Asia Policy Events, Monday May 18, 2026

BEYOND THE SAHEL: RUSSIA’S TOOLBOX FOR INFLUENCE IN AFRICA. 5/18, 10:00-11:00am (EDT), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Speakers: Anna Borshchevskaya, Harold Grinspoon Senior Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Mvemba Dizolele, Adjunct Lecturer, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Kate Johnston, Associate Fellow, Transatlantic Security Program, CNAS; David McKenzie, Communications Director, CNAS.

IGP RAPID RESPONSE: US-CHINA RELATIONS AFTER THE TRUMP-XI SUMMIT. 5/18, 11:00am-Noon (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Institute of Global Politics (IGP), Columbia University. Speakers: Isaac Arnsdorf, White House Bureau Chief, Washington Post, Thomas J. Christensen, James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations, IGP Affiliated Faculty Member, Columbia SIPA, Pritzker Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Erica Downs, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia SIPA; Julian Gewirtz, IGP Senior Research Scholar, Columbia SIPA, Former Senior Director, China and Taiwan Affairs, US National Security Council, author of Never Turn Back; Liza Tobin, Managing Director, Garnaut Global, Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation, Former NSC China Director. Moderator: Zongyuan Liu, IGP Senior Research Scholar, Columbia SIPA, Author of Sovereign Funds.

BOOK TALK: IRAN AND THE BOMB: THE ORIGINS AND TRAJECTORY OF THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM. 5/18, Noon-1:00pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Stimson. Speakers: author Sina Azodi, Assistant Professor of Middle East Politics, Director, Middle East Studies MA Program, George Washington University; Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow, Stimson; Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy, Arms Control Association. PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/4nK3MNt

Monday in Washington, July 22, 2019

TRANSATLANTIC CHOICES: COOPERATION OR CONFLICT? 7/22, 9:15-10:30am. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Dr. Sabine Weyand, Director-General of Trade, European Commission; William A. Reinsch, Senior Fellow, Scholl Chair in International Business, CSIS.

AFRICA, JAPAN, AND THE UNITED STATES. 7/22, 10:00-11:30am. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Ramsey Day, Africa Bureau Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID; Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwandan Ambassador to the US; Masahiko Kiya, Ambassador for TICAD, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. Moderator: Judd Devermont, Director, Africa Program, CSIS.

2019 MICHEL CAMDESSUS CENTRAL BANKING LECTURE. 7/22, 10:30am-Noon Washington, DC. Sponsor: International Monetary Fund (IMF). Speakers: David Lipton, Acting Managing Director, IMF; Haruhiko Kuroda, Governor, Bank of Japan; Michel Camdessus, Managing Director, IMF.

LABORATORIES FOR CORRUPTION: HOW SPECIAL INTERESTS ARE DRIVING HARMFUL STATE POLICIES. 7/22, Noon-1:30pm. Sponsor: Center for American Progress (CAP). Speakers: Dinah Sykes, (D-KS), State Senator; Lisa Graves, President, Board of the Center for Media and Democracy, Co-Founder, Documented Investigations; Naomi Walker, Director, Economic Analysis and Research Network, Economic Policy Institute; Danielle Root, Associate Director of Voting Rights for Democracy and Government, CAP. Moderator: Sam Berger, Vice President of Democracy and Government Reform, CAP.

INDONESIA'S APPROACH TO COUNTER TERRORISM: PREVENTION,DE-RADICALIZATION, RE-INTEGRATION. 7/22, 2:30-4:00pm. Sponsor: United States Indonesia Society (USINDO). Speaker: General Suhardi Alius, Head, Indonesia National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT).

HOMELAND DEFENSE AND THE ROLE OF NORAD AND USNORTHCOM. 7/22, 3:30-5:00pm. Sponsor: CSIS. Speaker: General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command, US Northern Command. Moderator: Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, Director, International Security Program, CSIS.

Monday in Washington, September 24, 2018

SCIENTIFIC, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON. 9/24, 9:00am-5:00pm. Sponsors: Environmental Change and Security Program, Wilson Center; Brazil Institute, Wilson Center; São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPSEP); Alcoa Foundation. Speakers: Paulo Sotero, Director, Brazil Institute; Paulo Artaxo, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP); Rita Mesquita, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Amazon Research (INPA); Thomas Lovejoy, UN Foundation and George Mason University; Douglas Morton, Earth Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Celso von Randow, Researcher, National Institute for Space Research (INPE); Gustavo Fonseca, Director of Programs, Global Environment Facility; José Marengo, Senior Researcher, National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEM); Rita Mesquita, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Amazon Research (INPA); Fábio Abdala, Alcoa Foundation.

ADDRESSING CHALLENGES IN THE MARITIME COMMONS. 9/24, 9:00-10:30am. Sponsor: National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). Speakers include: Admiral Eduardo Bacellar Leal Ferreira, Commander of the Navy, Brazilian Navy; Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, Chief of Navy, Royal Australian Navy; Admiral Tomohisa Takei, 32nd Chief on Staff, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Distinguished International Fellow, U.S. Naval War College. Moderator: Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert (ret.), 30th Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy, Shali Chair in National Security Studies, NBR.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND PEACE IN SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST ASIA. 9/24, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsors: Hudson and Heritage. Speakers: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester (1994-2009) and President of Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy & Dialogue; Husain Haqqani, Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia, Hudson Institute; Emilie Kao, Director of the Richard and Helen DeVos Center.
INDO-PACIFIC AND REGIONAL TRENDS: TOWARDS CONNECTIVITY OR CONFLICT? 9/24, 12:30-1:45pm. Sponsor: Sigur Center, GW. Speakers: Dr. Mike Mochizuki, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, GW; Dr. Robert Sutter, Professor of Practice of International Affairs, GW; Dr. Jagannath Panda, Research Fellow and Coordinator of the East Asia Centre at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi; Moderator: Dr. Deepa M. Ollapally, Director of the Rising Powers Initiative, GW.

AGENDA OF THE FINANCIAL STABILITY BOARD. 9/24, 12:45-1:45pm. Sponsor: Peterson Institute (PIIE). Speaker: Klaas Knot, President, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), Governing Council, European Central Bank. Webcast Only

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BORROWED TIME: TWO CENTURIES OF BOOMS, BUSTS, AND BAILOUTS AT CITI. 9/24, 4:00pm. Sponsor: Cato. Speakers: Author, James Freeman, Assistant Editor, Editorial Page, Wall Street Journal; Author, Vern McKinley, Visiting Scholar, The George Washington University Law School; Christy Ford Chapin, Associate Professor, University of Maryland; Moderator: George Selgin, Director, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives.

