Since 1968, JCIE has been carrying out a Parliamentary Exchange Program that brings members of the Diet to the United States and American members of Congress to Japan for substantive briefings and dialogue. During a four-day visit to Washington DC in spring 2014, six Diet members met with nearly 50 government officials, Congressional leaders, think tank experts, and Japan specialists to discuss the state of US-Japan relations. This program had one unique aspect: in addition to featuring general discussions on bilateral issues, it focused on ways of forging deeper cooperation on global health. The delegation met not only with their Congressional counterparts, but also with international leaders such as World Bank President Jim Kim and officials from the US State Department, USAID, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Participants
| Hon. Motohisa Furukawa | Member, House of Representatives; former Minister for National Policy; former Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy; former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Co-chair, Friends of the Global Fund Japan Diet Task Force—Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) |
|---|---|
| Hon. Naoki Kazama | Member, House of Councillors—DPJ |
| Hon. Kenji Kosaka | Member, House of Councillors; Chairman, Commission on the Constitution; former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Acting Chair, Diet Task Force on Global Polio Eradication—Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) |
| Hon. Yasuhisa Shiozaki | Member, House of Representatives; former Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan—LDP |
| Hon. Keizo Takemi | Member, House of Councillors; Chairman, Committee on Governing Structures; former Senior Vice Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare; Chair, Executive Committee on Global Health and Human Security—LDP |
| Hon. Mayuko Toyota | Member, House of Representatives—LDP |
