Monday in Washington, December 16, 2013

ANNUAL ENERGY OUTLOOK 2014. 12/16, 9:30-11:00am. Sponsor: Energy, Resources and Environment Program, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speaker: Adam Sieminski, Administrator, US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

DEEP INTEGRATION IN MEGA TRADE AGREEMENTS: WHAT ROLE FOR JAPAN AND THE US? 12/16, 10:00-11:30am. Sponsor: Center for East Asia Policy Studies, Brookings Institution. Speakers: Michitaka Nakatomi, Consulting Fellow, RIETI; Bruce Stokes, Director of Global Economic Attitudes, PEW Research Center; John Veroneau, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP; Yorizumi Watanabe, Professor of International Political Economy, Keio University.

THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE KINGSBURY COMMITMENT. 12/16, Noon-1:30pm. Sponsor: Hudson Institute. Speakers: Robert Crandall, Brookings; John Thorne, Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evan & Figel, PLLC. 

THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC): TECHNOLOGY AND REFORM PROJECT. 12/16, Noon-6:30pm. Sponsors: TechFreedom; International Center for Law and Economics. Speaker: Joshua Wright, FTC Commissioner.

IRAQ WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SECURITY CHALLENGES, DEFENSE PARTNERING, AND GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND CAPITAL INVESTMENTS. 12/16, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: Diplomacy Matters Institute. Speaker: Luqman Faily, Iraqi Ambassador to the US, fee.

CLIMATE INFORMATION NEEDS FOR FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING. 12/16, 3:00-5:00pm. Sponsors: American Meteorological Society; University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). Speakers: Lawrence Buja, Director, Climate Science and Applications Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research; Sharon Hays, Account General Manager, Computer Sciences Corporation; Jeffrey Marqusee, Chief Scientist for Engineering and Environment, Noblis.

THE FEDERATED DEFENSE PROJECT LAUNCH. 12/16, 5:00-7:00pm. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Richard Armitage, President, Armitage International; Peter Westmacott, British Ambassador to the US; Jon Alterman, Director, Middle East Program, CSIS; David Berteau, Senior Vice President and Director, National Security Program on Industry and Resources, CSIS; Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, CSIS; Scott Miller, Senior Advisor and Scholl Chair in International Business, CSIS.

RETHINKING NATIONAL AND CYBER SECURITY POLICIES. 12/16, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsor: Rethinking Seminar Series, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. Speaker: Jason Healey, Director, Cyber Statecraft Initiative, Atlantic Council.

THE ROLE OF CIRCUMVENTING TOOLS IN INTERNET FILTERING COUNTRIES. 12/16, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsor: New America Foundation. Speaker: Collin Anderson, Technology Researcher.

Monday in Washington, December 2, 2013

HISTORICAL RECONCILIATION AND PROSPERITY IN NORTHEAST ASIA: 70 YEARS SINCE THE CAIRO DECLARATION. 12/2, 8:45am-5:40pm. Sponsor: Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University (GWU); "Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific Program." Speakers: Mike Mochizuki, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; James Matray, Professor, California State University; Robert Sutter, Professor of Practice of International Affairs, GWU, Deepa Ollapally, Associate Director, Sigur Center; Yong-Chool Ha, Professor, University of Washington; Hirofumi Hayashi, Professor, Kanto Gakuin University; Jennifer Lind (Associate Professor, Dartmouth College; Erin Aeran Chung, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University; Daqing Yang, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, GW; Thomas Berger, Associate Professor, Boston University; John Duncan, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles.

US-CHINA CLEAN AIR AND CLIMATE COOPERATION. 12/2, 10:30-11:30am. Sponsor: Center for American Progress (CAP). Speakers: Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator; Carol Browner, Senior Fellow, CAP.

DANCING WITH THE DEVIL: LESSONS FROM NEGOTIATING WITH ROGUES AND TERRORISTS. 12/2, 5:30-7:00pm. Sponsor: American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Speaker: Author, Michael Rubin, Resident Scholar, AEI.

A CONVERSATION ON US-PHILIPPINE RELATIONS. 12/2, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsor: Women's Foreign Policy Group. Speaker: Jose Cuisia Jr., Philippine Ambassador to the US. Fee.

Monday in Washington, November 18, 2013

AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION BREAKFAST: THE STATE OF THE AIR FORCE. 11/18, 7:00-9:00am. Sponsor: Air Force Association (AFA). Speaker: Eric Fanning, Acting Air Force Secretary.