NORTH KOREAN MILITARY PROLIFERATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA. 9/24, 4:30-5:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Institute of World Politics. Speaker: Author, Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., President, International Council on Korean Studies.

THE GENDER GAP IN 2018: SUPPORTING WOMEN IN THE INTERNATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNITY. 9/24, 6:00-7:30pm. Sponsors: Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Women In Defense (WID), Women's Foreign Policy Group (WFPG), Women's Foreign Policy Network (WFPN), and Women In International Security (WIIS) Global, Women in International Security (WIIS-DC). Speakers: Jenna Ben-Yehuda, Women’s Foreign Policy Network; Tamara Cofman Wittes, Leadership Council on Women in National Security; Chantal de Jonge Oudraat, Women In International Security; Kim Kahnhauser Freeman, Women’s Foreign Policy Group; Women in Defense Representative (TBD); Moderator: Laura Holgate (Nuclear Threat Initiative). 

Monday in Washington, April 18, 2016

ECONOMIC REFORM AND A NEW CONSERVATIVE AGENDA: REMARKS BY THE RT. HON. IAIN DUNCAN SMITH MP. 4/18, 9:00-10:00am. Sponsor: American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Speakers: The Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith, Member of Parliament; John R. Bolton, AEI.

THE ROK-U.S. ALLIANCE: STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF CHALLENGES. 4/18, 9:00am-Noon. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, CSIS; Kim Hyoung-zhin, Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination, ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Victor Cha, Senior Advisor for Asia and Korea Chair, CSIS; Kim Sung-han, Professor, Korea University; Robert Gallucci, Distinguished Professor of Diplomacy, Georgetown University; Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia, Heritage Foundation; Choi Kang, Vice President, Asan Institute for Policy Studies; Shin Beomchul, Director-General for Policy Planning, ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Bonnie Glaser, Senior Advisor for Asia, CSIS.

THE UN IN THE NEW AGE: LECTURE BY IGOR LUKSIC. 4/18, 10:00-11:00am. Sponsor: SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. Speaker: Igor Luksic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro.

JAPAN’S G-7 AND CHINA’S G-20 CHAIRMANSHIPS: BRIDGES OR STOVEPIPES IN LEADER SUMMITRY? 4/18,10:00-11:30am. Sponsor: Brookings Institution. Speakers: Mireya Solis, Senior Fellow and Chair in Japan Studies, Brookings; Nancy Alexander, Director, Economic Governance and G20, Heinrich Boll Foundation; Colin Bradford, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Brookings; Yves Tiberghien, Associate Professor and Director, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia; Thomas Wright, Fellow and Director, Project on International Order and Strategy, Brookings.

WHAT IS CHINA REALLY DOING IN RURAL AFRICA. 4/18, 10:30am-12:30pm. Sponsor: SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. Speakers: Scott Kleinberg, Deputy Director, Office of Donor Engagement, USAID; Wu Jin, Associate Dean of College of Humanities and Development Stu ides, China Agricultural University; Zhang Chuanhong, Associate Professor of Development Studies, China Agricultural University; Josh Maiyo, Adjunct Lecturer in International Political Economy, Webster University; Sergio Chichava, Senior Researcher, Institute of Social and Economic Research; Hezron Makundi, Ph.D Candidate, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.

IRAN’S INNOVATION ECONOMY AND THE IMPACT OF SANCTIONS RELIEF. 4/18, 11:00am-12:30pm. Sponsor: Atlantic Council. Speakers: Lily Sarafan, Co-Founder and CEO, Home Health Care Assistance; Nadereh Chamlou, Former Senior Advisor, World Bank; Christopher M. Schroeder, Entrepreneur, Advisor and Investor.

SIGNING THE PARIS CLIMATE TREATY AND FUNDING THE GREEN CLIMATE FUND: HOW CAN CONGRESS RESPOND? 4/18, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). Speakers: Christopher C. Horner, Senior Fellow, CEI; David Kreutzer, Research Fellow, Heritage; Myron Ebell, Director, Center for Energy and Environment, CEI.

XI IN COMMAND: CHINESE REFORMS AND REGIONAL RESPONSES. 4/18, Noon-1:30pm. Sponsor: American Foreign Policy Council. Speakers: Joshua Eisenman, Senior Fellow for China Studies, American Foreign Policy Council; Derek Grossman, Senior Project Associate, The RAND Corporation; Andrew Scobell, Senior Political Scientist, The RAND Corporation; Jeff M. Smith, Director of Asian Studies Programs, American Foreign Policy Council.

A CONVERSATION ON JERUSALEM AND THE FUTURE OF THE PEACE PROCESS WITH DANIEL SEIDEMANN. 4/18, 12:15-1:30pm. Sponsor: Middle East Institute (MEI). Speakers: Daniel Seidemann, Founder, Terrestial Jerusalem; Muna Shikaki, Correspondent for Al-Arabiya News Channel; Daniel Serwer, MEI Scholar.

NPC LUNCHEON WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE PENNY PRITZKER. 4/18, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: National Press Club (NPC). Speaker: Penny Pritzker, U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES: BUILDING THE PLANE MID-FLIGHT. 4/18, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: SAIS Johns Hopkins University. Speaker: John F. Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

CHINA’S NEW SILK ROAD: GLOBAL COMPETITOR, NEW COLONIZER, OR LEADER OF THE FLYING GEESE IN ASIA. 4/18, 2:00-3:30pm. Sponsor: SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. Speaker: Min Ye, Assistant Professor of Global Studies, Boston University.

SECURITY IN ASIA: THE UK'S APPROACH. 4/18, 2:30-3:15pm. Sponsor: CSIS. Speaker: The Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP. Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom.

STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE DURING TIMES OF ACCELERATED GLOBAL CHANGES. 4/18, 4:00pm. Sponsor: Institute of World Politics (IWP). Speaker: LTG Harry E. Soyster, Former VP for International Operations, MPRI.

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BURNING COUNTRY: SYRIANS IN REVOLUTION AND WAR. 4/18, 4:00-5:00pm. Sponsor: Middle East Institute (MEI). Speakers: Co-Author Robin Yassin-Kassab, Media Commentator on Syria and Author; Co-Author Leila Al-Shami, Human Rights Worker in Syria and the Middle East.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT, THE OBOR INITIATIVE AND U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS. 4/18, 4:00-5:15pm. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Chris Johnson, Chair in China Studies, CSIS; Wang Wen, Executive Dean, Chaoyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University; Matthew Goodman, Chair in Political Economy, CSIS; Zhao Minghao, Research Fellow, China Center for Contemporary World Studies; Yves Tiberghien, Director, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia; Wang Yiwei, Director, Institute of International Affairs, Renmin University.

