2008 Year Ahead Part II: Politics and Diplomacy in Japan February 19, 2008

The Japan Society of Northern California, with the generous support of the Union Bank of California, presents a two-part review of cultural, societal and political developments in Japan.

What issues await Japanese politicians and diplomats in 2008? At home, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda must rebuild his Liberal Democratic Party while working with an upper house controlled by rambunctious Democratic Party of Japan. Abroad, Japanese politicians and diplomats grapple with Japan's role in the U.S.- led "War on Terror," a nuclear North Korea, and sovereignty disputes with China and South Korea. Two of the top new voices in U.S.-Japan relations will share their views on Japanese political, diplomatic and security challenges in the year ahead.

Andrew Oros - Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Washington College; selected as one of five "emerging leaders" in US-Japan relations by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007; specializes in international and comparative politics of East Asia.

Yuki Tatsumi - Research Fellow of the East Asia Program at the Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington D.C. Her analyses on Japanese defense policy, the US-Japan alliance and Japanese domestic politics appear frequently in PacNet Newsletter. She has also contributed articles to Japanese journals, including Ronza, Sekai Shuho, and Seiron.

Robert Weiner (moderator) - Assistant professor of political science at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His research and teaching focus is on Japanese East Asian politics, political parties and elections, democratic institutions, and research methods.

Co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council, University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim, UC Berkeley Institute of East Asian Studies and the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.

For reservations, please visit the events link at www.usajapan.org or call 415-986-4383.

$5 Japan Society members and members of co-sponsoring organizations; $15 General Admission; Free for Japan Society Student Members.

Official Website: http://www.usajapan.org/