OIL SECURITY AND THE US MILITARY COMMITMENT TO THE PERSIAN GULF. 11/18, 9:00am-2:30pm. Sponsor: Institute for Security and Conflict Studies, George Washington University. Speakers: Salim Yaqub, University of California-Santa Barbara; Thomas Lippman, Middle East Institute; Joshua Rovner, Southern Methodist University; Rosemary Kelanic, Elliot School, GW; Eugene Gholz, University of Texas; Kenneth Vincent, GWU; Charles Glaser, Elliot School; Daniel Byman, Georgetown University; Caitlin Talmadge, Elliot School, GW.

A PATH FOR DURABLE DEFENSE REFORM. 11/18, 11:00am-Noon. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: William Thornberry, R-TX; John Hamre, CEO and President, CSIS.

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS: WHAT IT MEANS TO THE SPACE AND SATELLITE INDUSTRY. 11/18, 11:30-1:45pm. Sponsor: Washington Space Business Roundtable. Speakers: Kevin Wolf, Assistant Commerce Secretary for Export Administration; James Stearns, Regional Trade Compliance Counsel for Americans, Accenture; Corinne Kaplan, Vice President of Affiliate Trade Compliance, EADS North America.

MAGNIFICENT DELUSIONS: PAKISTAN, THE US, AND AN EPIC HISTORY OF MISUNDERSTANDING. 11/18, 11:45am-2:00pm. Sponsor: Hudson Institute. Speaker: Author Husain Haqqani, Former Pakistani Ambassador to the US.

SISTER DON'T SLEEP: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. 11/18, 12:30-1:45pm. Sponsors: World Bank Gender & Development, Embassy of Italy. Speakers: Author Serena Dandini, Italian TV Host; Mary Ellsberg, Director, Global Women's Institute; Piero Cipollone, Executive Director for Italy, Portugal, Greece, Albania, Malta, San Marino & Timor-Leste, World Bank Group.

CITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY: ECOLOGY AND CONFLICT ON AN URBANIZING PLANET. 11/18, 2:00-3:30pm. Sponsors: Atlantic Council; Stimson Center. Speakers: Malia Du Mont, Strategist, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Peter Engelke, Senior Fellow, Strategic Foresight Initiative, Atlantic Council; Caitlin Francis, Sustainability and Urban Planner, Urban Programs Group, CH2M HILL; David Michael, Director, Environmental Security Program, Stimson.

DRIVING GOVERNMENT INNOVATION: LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO CHANGE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 11/18, 2:30-4:00pm. Sponsor: Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). Speakers: Darrell Issa, R-CA, Chairman, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman; Doug Bourgeois, Vice President of Services and Solutions, VMware; Mark Forman, Founder Government Transaction Services; John Landwehr, Vice President for Digital Government Solutions, Adobe; Dan Chenok, Executive Director, IBM Center for the Business of Government.

GLOBAL CORRUPTION REPORT: EDUCATION. 11/18, 3:00-4:00pm. Sponsor: InfoShop, World Bank. Speakers: Sanjay Pradhan, Vice President, Change, Knowledge and Learning, World Bank; Gareth Sweeney, Chief Editor, Global Corruption Report, Transparency International; Harry Patrinos, Education Manager, World Bank; Lubov Fajfer, Education and Youth Advisor, US Agency for International Development.

NEXT STEPS FOR THE US-JAPAN ALLIANCE. 11/18, 3:00-4:30pm. Sponsor: Carnegie. Speakers: Yuichi Hosoya, Professor of Law, Keio University; Matake Kamiya, Professor of International Relations, National Defense Academy Japan; Hisayoshi Ina, Foreign Policy Columnist, Nihon Keizai Shimbun; Keiko Iizuka, Senior Political Writer, Yomirui Shimbun; Yoichi Kato, National Security Correspondent, Asahi Shimbun; James Przystup, Senior Research Fellow, National Defense University.

DEBATING SOCIAL ISSUES AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN KAZAKHSTAN. 11/18, 4:30-6:00pm. Sponsor: Central Asia Program, Elliot School, George Washington University. Speakers: Marlene Laruelle, GWU; Margarita Assenova, Jamestown Foundation; Anara Ibraeva, Kazakhstan International Bureau for human Rights and Rule of Law.

AIRSEA BATTLE: USEFUL OR DANGEROUS? 11/18, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsor: Alexander Hamilton Society. Speakers: Elbridge Colby, Research Analyst, Center for Naval Analyses; Joshua Rovner, Professor of Political Science, Southern Methodist University; Thomas Mahnken, Chair of Economic Geography and National Security, Naval War College.

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S SECRET SIX: THE SPY RING THAT SAVED THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 11/18, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsor: Heritage Foundation. Speaker: Author Brian Kilmeade, Co-Host, Fox &Friends, Fox News Channel; Mike Gonzalez, Vice President, Communications, Heritage.