RELIGION AND REVOLUTION IN CHINA. 4/18, 5:00-6:30pm. Sponsor: George Washington University (GWU). Speaker: Elizabeth J. Perry, Professor of Government, Harvard University.

U.S.-ROK-CHINA TRILATERAL DIALOGUE. 4/18, 5:15-6:00pm. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: John J. Hamre, President and CEO, CSIS; Yun Duk-Min, Chancellor, Korean National Diplomatic Academy; Su Ge, President and Senior Research Fellow, China Institute of International Studies.

ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY. 4/18, 6:00-7:30pm. Sponsor: SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. Speakers: Dr. Reifsnyder, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science; Lynn M. Wagner, Researcher on the Relationship between Negotiation Processes and Outcomes, SAIS.

A GRAND STRATEGY? RE-IMAGING AMERICA'S FOREIGN POLICY FOR THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION. 4/18, 6:30pm. Sponsor: New York University (NYU). Speakers: Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group; Bruce Jones, Vice President and Director, Foreign Policy Program, Brookings; Michael Oppenheimer, Clinical Professor, Global Affairs Program, NYU.

GETTING MILLIONS TO LEARN: WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS ON MEETING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS. 4/18-4/19. Sponsor: Brookings Institution. Speakers: John McArthur, Senior Fellow, Brookings; Julia Gillard, Chair of the Board, Global Partnership for Education; Justin van Fleet, Director, International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity; Rebecca Winthrop, Director, Center for Universal Education; Jenny Perlman Robinson, Nonresident Fellow, Center for Universal Education; Madhav Chavan, Co-Founder and Executive Member of the Board, Pratham; Esvah Chizambe, Assistant Director, Directorate of Teacher Education and Specialized Services, Ministry of General Education, Zambia; Wendy Kopp, CEO and Co-Founder, Teach for All; Vineet Bewtra, Director of Investments, Omidyar Network; Jacob Harold, President and CEO, Guidestar; Johannes F. Linn, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings; Alix Zwane, CEO, Global Innovation Fund; Sashwati Banerjee, Managing Director, Sesame Workshop, India; Michael Staton, Partner, Learn Capital; Carol Williams, Country Manager, Ghana, Worldreader.

Monday in Washington, November 9, 2015

PRESIDENT OBAMA AT G20, APEC AND ASEAN SUMMITS. 11/9, 8:30-9:30am. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Heather Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic, CSIS; Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia, CSIS; Matthew Goodman, Senior Adviser for Asian Economics, CSIS; Ernest Bower, Senior Adviser for Southeast Asia Studies, CSIS.

IMF AFRICA REGIONAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK. 11/9, 8:45am-12:30pm. Sponsor: Institute for International Economic Policy (IIEP), GWU. Speakers: Stephen C. Smith, IIEP Director; Celine Allard, IMF Lead Author; Amb. Reuben Brigety, Dean, Elliott School, GWU; Bhaswar Mukhopadhyay, IMF; Fariha Kamal, U.S. Census Bureau; Danny Leipzeiger, GWU; Dalia Hakura, IMF; James Foster, GWU.

TELECONFERENCE: THE CHINA-TAIWAN SUMMIT: HAS ANYTHING REALLY CHANGED? 11/9, 9:30-10:30am. Sponsor: Wilson Center. Speakers: Yeh-Chung Lu, Associate Professor of Diplomacy, National Cheng-chi University; Amb. J. Stapleton Roy, Distinguished Scholar, Wilson Center; Ming Wan, Professor of Policy, George Mason University.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO HELP THE WORLD’S POOREST AND MOST VULNERABLE? 11/9, 10:00-11:30am. Sponsor: Center for Global Development (CGD). Speakers: Owen Barder, Director of CGD Europe and Senior Fellow, CGD; Jodi Nelson, Senior Vice President, Policy and Practice, International Rescue Committee; Sarah Bailey, Research Associate, Overseas Development Institute; Satwik Seshasai, Vice President of Engineering, Segovia; Moderator: Rajesh Mirchandani, Senior Director for Communications and Policy Outreach, CGD.

U.S. FED INTEREST RATE NORMALIZATION: THE IMPACT ON KOREA, THE U.S., AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. 11/9, Noon-1:30pm, Lunch. Sponsor: Korea Economic Institue (KEIA). Speakers: Thomas Byrne, President, Korea Society; Ayhan Kose, Director, Development Prospects Group, World Bank Group; Alex Pollack, Resident Fellow, AEI. Moderator: Donald Manzullo, President, CEO, KEI of America, Former member, House Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises.

SECURITY CHALLENGES IN EAST ASIA. 11/9, 2:30-4:00pm. Sponsor: Wilson Center. Speakers: J. Stapleton Roy, Distinguished Scholar, Kissinger Institute, Wilson Center; Gerald Curtis, Burgess Professor of Political Science, Columbia University; Evans Revere, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, Brookings; Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt, Senior Fellow, Center for Naval Analyses; Moderator: Donald Zagoria, Senior Vice President, National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

AFGHANISTAN IN 2015: RIPENING INVESTMENT OR REGRESSIVE TURNS? 11/9, 3:30-5:00pm. Sponsor: Carnegie. Speaker: Mohammad Umer Daudzai, Former Minister for Interior Affairs, Afghanistan, Former Chief of Staff to President of Afghanistan; Moderator: Ashley J. Tellis, Senior Associate, Carnegie.

THE STRATEGIC LESSONS OF THE CAMPAIGNS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ. 11/9, 4:30pm. Sponsor: Institute of World Politics. Speaker: Joseph J. Collins, Director, Center for Complex Operations, National Defense University, Author of Lessons Encountered: Learning from the Long War.

BEHIND THE SWOOSH: SWEATSHOPS JUSTICE. 11/9, 7:00pm-8:30pm. Sponsor: Georgetown University. Speaker: Jim Keady, Director of Educating for Justice Inc.

