellow & Deputy Director, Japan Chair, Hudson Institute
- Mizumi Dutcher, Doctoral Candidate, Doctor of International Affairs Program, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
- Anne Giblin Gedacht, Associate Professor, Seton Hall University
- Yuji Idomoto, Postdoctoral Scholar, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego
- Robin J. Kietlinski, Professor of History, Social Science Department, LaGuardia Community College
- Wendy Leutert, Associate Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Indiana University
- Daniel Longo, Analyst in Foreign Affairs, Congressional Research Service
- Alexandra Mathieu, Postdoctoral Associate, Council on East Asian Studies, Yale University
- Alexandra Melillo, Associate Vice President, Japan Team & Business Development, The Asia Group
- Colin Moreshead, Postdoctoral Fellow, Weatherhead Program on US-Japan Relations
- Sayuri Romei, Senior Fellow for Japan, Indo-Pacific Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
- Mariko Sato, Principal Reporter/Anchor, World News Division, NHK World Japan
- Nobuhiko Tamaki, Professor, Faculty of Law, Chuo University
- Charmaine Willis, Assistant Professor, Political Science and Geography, Old Dominion University
The Network for the Future program began in 2009, and for more than 15 years, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and the Japan Foundation have been building and providing opportunities for trained specialists in the academic, government, non-profit, and corporate sectors of the United States and Japan. The new cohort brings the size of the network to 112 individuals.
Program Agenda
Cohort Eight’s planned program agenda includes an inaugural workshop in Washington, DC, this June, followed by a retreat held in the Mansfields’ home state of Montana this October. Next year, the cohort will conduct week-long study trips to Washington and Japan before culminating in a public symposium in June 2028.
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, Tokyo, and Missoula, Montana.
The Japan Foundation is Japan’s only institution dedicated to carrying out comprehensive international cultural exchange programs throughout the world. Established in 1972, the Foundation’s three key pillars of activities are Arts and Cultural Exchange, Japanese-Language Education Overseas, and Japanese Studies and Global Partnerships. The Japan Foundation has a global network consisting of the Tokyo Headquarters, the Kyoto Office, two Japanese-language institutes (the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa; and the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai) and 26 overseas offices. We facilitate exchange in a variety of fields with the aim of further deepening mutual understanding and ties between Japanese people and the world.