DATA + FOREIGN POLICY. 11/18, 6:30pm. Sponsor: Young Professionals in Foreign policy (YPFP). Speaker: Michael Leiter, Senior Counsel to CEO, Palantir Technologies.

Caroline Kennedy goes to Japan

Ambassador Caroline Kennedy was sworn in on November 12th and goes to Japan this week. Here is her introduction to the people of Japan. Gambatte!

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule October 1-11, 2013

October 1, 2013 (Tue)

AM

08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya (No visitors)

09:00 Depart from residence

09:15 Arrive at LDP Headquarters

09:24 Recommended Testimony Approval for Mayoral Candidate of Kawasaki

09:28 Certificate of Appreciation presented to Masuda Toshiya , President of Seed Company “Atriya;” Nikai Toshiro of Land Surveying is also in attendance

09:23 Executive Committee meeting

09:57 Meeting with Kato Katsunobu , member of the House of Representatives;  Seko Hiroshige,

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Ishiba Shigeru, Secretary General of the LDP; and Kawamura Takeo, Chairman of Sentai.

10:10 Departure from LDP Headquarters

10:12 Arrive at office

10:13 Meeting with Thomas J. Donahue from the US Chamber of Commerce

11:05 Industrial Competitiveness Council

11:40 Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy

PM

01:01 Government and ruling party meeting

01:23 Meeting with veteran journalist Kimura Taro 

02:17 Meeting with President of Japan Foundation Ando Hiroyasu 

02:41 Depart from office

02:53 Arrive at Nihon Keizai Shinbun’s Tokyo Headquarter’s in Otemachi for the Japan Foundation Symposium on "Asia in Harmony: New Horizons for Cultural Exchange."

03:13 Depart

03:22 Arrive at office

05:01 Cabinet meeting

05:17 Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro, Finance Minster Amari Akira, Minister of Public Management, Home Affair and Telecommunications ShindoYoshitaka  and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Science Hakubun Shimomura also in attendance

06:00 Press Conference

06:54 Interview with TV Tokyo

08:02 Interview with TBS

08:35 Arrive at official residence

08:48 Arrive at NHK

09:00 Appear on news program

09:20 Depart from NHK

09:44 Arrive at Nippon TV

10:00 Appear on BS NTV news program

10:37 Depart from Nippon TV

10:58 Arrive at private residence

October 2, 2013 (Wed)

AM

08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya (no visitors)

09:16 Depart from private residence

09:36 Arrive at office

09:37 Meeting with Yamamoto Kaguta, Minister of Northern Okinawa

09:47 Meeting with Defense Minister Onodera Itsunori 

10:39 Video recording for the Minamata Convention for Mercury

11:48 Depart from office

11:59 Arrive at JR Tokyo Station

PM

12:00 Depart from station

01:03 Meeting with Furuya Keiji , Abduction Issue Minister

01:51 Arrive at JR Nagoya Station

01:52 Depart from JR Nagoya station

01:53 Arrive at Kintetsu Nagoya Station

02:10 Depart from Kintetsu Nagoya Station via Limited Express train

03:33 Arrive at Kintetsu Ujiyamada Station to be greeted by Governor Suzuki Hidetaki

03:37 Depart from train station

03:51 Arrive at Ise Shrine for a meal

05:20 Depart from Ise Shrine

05:42 Arrive at Miyamae for meeting with Hakubun Shimomura of Education, Culture, Sports and Science

09:24 Depart from Miyamae

09:45 Arrive at Jingu Tsukasa Agency

10:00 Departure

11:33 Arrive at Nagoya Marriot Associate Hotel Nagoya (No visitors)

October 3, 2013 (Thu)

AM

07:17 Depart from the Marriot

07:18 Drive to JR Nagoya

07:24 Arrive at JR Nagoya

08:07 Meet with Eto Seichii, Assistant to the Prime Minister

09:03 Arrive in Tokyo

09:08 Depart from JR Tokyo

09:30 Arrive at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine Hall in Yoyogi Kamizono district

10:00 Meeting with Ibuki Bunmei and Yamazaki Masaaki speakers from both houses

Veterans Ceremony

10:20 Attend The Ceremony to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Law for Special Aid to the Wounded and Sick Retired Soldiers and the Ceremony to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Japanese Disabled Veterans Association

10:57 Depart from the event

11:12 Arrive at office

11:25 Meeting with NagamineYasumasa, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; Ishiguro Norihiko, Deputy Director for Economy, Trade and Industry; Miyauchi Yasutaka, Director of Customs; and Haribara Toshiro, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Deputy Director