Prime Minister of Japan’s Schedule August 24-30, 2015

Monday, August 24, 2015
AM

12:00 At private residence (no visitors)
07:13 Depart from private residence
07:25 Arrive at office
07:32 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige
08:45 End meeting with Mr. Seko
08:49 Depart from office
08:51 Arrive at Diet
08:53 Enter Upper House Committee Room No.1
08:55 Meeting of Budget Committee of the House of Councilors opens
11:55 Meeting recesses. Exit Upper House Committee Room No.1
11:57 Depart from Diet
11:58 Arrive at office
12:00 Meet with LDP Lower House member Kaneko Megumi and Miyazaki Kensuke

PM
12:06 End meeting with Ms. Kaneko and Mr. Miyazaki
12:07 Meet with Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru
12:11 End meeting with Mr. Kitamura
12:55 Depart from office
12:57 Arrive at Diet
12:58 Enter Upper House Committee Room No.1
01:00 Meeting of Budget Committee of the House of Councilors reopens
05:18 Meeting adjourns. Exit Upper House Committee Room No.1
05:19 Enter LDP President’s Office
05:20 LDP Officers Meeting
05:39 Meeting ends
05:40 Speak with Chairman of LDP Election Strategy Committee Motegi Toshimitsu
05:41 End speaking with Mr. Motegi
05:42 Exit LDP President’s Office
05:43 Depart from Diet
05:45 Arrive at office
06:02 Receive a courtesy call from Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa
06:30 Courtesy call ends
06:47 Depart from office
06:48 Arrive at official residence
06:49 Host a dinner banquet for female ambassadors to Japan
08:28 Dinner banquet ends

Tuesday August 25, 2015

AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
07:08 Depart from official residence
07:09 Arrive at office
07:16 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige
08:27 End meeting with Mr. Seko
08:29 Cabinet meeting
08:41 Meeting ends
08:42 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige
08:49 End meeting with Mr. Seko
08:55 Depart from office
08:57 Arrive at Diet
08:58 Enter Upper House Committee Room No.1
09:02 Meeting of Special Committee of the House of Councillors on the Legislation for Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community opens
11:31 Meeting recesses
11:32 Exit Upper House Committee Room No.1
11:35 Enter State Ministers’ Room
11:46 Exit State Ministers’ Room
11:47 Enter Upper House Committee Room No.1
11:48 Meeting of Special Committee of the House of Councillors on the Legislation for Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community reopens. Meeting recesses
11:49 Speak with Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen, LDP Upper House member Sato Masahisa, and other colleagues
11:51 Finish speaking with Mr. Nakatani, Mr. Sato and other colleagues
11:54 Depart from Diet
11:55 Arrive at office

PM
12:55 Depart from office
12:56 Arrive at Diet
12:58 Enter Upper House Committee Room No.1
01:00 Meeting of Special Committee of the House of Councillors on the Legislation for Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community reopens
06:19 Meeting adjourns
06:20 Exit Upper House Committee Room No.1
06:22 Depart from Diet
06:24 Arrive at office
06:25 Meeting with Minister in charge of Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics Endo Toshiaki
06:40 End meeting with Mr. Endo
06:46 Meeting with Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru
06:52 End meeting with Mr. Kitamura
06:58 Depart from office
07:07 Arrive at the building of Urban-Net Ōtemachi Building in Ōtemachi, Tokyo. Dinner meeting with Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Shimomura Hakubun, Chairperson of National Public Safety Commission Yamatani Eriko, JR Tokai Honorary President Kasai Yoshiyuki, and President of Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) Nishihara Masashi, and other colleagues in Level 21 Tokyo Hall in the building
08:42 Depart from the building
08:57 Arrive at private residence

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

http://japan.kantei.go.jp/97_abe/actions/201508/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2015/08/27/26caucus01_1.jpg?w=360

AM
08:00 At private residence (no visitors)
08:52 Depart from private residence
09:08 Arrive at office
09:30 Phone conference with U.S. President Barack Obama. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige, Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, and Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru also attend
10:10 Phone conference ends
10:45 Meet with Chairman of Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum, former Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Omi Koji
11:05 End meeting with Mr. Omi
11:06 Meet with former Minister for Reconstruction Nemoto Takumi
11:35 End meeting with Mr. Nemoto
11:36 Meet with LDP Lower House member Kawai Katsuyuki
11:47 End meeting with Mr. Kawai
11:50 Meet with Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director-General of Bureau of Finance and Equipment Mimura Toru

PM
12:10 End meeting with Mr. Mimura
12:12 Meet with Chief Representative of New Komeito Yamaguchi Natsuo
01:05 End meeting with Mr. Yamaguchi
02:30 Meet with Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Amari Akira and Cabinet Office’s Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Tawa Hiroshi
02:48 End meeting with Mr. Amari and Mr. Tawa
02:52 Meet with Chairman of LDP Research Commission on Tax System Noda Takeshi
03:21 End meeting with Mr. Noda

03:22 Meet with LDP Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu
03:51 End meeting with Mr. Tanigaki
04:14 Receive a courtesy call from a congressional delegation of the U.S.-Japan Caucus led by U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (TX-20)
04:32 Courtesy call ends
05:30 Meet with new Chairman of Sankei News Ota Hideaki and former Chairman of Sankei News Kiyohara Takehiko
05:52 End meeting with Mr. Ota and Mr. Kiyohara
05:53 Attend a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Monthly Economic Report and Other Relative Issues
06:08 Meeting ends
06:09 Meet with Secretary-General of Headquarters for Abduction Issue Ishikawa Shoichiro
06:23 End meeting with Mr. Ishikawa
06:24 Meet with Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Kimura Taro
06:26 End meeting with Mr. Kimura
06:29 Depart from office
06:31 Arrive at official residence
08:15 Depart from official residence
08:34 Arrive at National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Aomi, Tokyo. Communicate with Kimiya Yui, an astronaut assigned to the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” of International Space Station (ISS), and other astronauts
09:25 Depart from museum
09:48 Arrive at private residence

Thursday, August 27, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence in Tokyo (no visitors)
08:55 Depart from private residence
09:11 Arrive at office
09:20 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige
09:44 End meeting with Mr. Seko
09:54 Depart from office
09:56 Arrive at Diet
09:57 Enter Upper House 32nd Committee Members’ Room
10:00 Meeting of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the House of Councillors opens
11:08 Leave seat during proceedings
11:10 Depart from Diet
11:12 Arrive at office
11:33 Meet with Chairman of Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) Okuno Choei, and colleagues
11:44 End meeting with Mr. Okuno
11:50 Meet with MOFA’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji and Director of Gender Mainstreaming Division Matsukawa Rui

