Last week the twenty-third group of Mansfield Fellows arrived in Japan to begin the year-long Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program. The new Fellows began the program with orientation meetings at the International House of Japan in Tokyo, which has been home to the Foundation’s Tokyo office since 2014. The Foundation’s Tokyo office staff explained their schedule for the first few months and provided an overview of life in Japan, and the Fellows met with representatives of I-House and the National Personnel Authority. The new Fellows also had an opportunity to meet with alumni Fellows in Tokyo, including Amy Jackson (PhRMA Japan Representative, Mansfield Fellow 1995-1997), Jeffrey Kim (Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Mansfield Fellow 2015-2016), Wikrom Kitchaiya (Director of International Exercises and Plans/Instructor Navigator, 36th Airlift Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Mansfield Fellow 2013-2014), Zensaku Munn (International BMD Program Manager, Missile Defense Agency, MDAO, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Mansfield Fellow 2015-2016), Nathan Purdy (Senior Representative, Pacific Rim, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Mansfield Fellow 2012-2013), and Chip Taylor (Federal Aviation Administration), who recently completed the Fellowship Program.
The Fellows then traveled to Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture to begin a seven-week homestay and intensive Japanese language program. After completing this immersion program, they will return to Tokyo for ten months of placements in Japanese government and nongovernmental entities. The Fellows’ initial placements will include departments and divisions within Japan’s: Ministry of Defense; Ministry of the Environment; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT); Nuclear Regulation Authority; Japan Meteorological Agency; and Cabinet Office.
Interested in the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program? More information and application requirements can be found on the Fellows website here.