RJIF Senior Fellow Masayuki Hironaka has co-written a report from Sasakawa USA. This report is one of the first to examine the role of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) within the US-Japan alliance, and how the JSDF has over the years contributed to sustaining and enhancing the alliance. As the alliance further evolves, the JSDF …

RJIF Senior Fellow Masayuki Hironaka has co-written a report from Sasakawa USA Read More »

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato commented on the Bloomberg article on February 1, 2017, on the occasion of the first trip to Japan by a Trump administration cabinet member, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis. Please click here to read the full article

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato wrote an op-ed for the Chugoku Shimbun, published on January 15, 2017. The op-ed is published in several other newspapers as well. Click here for the op-ed ※ Licensed from the Chugoku Shimbun

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato will participate in a discussion, “Strengthening Atlantic-Pacific Partnership,” held by the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., on January 27, 2017. Though the United States has alliances in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, they have tended to operate on separate policy tracks. In an increasingly globalized world, the result …

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato will participate in a discussion held by the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. Read More »

Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post, published on January 18, 2017. The op-ed discussed Ambassador Caroline Kennedy’s manifold contributions to U.S.-Japan relations and its historic significance on the occasion of the end of her term in Japan. * Please click here to read the full …

RJIF Chairman’s op-ed published in the Washington Post Read More »

A co-organized event by the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation (RJIF) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will be held at CSIS Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 24, 2017. RJIF Chairman Dr. Yoichi Funabashi will deliver opening remarks, and Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato, and Project Members Ken Jimbo (Associate Professor, Keio …

Co-organized event by RJIF and CSIS will be held at CSIS Headquarters(Washington, D.C.) Read More »

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato participated in a panel discussion held in Washington, D.C. by the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), a division of The Johns Hopkins University, on January 6, 2017. In the event, “The Way Ahead: A Discussion of the U.S.-Japan Relationship under the Trump-Abe Administrations,” two panels …

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato participated in a panel discussion held by the SAIS, a division of The Johns Hopkins University (Washington, D.C.) Read More »

Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, wrote an article, “Donald Trump’s Shock Doctrine Will Make China Even Stronger,” for the December 26th issue of Time magazine. This article is also available on TIME’s website. The article discussed the potential risks to the Asia-Pacific region that could be triggered by a shift …

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Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, wrote an op-ed for the Financial Times, published on December 7, 2016. The op-ed discussed the future of Russo-Japan relations, ahead of the President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe summit in Japan on the following week. The piece argues that the west should …

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Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, was interviewed by James Harding (Director, BBC News) and Zanny Minton Beddoes (Editor, The Economist) for the BBC’s “On Background” radio program, which talks to experts about the big stories of the week. Dr. Funabashi commented on how he sees the trajectory of US-Japan relations …

RJIF Chairman interviewed by the BBC Read More »

Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, was interviewed by the ABC NewsRadio program, “Japan in Focus,” and the interview was broadcasted on November 21, 2016. Dr. Funabashi delivered his views regarding the meeting between Prime Minister Abe and President-elect Trump held in New York City on November 17, 2016, and also …

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Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, was received an interview by NewsPicks. (Published on November 20, 2016) Regarding the emergence of President Trump, Dr. Funabashi talked about its meaning and its effects on the international order and Japan-U.S. relations. * Please click here to read the article (Japanese)

Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, has published two op-eds: “The Trump Effect on Tokyo” (The New York Times, November 15, 2016) and “A message from Asia-Pacific to President-elect Trump” (The Straits Times, November 16, 2016). Responding to the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States, …

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RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato will participate in a panel discussion held by the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) at the Toranomon Hills in Tokyo on December 1, 2016. Please click here for details and sign-up

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato participated in a panel discussion, “The Asian Research Network: Survey on America’s Role in the Asia-Pacific,” held by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, and Perth USAsia Centre at the the International House of Japan (I-House) in Tokyo on October 19, 2016. The …

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Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato participated in a discussion held by the 7th Xinagshan Forum in Beijing, China, on October 12, 2016. To watch the panel, visit at: http://english.cntv.cn/2016/10/14/VIDE54a1qel4gqfwQ997A8gb161014.shtml About Xinagshan Forum, visit at: http://www.xiangshanforum.cn/

“Men to Devils, Devils to Men: Japanese War Crimes and Chinese Justice,” a book by Dr. Barak Kushner, co-editor of the RJIF book, “Examining Japan’s Lost Decades,” and Associate Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, won the John K. Fairbank Prize for East Asian History from American Historical Association’s 2016 Prize. * Click …

Dr. Barak Kushner, co-editor of the RJIF book, “Examining Japan’s Lost Decades,” has won the American Historical Association’s 2016 Prize Read More »

Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, will participate in a discussion, “The United States and Japan: The Cornerstones of the Pacific,” held by the Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington, D.C. on October 5, 2016. Other leading U.S.-Japan experts including Dr. Kurt M. Campbell, RJIF Distinguished Guest Scholar and Former …

Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, RJIF Chairman, will participate in a discussion at the Center for American Progress. The event will be livestreamed on October 5th, 2016 10:00am ET.　 Read More »

RJIF Research Director Kay Kitazawa delivered a speech at Japan Update 2016, an annual international symposium providing Australian audiences with a comprehensive overview of Japan’s current economic, social and political landscape. This year Japan Update was held at Australian National University (ANU) on September 21, 2016, and was attended by 300 policymakers, academics, and other …