PM
12:08 End meeting with Mr. Hiramatsu and Ms. Matsukawa
12:46 Meet with Minister in charge of Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics Endo Toshiaki
01:22 End meeting with Mr. Endo
01:42 Receive a courtesy call from a delegation of Latin Americans of Japanese descent
01:49 End reception
01:54 Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka enters
02:11 Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama Shinsuke enters
02:18 MOFA’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji enters
02:35 Mr. Hiramatsu leaves
03:02 Everyone leaves
03:07 Record video message for the First Ise-Shima Summit Forum
03:26 End recording
03:27 Meet with Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate Arimura Haruko, Cabinet Office Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Takekawa Mitsuo, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT)’s Director-General of Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau Kawamura Junko, and Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW)’s Director-General of Equal Employment, Children and Families Bureau Ando Yoshiko
04:02 End meeting with Ms. Arimura, Mr. Takekawa, Ms. Kawamura and Ms. Ando
04:03 Meet with Minister of State for Disaster Management Yamatani Eriko
04:08 End meeting with Ms. Yamatani
04:24 Meet with President of Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Union Nukaga Fukushiro
04:47 End meeting with Mr. Nukaga
04:48 Meet with Chairman of Parliamentary League for Volcanic Eruption Prediction and Countermeasures of the LDP Furuya Keiji
05:13 End meeting with Mr. Furuya
05:17 received proposal from the Parliamentary League for Volcanic Eruption Prediction and Countermeasures of the LDP
05:30 End reception
05:31 Meet with Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Takaichi Sanae
05:56 End meeting with Ms. Takaichi
06:32 Welcome President of the Republic of Liberia Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Attend commemorative photo session
06:33 Attend ceremony by the guard of honor
06:38 Ceremony ends
06:42 Attend Japan-Liberia Summit Meeting with Mrs. Sirleaf
07:18 Summit meeting ends
07:22 Joint press release
07:34 Joint press release ends
07:35 Depart from office
07:37 Arrive at official residence. Host banquet
08:42 Give a send-off to Mrs. Sirleaf
08:44 Send-off ends

Monday in Washington, June 15, 2015

AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA: TELLING FACTS FROM MYTHS. 6/15, 9:00am-5:00pm. Sponsor: World Bank. Speakers: Karen Brooks; Paul Dorosh; Maximo Torero; Etherl Sennhauser; Shenggen Fan; Stan Wood; Chris Barrett; Gero Carletto.

COMMERCIAL ESPIONAGE AND BARRIERS TO DIGITAL TRADE WITH CHINA. 6/15, 9:00am. Sponsor: US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Speakers: Samm Sacks, China Analyst, Eurasia Group; Matthew Schruers, Vice President for Law and Policy, Computer and Communications Industry Association; Paul Tiao, Partner, Hunton and Williams; Dennis Poindexter, Author; Jen Weedon, Manager of Threat Intelligence and Strategic Analysis, FireEye and Mandiant Inc. 

KOREA AND THE TPP: THE INEVITABLE PARTNERSHIP. 6/15, 12:15-1:30pm. Sponsor: Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). Speakers: Jeffrey Schott, PIIE senior fellow; Cathleen Cimino, PIIE research associate; Marcus Noland, executive vice president and director of studies at PIIE.

BLOOD YEAR: TERROR AND THE ISLAMIC STATE. 6/15, 12:15 pm. Sponsor: New America Foundation (NAF). Speakers: Author, David Kilcullen, NAF senior fellow and chairman of Caerus Global Solutions; and Peter Bergen, NAF vice president and director of its International Security Program.

GLOBAL COOPERATION UNDER THREAT: ADAPTING THE UN FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. 6/15, 1:30-3:00pm. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: United Nations Chef de Cabinet Susana Malcorra and former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Pickerting, distinguished fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution.

U.S. PRIORITIES FOR THE ADDIS ABABA CONFERENCE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT. 6/15, 2:00-4:00pm. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Paul O’Brien, ‎Vice President for Policy and Campaigns, Oxfam America; Eric Postel, Acting Associate Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development; Alexia Latortue, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Development Policy and Debt, U.S. Department of the Treasury; George Ingram, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Development Assistance and Governance Initiative; Beth Tritter, Vice President, Department of Policy and Evaluation, Millennium Challenge Corporation; Shaida Badiee, Managing Director, Open Data Watch; Daniella Ballou-Aares, Senior Adviser for Development to the U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State.

SINGAPORE’S FOREIGN MINISTER. 6/15, 2:30-3:30pm. Sponsor: CSIS Sumitro Chair, Southeast Asia Studies. Speaker: K Shanmugam, His Excellency Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law, Republic of Singapore.

2015 EIA ENERGY CONFERENCE. 6/15-16. Sponsor: U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Monday in Washington, August 4, 2014

This week in Washington is dominated (August 4-6) by the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit hosted by the White House. Many think tanks and NGOs will have Africa-focused programs and host individual African leaders. For many, it will be the first time that they feature more than one speaker of color.

Over 50 African heads of state are expected at the Summit. Not invited are the presidents of four countries with a record of human rights violations – Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Central African Republic.

On Monday, President Obama's birthday, there will be a civil society forum. The U.S. emphasis on human rights and good governance separates this gathering from recent Africa investment summits held by China, India, Japan and Russia.

Also Monday, August 4th is the anniversary of the 1993 Kono Statement providing an unofficial apology to the Comfort Women. Through Prime Minister Abe's two terms in office the Kono Statement has been methodically deconstructed to remove the focus on apology and the involvement of the Japanese Government. No member of the current Abe Administration uses the word apology when referring to the Kono Statement. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga also says the government is working off of the March 2007 revision of the Kono Statement saying that the Japanese government did not coerce women and that the Statement is a non-binding announcement of the conclusion of a study.

August 6th is the 69th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan and August 9th on Nagasaki, Japan. There will be a number of activities organized by the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area.

Congress is in recess and will not return until September 7th. Washington will be quiet in August and hopefully there will be no "August Surprise."

THE GAME HAS CHANGED: THE NEW LANDSCAPE FOR INNOVATION AND BUSINESS IN AFRICA. 8/4, 9:15am-5:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Karen R. Bass (D-CA), U.S. House of Representatives; Christopher Smith (R-NJ), U.S. House of Representatives; Vera Songwe, nonresidential senior fellow, Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings; Carolyn Cambell, managing director and general counsel, Emerging Capital Partners; Donald Kaberuka, president, African Development Bank; Mo Lbrahim, founder and chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation; Jason Njokum founder and CEO, iROKO Partners; Amadous Sy, senior fellow, Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative; Fernando de Sousa, general manager, African Initiatives; Jay Ireland, president and CEO, GE Africa; Robert Collymore, CEO, Safaricom; Strive Masiyiwa, executive chairman, Econet Wireless International; Kemal, vice president and director, Global Economy and Development, Brookings; Helene Cooper, White House correspondent, New York Times; William Sallis, writer and former editor, African Affairs, Financial Times; Alaune “Akon” Thiam, recording artist and philanthropist; and Witney Schneidman, nonresident fellow, Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings.

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT NATIONAL SECURITY LAW (BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK). 8/4, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law and Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Speaker: Stephen Vladeck, professor, Washington College of Law, American University. 