11:37 Meeting with Ishiba Shigeru, LDP Secretary General for the Prime Minister

12:38 Meeting with Kimura Taro, Assistant to the Prime Minister

02:04 Meeting with Sugiyama Susumu , General Affairs Deputy Director; Yamazaki Tatsuo from Ministery of Finance; and Shigeharu Kato, Officer for the Ministry of Overseas Education

02:45 Meeting with Akitaka Saiki, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ihara Junichi, Director of the Asia Pacific Bureau

04:36 Meeting with Us Secretary of State John Kerry, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Kishida Fumio, Minister of Foreign affairs and Onodera Itsunori, Minister of Defense are also in attendance

05:48 Meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy

06:43 Cooperation document exchange ceremony of Japan and Spain followed by a joint press conference

07:05 Depart from office

07:06 Arrive at official residence for a dinner party

08:42 Dinner ends

08:43 See off Spanish Prime Minister

00:00 No visitors

October 4, 2013 (Fri)

AM

08:00 At official residence in Tomigaya

08:53 Depart from residence

09:07 Arrive at Headquarters on Creating Dynamism through Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Industries and Local Communities

09:32 Cabinet Meeting

09:47 Meeting with Inada Tomomi, Administrative Reform Minister

10:07 Meeting with Tamura Norihisa, Minister Director of Health Labor and Welfare

10:12 Meeting with Cabinet Secretariat Shotaro Yachi

10:30 Meeting with Murakami Seiichiro, Vice Chairman for the LDP Investigation on the Subcommittee on the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Investigation

10:51 Meeting with Amari Akira; Akitaka Saiki, Permanent Secretary; Sugiyama Susumu, Foreign Affairs Deputy Director; and Ihara Junichi, Asia Pacific Director

11:18 Meeting with Christopher A. Viehbacher, CEO of pharmaceutical company Sanofi

11:38 Shimomura Hakubun of Education, Sports and Science enters

11:52 Depart from office

11:53 Arrive at Tokyo Cabinet office

11:54 Signboard hanging for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic games

11:57 Depart

11:59 Arrive at office

PM

12:11 Government and ruling party liaison meeting

12:35 Meeting with New Komeito party leader Yamaguchi Natsuo; Cabinet Chief SugaYoshihide is also in attendance

01:10 Murai Yoshihiro, Governor of Miyagi, LDP House of Representatives member Ito Shintaro, Katsunobu Kato, Cabinet Deputy Secretary all enter

01:30 Sasae Kenichiro, Japanese Ambassador to the US also in attendance

01:41 Meeting with Sugiyama Shinsuke , Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Toyohisa Kozuki , General Director of European Affairs also in attendance.

02:01 Meeting with Sugiyama Yasumasa and Nagamine Anesei, Deputy Ministers of foreign affairs; Kozuki, General Director of the European Affairs; Bando Kumiko, Education, Director-General of Higher Education Bureau; and Director of the Ministry of Finance Ishiguro Norihiko all in attendance

02:11 Kozuki and Bando leave

02:14 Ihara Junichi, Asia Pacific Director enters

02:34 Yamazaki leaves

02:48 Ihara leaves

02:54 Everyone leaves

03:24 Toyoda Shoichiro, Honorary Chairman of NPO “ITS Japan” leaves

04:29 Interview with British newspaper, Financial Times with David Pilling and Jonathan Soble

05:31 Meeting with Suga Yoshihide, Kato Koichi, Seko Hiroshige and Sugita Kazuhiro, Vice Chief Cabinet Secretary

05:36 Kitamura Shigeru, Cabinet Information Officer enters

06:05 Courtesy call from Chairman Wiesel of the Okinawa Institute for Science and Technology Council. Nakai Masahiro, Governor of Okinawa present.

07:00 Depart from office

07:04 Arrive at ANA Intercontinental Hotel in Akasaka for dinner with Takenaka Heizo, Economics Professor from Keio University

09:00 Depart from the hotel

09:14 Arrive at private residence

00:00 No visitors

October 5, 2013 (Sat)

AM

08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya (no visitors)

PM

02:21 Depart from private residence

02:39 Arrive at Wako Hall in Tokyo’s Ginza District for calligraphy presentation "Yahagi Harue"

03:07 Depart from show

03:30 Arrive at JR Tokyo Station

03:40 Meeting with 3:40 pm, Yamamoto Kazuta Science and Technology Minister

05:51 Arrive at JR Kyoto Station

05:54 Depart from JR Kyoto

06:07 Arrive at Japanese restaurant, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, "Okazaki Tsuruya" for dinner with Kashiwabara Yasuo, Bank of Kyoto Chairman; Wacoal Holdings President Yoshikata Tsukamoto

