October 18, 2016 — Tokyo, Japan
A six-member AJC leadership delegation just concluded a three-day visit to Japan’s capital.
The group, led by AJC CEO David Harris, had a private meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as well as with National Security Advisor Shotaro Yachi.
Both Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Shinsuke Sugiyama and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kentaro Sonoura hosted the delegation for private lunches. The visit also included discussions with the Japanese Friends of Israel Parliamentary Group and with U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Jason Hyland, and a dinner hosted by Israeli Ambassador Ruth Kahanoff and attended by prominent Japanese personalities.
Principal topics discussed included: (a) the breadth and depth of Japan-U.S. ties; (b) expanding Japan-Israel relations; (c) the 2016 U.S. presidential elections; (d) prospects for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP); and (e) the East Asian regional picture, and especially the threat posed by North Korea.
During the mission, Harris was invited to deliver an address on U.S. foreign policy and the 2016 presidential elections to over 40 international affairs experts, faculty, and students at the prestigious Doshisha University.
"AJC has been traveling to Japan regularly since 1988," Harris said. "This commitment speaks volumes about the importance we attach to Japan as a democratic powerhouse in Asia, an essential ally and partner of the United States, a close friend of Israel, and an anchor of stability in a vital part of the world. And with each passing year, our engagement with Japan -- and with Japanese representatives around the world -- continues to widen and deepen."
AJC has been actively engaged with Japan through its pioneering Asia Pacific Institute (API), which is chaired by Jeffrey Stone and directed by Shira Loewenberg.
Loewenberg, together with AJC Board of Governors Members Debbie and Naty Saidoff of Los Angeles and Manya-Jean Gitter of AJC in New York, participated in the visit.