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule October 19-25, 2013

Saturday October 19, 2013

AM
07:50 Arrive at JR Tokyo Station
08:00 Depart for JR Fukushima Station
10:59 Arrive at Matsukawaura fishing port of Soma City for seafood tasting and to meet with Soma Futaba Fisheries Cooperative Association stakeholders

PM
12:27 Visit planned to disaster prevention population relocation site of Shinchi Town and meeting with Town Mayor Norio Kato
12:41 Visit temporary housing area in Ogawa Park
01:37 Meet with commercial kitchen equipment manufacturers in the same city. Meet with company president Taniguchi Shuichi and Prefectural Mayor Sakurai Katsunobe
01:57 Interview with media outlets
02:58 Meet with workers of precision parts processing company Hayashi Works
03:57 Photo shoot with employees
04:23 Departure from JR Fukushima station
05:56 Arrive at JR Tokyo Station
06:13 Arrive at private residence (no visitors)

Sunday October 20, 2013

AM
10:00 At private residence in Tomigaya (No visitors)
11:26 Departure from private residence
11:39 Arrival at office

Monday October 21, 2013

AM
07:22 Departure from private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo
07:35 Arrive at office
07:36 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu
07:54 Arrive at Diet
07:56 Go to Lower House Committee room
09:00 Lower House Budget Committee commencement

PM
12:02 Committee break
12:06 Return to office
12:58 Depart from office
12:59 Arrive at Diet
01:00 Budget Committee recommences
05:03 House of Representatives Budget Committee adjourned
05:04 Brief meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aso Taro and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hayashi Yoshimasa and Budget Committee Chairman Nikai Toshihiro
05:22 Departure from Diet
05:24 Arrive at office
05:25 Meet with Cabinet Secretariat adviser Iijima Isao
06:02 Advisory Panel on Security and Defense Capabilities
07:21 Departure from office

Tuesday October 22, 2013 

AM

07:09 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo
08:33 Meeting with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu
08:56 Arrive at Diet
09:00 House of Representatives Budget Committee

PM
12:04 Return to office
12:55 Return to Diet
01:00 Budget Committee recommences
05:00 Budget Committee adjourns
05:04 Return to office
05:09 Courtesy call from Nitta Yuiyume, Ambassador of the “Persimmon Village”
05:22 Meeting with Cabinet Information Officer and Tokuji Defense Policy Officer Kitamura Shigeru; Kinomura Kenichi, Lieutenant General of the Japanese Self-Defense Force
05:51 Kitamura leaves
06:15 Yachi Shotaro,of the Cabinet Secretariat arrives
06:24 Nishioka Takashi, Adviser of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; Igarashi Hisaya President of Shibaura Institute of Technology; Miyagawa Makio, Director of Middle East and Africa Affairs
06:34 Return to residence for dinner with Vice President Komura Masahiko; LDP Secretary-General Ishiba Shigeru; Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Sato Yukari

Wednesday October 23, 2013

AM
07:21 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo
07:22 Briefing with Chief Cabinet Deputy Secretary Seko Hiroshige
08:51 Attends Diet session
08:55 House of Councilors Budget Committee
11:57 Return to office
11:59 Meet with House of Councilors LDP members Sakamoto Tsuyoshini and Masayoshi Yoshino

PM
12:55 Diet session resumes
01:00 House of Councilors Budget Committee begins
05:05 Return to office
05:06 Meeting with Saiki Shigeru Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ihara Junichi, Asia Pacific Director
05:25 Ihara leave
05:32 Saiki leaves
05:33 Meeting with Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan Akematsu Takeshi
06:11 Meeting with Kyodo News Agency in Higashi-Shimbashi, Tokyo
06:13 Meeting with President of Kyodo Fukuyama Masayoshi
07:08 Dinner at Yakiniku restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo
08:32 Return to private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo

Building state capacity to prevent atrocity crimes

Professor David Simon is interviewed at the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale about building state capacity to prevent atrocity crimes. He reflects upon Rwanda now 20 years after that country's Genocide of the Tutsis and how the international community can best respond to such atrocities. Unsaid are the lessons learned from the war crimes of WWII.

The interview reflects his 2012 Policy Analysis Brief for the Stanley Foundation, Building State Capacity to Prevent Atrocity Crimes: Implementing Pillars One and Two of the R2P Framework. Simon focuses on the first and second pillars of the doctrine, namely the aspects of state and local capacity building—assisted where appropriate through international cooperation—that offer the best hope of realizing R2P principles before the prospect of adversarial intervention arises. 

Working from a simplified model of how mass-atrocity threats unfold, the brief seeks to enumerate the types of interventions best suited to derail that process. It begins with state-level capacity building, consistent with the standard formulation of the first pillar of the R2P framework. 

Because state authorities and individual elites are often complicit in mass atrocity crimes, however, a robust capacity-building effort should also reinforce the capacity of a broader cross section of stakeholders, including nonstate actors, to strengthen social and institutional resilience in the face of mass atrocity threats.

He argues that international cooperation should support such in-country efforts, while noting some of the complications that are likely to arise in doing so. He suggests that domestic efforts and international assistance should be supplemented with ongoing internal reviews, peer evaluations, and monitoring.

David Simon is a Lecturer, Political Science and Ethics, Politics & Economics; Director of Graduate Studies African Studies at Yale University. He studies African politics, focusing on the politics of development assistance and post-conflict situations, particularly in Rwanda. He is editor of the Historical Dictionary of Zambia, and has contributed to Comparative Political Studies, The Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, and The Journal of Genocide Research. He also teaches classes on international relations in Africa and the comparative politics of development.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule May 27-June 3

May 27, 2013 (Mon)

AM
09:43 Leaves private residence in Tomigaya
09:59 Arrive at Imperial Palace. Report of return home
10:06 Leave Imperial Palace
10:13 Arrive at office
10:15 Hiroshige Seko, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
10:56 Toshio Oishi, Internal Affairs Deputy Director-Generals
11:26 Masanori Nishi, Defense Permanent Secretary; Kenji Hiramatsu, Director General of the Foreign Policy Bureau

PM
12:10 Leave office
12:20 Arrive at Tokyo’s Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery. Attend ceremony and lay flowers
12:41 Leave Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery.
12:51 Arrive at office
01:50 Takuya Miyama, Director General of the Civil Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Justice; Nobuo Inada, Detective Superintendent
02:31 Motoo Hayashi, Chairman of Liberal Democratic Party Research Commission on Public Safety and Counterterrorism Measures
02:52 Leave office
02:53 Arrive at National Diet
02:55 House of Councilors Chairman Reception Office
02:57 House of Councilors Chamber
03:01 House of Councilors plenary session begins
04:10 Leave House of Councilors plenary mid-session
04:12 Leave National Diet
04:14 Arrive at office
04:22 Ichita Yamamoto, Minister of Technology Policy
04:24 Kouya Nishikawa, member of House of Representatives in the Diet; Satsuki Katayama, member of House of Councillors
04:57 Leave office
04:59 Arrive at National Diet
05:00 Liberal Democratic Party President’s Chambers
05:28 LDP board meeting ends
05:41 Leave National Diet
05:43 Arrive at office
05:44 Akitaka Saiki, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; Foreign Ministry official Kunio Umeda, Director General of the International Cooperation Bureau
06:38 Leave office
06:39 Arrive at official residence
06:40 Dinner with Yasutoshi Nishimura, Senior Vice Minister of Cabinet Office; Vice Ministers of each ministry. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Katsunobu Kato, Hiroshige Seko both Cabinet Secretaries attend
08:17 Leave official residence
08:31 Arrive at private residence