08:36 Depart from restaurant

08:51 Arrive at the Grand Prince Hotel in Kyoto Ward

00:00 No visitors

October 6, 2013 (Sun)

AM

07:53 At Grand Prince Hotel in Kyoto

07:55 Arrive at Kyoto International Conference Center for the STS Conference and be greeted by Yamada Keiji, Governor of Kyoto Prefecture and Kadokawa Daisuku, Mayor of Kyoto

07:57 Start breakfast meeting and the "International Forum on the future of humanity and science and technology.” Omi Koji, Former Finance Minister is also present

09:13 Breakfast ends

09:37 Meet with Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Arkady Dvorkovich

10:19 Attend opening ceremony of the forum

10:21 Depart

11:55 Arrive at Kansai Airport

Not so stuffy Japanese bureaucrats

Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa’s cameo in a music video of “Fall-in-Love Fortune Cookie,” by J-pop‘s most popular girl group AKB48 has been viewed by 2.4 million people since it was launched in October. The Wall Street Journal's Japan RealTime Blog gives a good history of viral video.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule September 23-30, 2013

September 23, 2013 (Mon)

AM

09:15 Departure from private residence in Tomigaya to attend Koreisai Festival

09:30 Arrive at the Imperial Palace

11:16 Departure from the Imperial Palace

11:35 Arrival at private residence

PM

04:10 Departure from private residence

04:38 Arrival at Haneda Airport

04:47 Interviews with media outlets on the presence of Japan in the international community and the North America visit

September 24, 2013 (Tue) (Local Time September 23)

Arrive Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Aiprort followed by an interview with CTV and a dinner hosted by Canadian Speaker of the Senate Noel Kinsella

September 25, 2013 (Wed) (Local Time September 24)

Attend a welcoming ceremony at the Capitol building followed by a summit meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Offers flowers at Ground Zero

September 26, 2013 (Thu) (Local Time September 25)

Arrive in New York City at the Pierre Hotel to attend a lunch hosted by the Hudson Institute and gives a speech; Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio also be in attendance. Afterwards, speak at the New York Stock Exchange, visit Ground Zero and attend a reception hosted by Japan Society

September 27, 2013 (Fri) (Local Time September 26)

Attend a summit meeting with Iranian President Rhouhani at the UN Millenium Hotel. Afterwards go the the UN General Assembly for a high level speech on nuclear disarmament. Finally, attend in a summit meeting with Pakistani politician and industrialist Naway Sharif

September 28. 2013 (Sat) (Local Time September 28)

Have breakfast and then go to JFK international Airport. Depart for Haneda at 4:50am

September 29, 2013 (Sun)

AM

10:00 At private residence (no visitors)

11:36 Departure from residence

11:44 Arrive at Shibuya salon “Hair Guest” for a haircut

PM

01:15 Depart from salon

01:26 Arrive at private residence

03:29 Meeting with Shigeru Kitamura, Cabinet Informtion Officer

04:39 Meeting with President of Mongolia Tsakhiaglin Elbegdorj

September 30, 2013 (Mon)

AM

08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya

09:51 Depart from private residence

10:09 Arrive at the Imperial Palace for bookkeeping

10:18 Depart from the Imperial Palace

10:26 Arrive at office

10:27 Meeting with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka

11:16 Meeting with Hiramatsu Kenji, Comprehensive Foreign Policy Director and Kozuki Toyohisa, General Director of the European Affairs Bureau

11:40 Isa Ijima, Cabinet Secretariat in attendance

11:59 Forest and Fisheries Permanent Secretary Yoshitsugu Minagawa in attendance

PM

12:15 Depart from office

12:51 Arrive at the Hotel Okura

01:05 Meeting with Prince Andrew of Britain on the Kensington Terrace

01:31 Keynote address at the Anglo-Japanese Conference on Security and Cooperation hosted by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation

01:55 Depart from the Hotel Okura

02:00 Arrive at office

02:26 Meeting with Aso Taro, Chief Cabinet Secretary; Amari Akira, Finance Minister; and Chief Cabinet Secretary SugaYoshihide.

