March 20, 2018 - In This Issue:


 

Live Stream: "Testing Trilateral, U.S.-Japan, and U.S.-ROK Responses to North Korean Provocations: Tabletop Exercise Pacific Trident"

Sasakawa USA will release a new report, "Testing Trilateral, U.S.-Japan, and U.S.-ROK Responses to North Korean Provocations: Tabletop Exercise Pacific Trident" at an invite-only luncheon for media on March 22. The event will be live streamed from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (EST) on the Sasakawa USA website. A panel will discuss Exercise Pacific Trident, a three-day tabletop exercise designed to test the policy, diplomatic, and military responses of the United States, Japan and South Korea to North Korean provocations that involve all three countries. The Exercise Pacific Trident report will be posted online at noon on March 22. 

The panel will be moderated by Katrina Manson, Foreign Policy and Defense Correspondent for the Financial Times. The panelists include Ambassador  James Zumwalt, CEO, Sasakawa USA; Admiral  Dennis Blair (Ret.) Chairman, Sasakawa USA;  Lt. Gen In-Bum Chun (ret.), Former Deputy Commander, First ROK Army; and Vice Admiral  Masanori Yoshida (Ret.), Vice President, International Security Affairs, Sojitz Corporation of America.


Japan Political Pulse: Scandal raises doubts about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ability to win a third term

A recent government scandal may hurt Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ability to win a third term. Tobias Harris, Sasakawa USA Fellow for Economy, Trade, and Business, looks at recent public opinion polls in Japan and what those polls reveal about Abe's political future in Sasakawa USA's latest Japan Political Pulse article.

Event Recap: The Alliance Working in America trip to Oregon forged new partnerships in U.S.-Japan relations

A Sasakawa USA delegation had a successful trip to Oregon March 1-2 to highlight the depth and breadth of U.S.-Japan security, trade, and cultural relations and how they are represented in Oregon. Sasakawa USA visited Portland and Salem with a group of foreign policy and trade experts to conduct the second installment in its The Alliance Working in American (TAWA) Program. Read a recap and view pictures.

Over two days, the delegation participated in numerous events in partnership with World Oregon and other local organizations, including the Japan American Society of Oregon, the Japanese Portland Garden, Willamette University, Portland State University, and the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Alumni Association of Portland.
True Stories from Japan: A wedding invitation offers first sign of acceptance for JET program teacher 

We've published a new True Stories from Japan post: Former JET program teacher Hayley Aron shares how she found friendship with coworkers in Okinawa  when they attended a local wedding together. Aron's experience living in Japan was challenging at times, but ultimately rewarding for her. Aron writes, "Throughout all the troubles one encounters while living in a foreign place, with patience and a friendly smile, one can eventually find a true sense of connection."

                    
MAP Analysis: Two new articles examine China's maritime role in the South China Sea and the Arctic

Two new articles from the Maritime Awareness Project (MAP) this month examine concerns over Chinese behavior in the South China Sea and the Arctic. MAP is a joint project run by Sasakawa USA and the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR).

Hong Thao Nguyen and Binh Ton-Nu Thanh look at the ways China strengthened it's position in the South China Sea dispute in "Perspectives on the South China Sea Dispute."

Nong Hong writes about shipping-related issues in "China's New Arctic Policy: Legal Questions and Practical Challenges."

Recap: Sasakawa USA Alumni Reunion Dinner 

On March 14, 2018, Sasakawa USA held its End-of-the-Year Dinner with Friends and Alumni, featuring a keynote speech from Manny Manriquez, General Director of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc (JAMA) Washington Office, and a special preview into the research of the three participants of Sasakawa USA's In-Depth Alumni Research Trip.

The private reception was a celebration of Sasakawa USA's Japan Alumni Program, held exclusively for those who visited Japan under programs organized or sponsored by Sasakawa USA and its sister organizations, as well as for friends and partners in the U.S.-Japan community who have collaborated with Sasakawa USA on other projects and events.
                    
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