(See earlier activities)

Upcoming events (Dates subject to change):

• Post-Primary Analysis and Look-Ahead to the General Election (June 2008)

Program Focus: Elections 2008

What are the factors that will determine who the next president is? What issues will play a significant role in the presidential and congressional campaigns? How will new political leaders address the challenges of domestic and foreign policy? Tokyo American Center programs in the lead-up to the November 2008 U.S. elections are examining these and other questions. With these activities and related services of the Information Resource Center, we are working to improve understanding of the U.S. political process.

Online reference materials on U.S. elections

• U.S. Elections Guide on America.gov
• Elections 2008 from Embassy Information Resource Center’s "About the USA"
• Embassy Information Resource Center “Kisokoza” programs on elections

April 2008: Democratic and Republican Representatives Debate National and International Issues

On April 25, the Tokyo American Center hosted a policy debate focused on the 2008 presidential election campaign between representatives of the U.S. Democratic and Republican parties for an audience of over 100. In addition, 15 students in Taiwan listened to the program and asked questions via digital video conference from the American Institute in Taipei. Presenting the Republican perspective was Christopher J. Fussner, the Global Chairman of Republicans Abroad, and representing the Democrats was Dr. Robert M. "Skip" Orr, representing "Dexpat," an arm of Democrats Abroad specifically for business leaders. The lively opening statements by each speaker of his party's positions on issues ranging from defense policy to taxes to foreign policy and trade led into to an animated and entertaining debate, giving the audience a taste of the emotions involved in the "race for the White House."

March 2008: U.S. Economic Trends and Political Implications

Tokyo American Center (TAC) hosted a lecture/discussion on the "Outlook for U.S. Economic Policy: International Implications" with Dr. I.M. Destler, Professor at the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland. The presentation focused on current trends and the likely policy proposals that will come from the U.S. Government, Congress, and the presidential campaigns. Destler responded to a series of questions related to the prospects for U.S. and global economic stabilization, and more important for the curious audience, he described possible scenarios under a new administration, particularly in the area of monetary policy and trade agreements.

December 2007: Understanding U.S. Elections and Campaign Financing

Massie Ritsch, Communications Director at the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington D.C.-based political watchdog organization, spoke to an audience of over 70 people at the Tokyo American Center on "How to Follow the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election."

Mr. Ritsch highlighted the importance of money in the 2008 election campaign - which will be the most expensive in American history - by drawing from his organization's website, www.OpenSecrets.org. The site has a wealth of information on the amount of money each candidate has raised and from what sectors and people they have received donations.

Mr. Ritsch also outlined the American caucus and primary systems and gave an overview of the frontrunners for each party's nomination. Mr. Ritsch's program helped explain the quite alien primary system in the U.S. for a Japanese audience and described in unique detail the role of money in the campaign to increase understanding of the American political process. Mr. Ritsch's presentation and especially his tour of the OpenSecrets.com website showed the importance of civil society watchdog organizations in the U.S., and demonstrated the relatively remarkable transparency of the American political financing system.

November 2007: The Next Administration and Challenges for U.S. Policy in Asia

With the cosponsorship of the Council on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs Japan, and the support of the Asahi Shimbun and the Japan Foundation, TAC held an afternoon-long symposium on November 13, with nearly 200 Japanese scholars, policy makers and journalists in attendance. Led by a keynote speech by CFR President Richard Haass, the symposium included three discussion sessions devoted to developments in China, the Korean peninsula and trans-Pacific economic relations. The major challenges, as outlined by Dr. Haass, include:

October 2007: Elections and Their Ramifications for U.S.-Japan Relations

Weston Konishi, Hitachi International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, shared his observations on the 2008 field of candidates in an October 11 presentation at TAC. Responding to the audience's interest in the prospects for a transition from a Republican to Democratic administration, Konishi highlighted the positions of a number of Democratic candidates on foreign policy issues related to Japan and Asia, and offered a preview of debates over trade, defense, democratization and antiterrorism that may emerge in the course of the campaign.

Konishi also made a similar presentation in early November for Tokyo-area graduate students in the TAC's "American Classroom" seminar series, where participants could discuss political change in Japan and the U.S., and how trends will interact in the future of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Other recent programs:

April 2008: U.S. Expert Discusses Successes and Challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan

On April 16, the Middle East Institute of Japan (MEIJ) and the Tokyo American Center co-hosted a seminar entitled "Current Challenges in Post-Bhutto Pakistan and Pre-Spring Offensive Afghanistan" with Ms. Lisa Curtis, a Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, for an audience of Japanese Middle East specialists, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials and journalists. Ms. Curtis assessed the outcome of the February 18 election in Pakistan as positive, noting that it was an important step towards countering extremist ideologies, and emphasized the need to increase cooperation to eradicate terrorist groups from the areas bordering Afghanistan. She argued for greater international support of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan to protect the fragile progress in that country and guard against a resilient Taliban.