03:23 Advisory meeting on Asian Cultural Exchange

04:00 Meeting with Kitamura Shigeru, Cabinet Information Officer and Kinomura Kenichi, Minister of Defense Information

04:30 Kitamura leaves

04:48 Special Cabinet meeting begins

04:53 Special Cabinet meeting ends

05:12 Meeting with Tokuji Hideshi from the Defense Policy Bureau

06:45 Depart from office

06:55 Arrive at the Imperial Palace for Decision on Senior Vice-Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries

09:24 Depart from the Imperial Palace

09:31 Arrive at office

09:49 Photo shoot with Deputy Ministers

10:01 Meeting with Deputy Ministers

10:46 Letters of appointment to parliamentary secretary

11:03 Commemorative photo with parliamentary secretary

11:36 Arrival at private residence

11:45 No visitors

Rewalking the Path to Chinese Political Reform through Foreign Investment

A version of this essay first appeared in Asia Policy Point's  Asia Policy Calendar, November 3, 2013. The authors are Research Interns at APP, Mr. Michael Sutherland (Nebraska Wesleyan University) and Ms. Jessie Ding (Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania).

There are many expectations for China’s Third Plenum Meeting of its 18th Party Congress. During the November 9-12 meeting, President Xi Jinping is expected announce new, “liberal” economic reforms to accelerate the country’s internationalization. These financial and structural adjustments are unlikely to be matched on the political side. Nevertheless, as China engages in this “Opening Up 2.0,” its success can be used by the international community to exact more accountability from the Chinese government on human rights and political liberties.

Economists agree that the Chinese growth model needs to be reworked if it is going to remain sustainable. Brookings economist David Dollar notes: “On the demand side there needs to be a shift from investment to consumption…. Opening up to foreign investment and foreign trade is an important part of that agenda.” Xi’s reforms are expected to include a loosening of state controls and regulations to encourage foreign direct investment. As part of this opening to foreign investment, the United States and China have begun discussing the possibility of a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). China may also seek membership in the TPP, further opening itself to negotiations with the United States.

Chinese direct investment in the United States has expanded tremendously over the past five years, from $879 million in 2008 to $12.2 billion in 2013. On October 31st, President Barak Obama issued a statement that his administration is committed to bringing more foreign investment to the United States. Given how much the Chinese already invest in the United States and the amount of capital they have to spare, it seems likely that each of economy will become more intertwined.

In contrast, the Xi government has tried to restrain civil society and liberties. Over this summer, the government  began enforcing what is known as the “Seven Speak-Nots” (七不讲）. This policy prohibits the media, intellectuals, and university professors from discussing certain subjects in public. These include freedom of the press, civil society, and past mistakes of the Chinese Communist Party. In October Xia Yeliang, a professor at Peking University, was dismissed for discussing the internet as a tool for political reform. Mr. Xia reportedly has ties with the New Citizens’ Movement, a group of activists and academics in China who organize public meetings to call for political reforms.

Guo Feixiong, a leader of the New Citizens’ Movement, was was detained in Guangzhou on August 8th and formally arrested on October 17th. At an October 29^th House Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations hearing “Guo Feixiong and Freedom of Expression in China,” Mr. Guo’s wife and daughter testified alongside prominent Chinese civil rights activists Reverend Bob Fu and Chen Guangcheng. Each urged the Obama administration to appeal publicly to the Chinese government to release Guo Feixiong.

Both Reverend Fu and Mr. Chen suggested further measures that the Obama administration should press while negotiating with the Chinese government. Mr. Chen urged the United States government to commit to making the annual Human Rights Dialogue with the PRC an event that is on par with and connected to the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue (SED). Top officials from each government attend the SED, including the U.S. Secretaries of State and Treasury. However, the Human Rights Dialogue is conducted behind closed doors and involves mostly lower-level officials, allowing China to dismiss the event as insignificant. Reverend Fu felt that the HR Dialogue should be broadcast live, in order for the public to hold Chinese officials accountable for what they say.

China’s new focus on foreign investment possibly provides a political environment similar to when the country was trying to gain its Most-Favored-Nation trade status. China’s willingness to abide by international norms was a major factor in its success. The international laws and regulations needed to expand investment, therefore, should also come with conditions. The bilateral investment treaties can include stipulations regarding human rights and corporate social responsibilities.

The results of the Third Plenum may provide an indirect opportunity to influence political reform in China. Societal responsibilities and accountability are now at the core of today's global financial transactions. China's leadership wants something from the international community—market access and respect—that should not be given lightly. Human rights can and should again be tied to investment agreements and market access.

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 September 17-22, 2013

September 17, 2013 (Tue)

AM

08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo

09:24 Meet with Tokuchi Hideshi of the Ministry of Defense Policy Bureau and Kanehara Nobukatsu, Cabinet Deputy Secretary at residence.