May 28, 2013 (Tue)

AM
07:51 Leave home in Tomigaya
08:04 Arrive at office
08:14 Headquarters for Promoting Decentralization Reform
08:26 Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures Against Crime
08:43 Cabinet Meeting
09:06 Receives proposal from Kaoru Kamata, Chairman of the Education Rebuilding Implementation Council. Hakubun Shimomura, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in attendance
09:26 Tomomi Inada, Minister of Cool Japan Strategy
09:46 Akira Amari, Minister of Economic Revitalization; Takashi Matsumoto, Cabinet Office Administrative Vice Minister; Takeshi Matsuyama, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination enter
09:49 Mr. Amari leaves
10:01 Mr. Matsumoto, Mr. Matsuyama depart
10:12 Records video message for “Japan Taiwan Sightseeing Summit”
10:35 Akitaka Saiki, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; Kunio Umeda, Director General International Cooperation Bureau

PM
12:00 Leave official residence
12:02 Arrive at official residence. Dines with Liberal Democratic Party’s Toru Shiraishi and members of the Diet who have been elected for the first time. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is present
12:49 Leave official residence
12:50 Arrive at official residence
02:01 Meet with experts on establishing a National Security Council
03:01 Mayor Oonishi, Miwa City Assemblyman Meeting Chairman Nagato in Yamaguchi Prefecture
03:29 Courtesy call from Mary Anne Morgan, United States Cherry Blossom Queen
03:41 Keiji Furuya, Minister in charge of the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals
04:03 Mr. Amari; Ikuo Sugawara, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Director manufacturing industry
04:35 Shigeru Kitamura, Cabinet Information Officer; Yuuji Sato Coast Guard Monitor, enter
04:50 Mr. Satou leaves
05:00 Mr. Kitamura leaves
05:01 Mr. Saiki; Takeshi Yagi, Ambassador to India
05:32 Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy
07:07 Office
07:08 Informal talk with Liberal Democratic Party’s Shinjirou Koizumi and Diet members who have been elected twice
08:00 The Prime Minister and his wife Akie meet with Prime Minister of India, Singh, and his wife
08:02 Dinner with Singh and his wife. Mr. Akie, Mr. Saiki attend
09:13 See off Prime Minister Singh with his wife Akie
09:15 Leave official residence
09:33 Home

May 29, 2013 (Wed)

AM
09:33 Leave home in Tomigaya
09:49 Office
09:54 Akira Amari, Minister of Economic Revitalization; George Hara, Chairman of U.S. venture investment specialty company “DEFTA Partners Group”
10:53 TBS interview
11:41 Ichita Yamato, Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs; Nakaima Hirokazu, Okinawa Prefectural Governor
11:52 Hirokazu Nakaima, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture and others present “Kariyushi Shirt”

PM
12:01 Leave office
12:07 Arrive at Hotel Okura in Toranomon, Tokyo. Attend LDP Ishihara faction’s party in the banquet hall of the hotel
12:15 Leave hotel
12:21 Office
12:54 Tatsuya Ito, Chairman, LDP Small to Medium Enterprise/Small Scale Business Person Policy Investigation Association
01:26 Yoko Kamikawa, LDP Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs; Masako Mori, Support Representative of Gender Equality and Child Education.
03:25 Yomuri TV interview
04:40 Takashi Onishi, Japan Science Council Chairman; Yamato, Takashi Matsumoto Cabinet Office Administrative Vice Minister
04:55 Kazuhiro Tamaki, President of the NPO Japan Center for Economic Research (JCER) and Ryoki Sugita, Chairman and Chairman of Nikkei Inc.
06:09 Mini summit meeting with Prime Minister Singh of India
06:48 The summit plenary
07:39 Joint statement signing ceremony, joint press conference
08:19 Dinner hosted by the Prime Minister and his wife
09:51 See off Prime Minister Singh
09:57 Leave office
10:10 Home

May 30, 2013 (Thu)

AM
09:20 Home in Tomigaya
09:38 Office
09:56 Ichita Yamamoto, Minister of Science and Technology
10:47 Summit meeting with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania
11:19 Send off President Kikwete
11:29 Courtesy call from United Nations Millennium Development Goals Envoy for Africa Yvonne Chaka Chaka

PM
02:04 Parliamentary Secretary of Defense Akira Sato
02:38 Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya of the World Customs Organization (WCO)
02:53 Yuriko Koike, LDP Public Relations Director
03:27 Senator Benjamin Cardin, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs; US Ambassador to Japan John Roos
04:06 Takumi Nemoto, Minister for Reconstruction
04:26 Courtesy call from winners of the National Truck Driver Contest. (See Shisaku's thoughtful post - Reflections on the Prime Minister's Award in Truck Driving)
04:35 Mr. Kitamura, Director, Cabinet Intelligence
05:05 Mr. Saiki, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Umeda, Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau, joins
05:10 Mr. Umeda departs
05:11 Mr. Hiramatsu, Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau, MoFA, joins
05:20 Mr. Hiramatsu departs
05:53 Mr. Saiki departs
06:12 Leave office
06:22 Mita Shared Meeting Room
06:23 Mr. Amari, Minister of Economic Revitalization; Joseph Stiglitz, Columbia University
06:48 Welcome Reception for the ESRI International Conference
07:09 Depart
07:18 Dinner with Shotaro Yachi, Cabinet Office Councilor in Japanese Restaurant Yamazato, Hotel Okura Tokyo
08:38 Depart
08:55 Home

May 31, 2013 (Fri)

AM
08:02 Home in Tomigaya
08:16 Office
08:25 Cabinet meeting
09:42 Leave office
10:19 Arrive at Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel. First day of TICAD V morning events
11:00 Meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
11:25 Meet with President Macky Sall of Senegal
11:54 Begin talks with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia

PM
12:14 Talks with President Sirleaf end. First day of TICAD V afternoon events
12:19 Meet with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud of Somalia
01:37 Meet with President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan
02:08 Meet with President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana
02:37 Meet with President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique
03:06 Depart from hotel
03:07 Arrive at Pacifico Yokohama, a convention center
03:09 Address Special Conference on Somalia
03:18 Depart
03:19 Arrive at hotel
03:20 Depart hotel
03:23 Arrive at Yokohama Royal Park Hotel
03:38 Attend 2013 AFDP African Leader’s and Business Representatives’ Conference
03:46 Leave hotel
03:50 Arrive at Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel
04:01 Meet with President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire
04:28 Leave hotel
04:30 Arrive at Pacifico Yokohama
04:31 Attend African Fair 2013
04:38 Observe the fair with Governor Yuuji Kuroiwa of Kanagawa Prefecture
04:51 Depart
04:52 Arrive at Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel
05:04 Meet with President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso
05:29 President Bensalah of the Council of the Nation of Algeria
06:35 Depart from hotel
06:37 Arrive at Yokohama Royal Park Hotel
07:00 Host welcome reception with Mayor of Yokohama
07:57 Depart from hotel
07:59 Arrive at Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel

Reporting from South Sudan

On July 9, the Republic of South Sudan became the world's newest country. Independence follows a referendum vote in January in which 98.83% of South Sudanese voters decided to separate from Northern Sudan and its government in Khartoum. The referendum was a provision of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended the second North-South civil war since Sudan's independence in. The overwhelming vote for independence surprised no one, and most Southern Sudanese view this Saturday as the culmination of their struggle against more than a century of Ottoman, British/Egyptian, and Northern Sudanese oppression.

Juba, the capital city, was a Northern-held garrison town during the war, but has been growing every day since the peace in 2005. The Government of South Sudan has been preparing the city to receive thirty-five African heads of state and innumerable other dignitaries and visitors for the Independence celebrations. A nice, wide JICA-funded bridge over the creek near my office opened on Monday, and the new mayor has been energetically leading a much-needed campaign against litter.

Japan has successfully courted leaders in both Khartoum and Juba, but diplomacy with South Sudan will be more challenging for China. The majority of Sudan's oil is underneath Southern ground. However, all the pipelines, refineries and handling facilities are in the north, which has been sending 65% of its exports to China. The People's Republic gained some points this year in the South with the construction of a hospital in Unity State, Vice President Riek Machar's birthplace. But some of that goodwill was no doubt lost at the end of June, when Beijing hosted Sudanese President Omar al Bashir in the midst of his military aggression in the border areas of Abyei, Southern Kordofan, and even parts of Unity State. The Government of Southern Sudan plans to build a pipeline south through Kenya, but it will be a long time until oil flows anywhere but north.

Oil diplomacy and relations with Khartoum will challenge the new country but the larger issue will be internal tribalism. Cross-ethnic cattle raiding, agriculturalist-pastoralist conflict, factionalism from wartime divisions within the South, and a perception of tribal favoritism in the government combine to create a lot of internal instability.

It is to foster reconciliation that the Church is focusing its work as independence comes. South Sudan has seen very high rates of conversion to Christianity within the last hundred—and even the last twenty—years. Most people at least partially identify with a church, which is often the only form of non-tribal civil society. The five main denominations are Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and Africa Inland Church. These and smaller churches are typically very united in message, though their demographics still often reflect earlier missionaries’ territorial division of labor. (Most Nuer Christians, for instance, are Presbyterian.)

The Church’s anti-tribalism strategy has been three-fold. It regularly preaches communal reconciliation, based on similar preaching for Jewish and Greek members of New Testament-era congregations. Together with the government, denominations also promote education, aiding development and occupying young would-be cattle keepers and cattle raiders. And thirdly, especially here in Juba, it preaches against corruption and nepotism, since those vices not only waste meager resources, but breed hostility toward the state.

Church, state, citizens, allies and friends will all have a lot of work to do starting July 10. But no matter how landlocked or unstable, on July 9th, the newly minted citizens of the Republic of South Sudan will be on top of the world.

Reporting by John Marienau Turpin who lives in Juba, South Sudan. He teaches Church History at Bishop Gwynne Episcopal Theological College and works with African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM). He worked for APP from 2004-05.

Washington winds down

CHINA’S IMPACT IN AFRICA: HOW DOES CHINA’S ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA COMPARE WITH THE WEST’S? 12/16, 12:30-2:00pm, Lunch, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Society for International Development. Speakers: Ezra Suruma, Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution; Former Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development in Uganda; Derek Scissors, Research Fellow at the Asian Studies Center and the Heritage Foundation, Adjunct Professor at George Washington University, and author of Where China Invests, And Why It Matters; Uche Igwe, Civil Society Liaison Officer, Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; Visiting Scholar at the Africa Studies Program, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

CHINA'S UNBALANCED GROWTH: VICE OR VIRTUE? 12/16, 9:00-11:00am, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Carnegie Endowment. Speakers: Myron Brilliant, senior vice president of international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Yukon Huang, senior fellow at CEIP's Asia Program; Michael Pettis, senior associate at CEIP's Asia Program; and Douglas Paal, vice president of studies at CEIP.

FIRST QUADRENNIAL DIPLOMACY AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW: STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S ROLE IN 21ST CENTURY. 12/16, Noon-1:15pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Woodrow Wilson Center. Speakers: Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director, Office of Policy Planning, US Department of State; John Sewell, Senior Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

TONY BLAIR: "REFORM FOR RESULTS: HOW AFRICA'S LEADERS ARE TRANSFORMING GOVERNMENT AND HOW WE CAN HELP." 12/16, 9:30am, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Center for Global Development. Speaker: Tony Blair, Former British Prime Minister.

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO RECLAIM AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP. 12/16, 8:30am-12:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Darrell West, Vice President and Director, Governance Studies; Aneesh Chopra, US Chief Technology Officer, Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House; Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to President Obama for Education, Domestic Policy Council, White House; Phil Weiser, Senior Advisor for Technology and Innovation to the National Economic Council Director, White House; James H. Shelton III, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, US Department of Education; Karen Cator, Director, Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education; Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy, Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House; Terry Moe, Member, Koret Task Force on K–12 Education, Hoover Institution; William Bennett, Munro Professor of Political Science, Stanford University; Stacey Childress, Deputy Director of Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dan Kaufman, Director, Information Processing Techniques Office, DARPA; Brett Pelham, Program Director, Head of Cyber-learning, National Science Foundation; Bror Saxberg, Chief Learning Officer, Kaplan, Inc; Ed Fish, CEO, ePals.com; Peter Levin, Chief Technology Officer, US Department of Veterans Affairs; Paul Peterson, Director of, Program on Education Policy and Governance, Harvard University; Marilyn Reznick, Executive Director, AT&T Foundation; Bob Wise, Former Governor (D-WV), Co-chair, Digital Learning Council.