09:29 LDP group meeting

09:32 LDP Executive Committee

09:40 Masahiko Komura, Vice President

09:43 Shigeru Ishiba, Secretary General of the LDP

09:44 Seiko Noda, President of Internal Affairs and Communication

09:46 Sanae Takaichi, Chairman of the Policy Research Council

09:48 Takeo Kawamura, Constituency Chairman

09:51 Shigeru Ishiba again

09:52 Ichiro Kamoshita, Diet Affairs Committee Chairman

09:54 Hiroyuki Hosoda, Acting Secretary

09:56 Wataru Takashita LDP member of the House of Representatives

09:58 Departure from LDP Headquarters

10:04 Cabinet meeting

10:27 Receive Zomahoun Idossou Rufin, Ambassador from Benin and Sugiyama Shinsuke, Head of the Asian and Oceanic affairs Bureau

10:40 Courtesy Call from the President of the Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee, Mr. Tsunekazu Takeda, Olympians and Paralympians

10:57 Departure from official residence

11:00 arrive at LDP headquarters

11:02 Meeting with the LDP General Council

11:12 Photo-shoot with new LDP directors

11:15 Meeting with Acting Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda

PM

12:00 Record message for local support group

12:07 Departure from LDP headquarters

12:09 Arrive at official residence

01:30 Meeting with Shimomura Hakubun, Minister of Education, and Shinichi Yamanaka, Permanent Secretary of Education, Culture, Sports, Science

02:02 Departure from official residence

02:14 Asahi TV interview

02:54 Meeting with Saiki Akitaka, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama Shinsuke and Junichi Ihara, Asia Pacific director

03:17 Ihara departs

03:18 Kenji Hiramatsu joins

04:00 Everyone leaves

04:16 Video recording message for the General Assembly of Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

04:37 Meeting with Shigeru Kitamura, Cabinet Information Officer and Koji Shimohira, Cabinet Satellite Information Center director

04:49 Shimohira leaves

05:05 Kitamura leaves

05:05 Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Reconstruction of the Legal Basis for Security begins.

06:42 Meeting ends

07:00 Return to official residence 

07:01 Meeting with Toshio Kagami, CEO and Uenishi Kyouchiro, president of Oriental Land Group

00:00 No visitors

September 18, 2013 (Wed)

AM

08:00 At residence in Tomigaya

05:50 Departure from residence

09:11 Meeting with Kato Katsunobu, Cabinet Deputy Secretary and Shinsuke Sugiyama, Assistant Foreign Affairs Deputy Director, Toshiro Haribara, Deputy Direct General of Agriculture of Forestry and Fisheries, Ryuji Masano, Vice Minister for Transport and International Affairs and Tatsu Yamazaki, International Director

09:28 Sugiyama leaves

09:56 Everyone else leaves

11:10 Meeting with Contemporary Artist Yayoi Kusama

11:31 Yayoi and Ryutaro leave

11:32 Meal with Oda Etsuro Yamaguchi Prefecture Medical Chairman

PM

12:45 Telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott

01:35 Meeting with Hiramatsu, General Ministry of Foreign Affairs Foreign Policy Director and Shigeru Iwasaki, Ministry of Defense Head of Joint Staff

02:05 Greet Kazuo Kodama Economic Ambassador from Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mission

02:16 Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso

03:08 Education Rebuilding Conference

03:48 Meeting with Shigeru Kitamura, Cabinet Information Officer

04:05 Meeting with Ashwani Kumar, Envoy for Japan-India Relations

04:34 Departure from official residence

04:45 Arrival at Imperial Palace for secret report to Emperor

05:25 Departure from Imperial Palace

05:31 Arrival at official residence

05:33 Meeting with Aisawa Ichiro, LDP House of Representatives and Keizo Takemi, House of Councillors member.

05:52 Nippon Manufacturing Grand Award ceremony

06:14 Visit with exhibit winners

06:32 Greeting at award ceremony

06:33 Departure from award ceremony

06:37 Arrive at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu in Tokyo, Nagatacho to attended the "meeting of female LDP lawmakers"

07:30 Departure from the hotel

07:32 Arrive at official residence

07:33 Dinner with Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture Yamamoto Shigetaro.

08:54 All guests leave

September 19^th, 2013 (Thu)

AM

07:15 At residence

07:24 Arrive at JR Tokyo Station

08:36 Depart from Yamabiko station No. 125

08:58 Arrive at Koriyama station

09:02 Leave Koriyama station

10:26 Arrive at TEPCO Fukushima Daichi Plant accident response base J-Village

10:27 Measurement of internal exposure dose, change of clothes, overview, lunch. Accompanied by
Akabane Kazuyoshi, Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Kazuhiko Shimokobe TEPCO chairman.

11:16 Departure

11:50 Arrival at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma prefecture, Futaba Ryocho. Talk with worker in the main anti-earthquake building

PM

12:02 Visit contaminated water storage facilities

12:09 Talk with media outlets

12:41 Departure

03:06 Arrival at J-Village

03:33 Departure from J-Village

04:11 Arrival at JR Iwaki station

04:17 Departure from Super Hitachi No. 54

06:34 Arrival at JR Ueno station

06:52 Arrival at restaurant Hirayama in Ginza. Dinner with Hiroshi Mikitani, President of Rakuten; Susumu Fujita, Cyber Agent President and Masato Matsuura, Avex Group Holdings President

09:01 Departure from restaurant

09:17 Arrival at Hotel New Otani in Tokyo, Kioicho. Round Table with Taichi Sakaiya, Cabinet participation, Aoki Hironori AOKI Holdings chairman, and Hiroshi Yamada House of Representatives member of the society of Japan Meiji Restoration in the rooms.

10:28 Arrive at official residence

Monday in Washington, November 4, 2013

THE FUTURE OF CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES. 11/4 - 11/7. Sponsor: Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum Ministerial.

CONSERVATIVE INTERNATIONALSIM: ARMED DIPLOMACY UNDER JEFFERSON, POLK, TRUMAN, AND REAGAN. 11/4, 11:00am-Noon. Sponsor: Heritage Foundation. Speaker: Author Henry Nau, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University.

MOSCOW'S 1993 AUTUMN CRISIS: TANK FIRE, ELECTORAL UPSET, AND THE AMERICAN POLICY RESPONSE. 11/4, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, Wilson Center. Speaker: E. Wayne Merry, Senior Fellow, for Europe and Eurasia, American Foreign Policy Council.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON: JAPAN. 11/4, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Public Diplomacy Council. Speaker: Masato Otaka, Minister for Public Affairs, Embassy of Japan.

FUTURE NUCLEAR RISKS AND DETERRENCE. 11/4, Noon-1:00pm. Sponsor: Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Speaker: Martin Hellman, Senior Fellow for Nuclear Risk Analysis, FAS.

PIRATE TRAILS: TRACKING THE ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS FROM PIRACY OFF THE HORN OF AFRICA. 11/4, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: InfoShop, World Bank. Speakers: Co-Author Stuart Yikona, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank; Jean Kamau, Ambassador, Kenya Embassy; Gary Porter, Negotiator in Piracy Cases, Clipper Group; Maresca Guiseppe, Chair, Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

CHINA AS A GLOBAL POWER. 11/4, 12:30-2:00pm. Sponsor: China Studies Program, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speaker: Anne-Marie Brady, Professor of Political Science, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

DOMESTIC BARRIERS TO DISMANTLING THE MILITANT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PAKISTAN. 11/4, 1:30-3:00pm. Sponsor: US Institute of Peace (USIP). Speakers: Thomas Lynch, Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University; Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations; Stephen Tankel, Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Justice, and Society, American University; Andrew Wilder, Vice President for South and Central Asia, USIP.

WOMEN, TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM: DECONSTRUCTING MYTHS, DISCUSSING REALITIES. 11/4, 3:30-5:00pm. Sponsors: Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security; McCain Institute for International Leadership; Center for Security Study. Speakers: Mia Bloom, Professor of Security Studies, University of Massachusetts; Bruce Hoffman, Director, Center for Security Studies; Jayne Huckerby, Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Duke University; Jane Lute, President and CEO, Council on Cyber Security; Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security; Cindy McCain, McCain Institute for International Leadership.

CONSERVATIVE INTERNATIONALISM: ARMED DIPLOMACY UNDER JEFFERSON, POLK, TRUMAN, AND REAGAN. 11/4, 5:30-7:00pm. Sponsor: American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Speakers: Author Henry Nau, Professor of Political Science, George Washington University; Arthur Brooks, AEI.

THE ENERGY REVOLUTION: KEY GEOPOLITICAL IMPACTS. 11/4, 5:30-7:00pm. Sponsor: SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speaker: Paolo Scaroni, CEO, Eni.

EVOLVING THINKING ON CONSERVATION POLICY. 11/4, 6:00-7:30pm. Sponsor: Georgetown University Science in the Public Interest; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); American Chemical Society (ACS). Speakers: John Fitzgerald, Attorney and former Policy Director, Society for Conservation Biology; Susan Haig, US Geological Survey; Christopher Meyer, Smithsonian Institution.

WELCOME THE NEW ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC. 11/4, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsor: US-Indonesia Society (USINDO). Speaker: Daniel Russel, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.