RJIF Research Director Kay Kitazawa delivered a speech at Japan Update 2016 at ANU, and co-edited the latest “Reinventing Japan” issue of East Asia Forum Quarterly Read More »

RJIF Fellow Miyuki Otomo’s article was published on September 27, 2016 in the morning edition of the Nikkei Shimbun. The piece, “Professional elderly care: the valuation should be increased,” emphasizes the importance of creating more options for elderly care services, as well as the necessity of clear understanding and improvement in the value of the …

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RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato commented on the Straits Times on September 19, 2016. Please click here to read the article

RJIF Fellow Miyuki Otomo’s received an interview from the NewsPicks. (Published on September 17, 2016) Please click here to read the article (Japanese) For English, please click here

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato commented on the Straits Times on August 23, 2016. Please click here to read the full article

Dr Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, collaborated with Dr Chung Min Lee, Professor at Yonsei University and a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on an op-ed for the Washington Post. The piece, “Despite Trump’s wishes, America can’t turn its back on Japan and South Korea,“ argues that …

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Dr Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, will appear on the NHK BS Premium show, “Showa no sentaku: Nuclear-free world and the challenge to authority – Reconsidering Tanzan Ishibashi”, as a guest panelist on August 25, 2016 at 20:00. Program (Japanese): Showa no sentaku: Nuclear-free world and the challenge to authority – …

Dr Yoichi Funabashi, RJIF Chairman, will appear on a NHK BS Premium show “Showa no sentaku: Tanzan Ishibashi” on August 25, 2016 Read More »

The Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation (RJIF) is pleased to announce that Mr. Hiroyuki Nakashima has been appointed as a Fellow. Mr. Nakashima is Senior Representative at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation’s Representative Office in Washington D.C. and from 1 May 2016, he will join RJIF to oversee projects related to geopolitics and geoeconomics. Profile …

Mr. Hiroyuki Nakashima appointed as a Fellow at RJIF Read More »

RJIF Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato’s article, “Japan’s ‘Coping’ Diplomacy, Challenged by Changing World Order” was published in an essay volume by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy’s (NCAFP). The article, which is in the format of an interview, was originally published by the Asahi Shimbun’s Asia & Japan Watch in December, 2015. The …

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The Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation (RJIF) is pleased to announce that Mr. Tatsuhito Tokuchi has been appointed as a Senior Fellow. Most recently, Mr. Tokuchi was the Managing Director & Chairman of the Investment Banking Committee at CITIC Securities Co., Ltd., and from 1 April 2016 he will join RJIF to oversee the projects related …

Mr. Tatsuhito Tokuchi appointed as Senior Fellow at RJIF Read More »

A commentary by RJIF’s Kay Kitazawa marking five years since March 11th, 2011, was recently published Entitled “The Mistrust Remains,” her piece examines how the response of the nuclear industry and its regulators to 3/11 failed to build public trust, and argues that this still presents a major hurdle for nuclear policy debates where Japan …

RJIF Research Director Kay Kitazawa’s commentary in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Read More »

On March 2, 2016, an article written by researcher Sophie Knight about the growth in sharehouses in Japan was published on Nippon.com, a site covering Japanese society and culture. Titled “A  Greater Share for the Japanese Sharehouse”, the article introduces several sharehouses that either unite people in a common interest or hobby, or else respond …

RJIF publishes article on Nippon.com about sharehouses in Japan Read More »

Kay Kitazawa, RJIF Research Director’s article “Five years on, Japan’s crisis response infrastructure still lacking” was published in the East Asia Forum on March 5, 2016. The essay explores the vulnerability of Japan’s crisis management system by studying the responses of four hospitals located within a 20 to 30 kilometre radius of the Fukushima Daiichi …

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On February 19, 2016, ten members from the Center for American Progress, a leading U.S. think-tank, joined working group members from RJIF’s Independent Investigation Commission on the Fukushima Nuclear Accident to exchange views on the Japanese government’s crisis response to the Fukushima Nuclear Accident in 2011. Both sides were particularly interested in the challenge of …

Center for American Progress delegation visits RJIF to discuss “Post Fukushima – risk governance and security” Read More »

“Japan’s Population Implosion: The 50 Million Shock – Survey Report by Private Ad Hoc Commission on the Population Issue” (English title is tentative), was reviewed in the November 2nd issue of the weekly magazine Nikkei Business. Prof. Kazumasa Oguro, Hosei University, writes that the report is a timely contribution to the discussion on Japan’s demographic …

Japan’s Population Implosion: The 50 Million Shock introduced in Nikkei Business Read More »

Dr. Yoichi Funabashi’s essay “Population Implosion – How will Japan respond to the crisis?” was published in the February 2016 edition of Ushio. The essay explores the Abe administration’s new policy to promote “the Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens” with its specific target of raising the total fertility rate to 1.8. http://www.usio.co.jp/html/usio/index.php (link in Japanese)

Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, Dr. Yoichi Funabashi wrote an essay, “Japan’s Silver Pacifism”, that explores the geopolitical implications of Japan’s demographic trends. The essay was published in the Jan/Feb 2016 edition of The National Interest.

The December issue of the Ministry of Finance’s monthly journal Finance has published an article on Japan’s Population Implosion. The article discusses the founding of the Private Ad Hoc Commission on Population Issue, and explains the Commission’s multifaceted survey and study of the population issue and its policy proposals. The book is described as an …

Japan’s Population Implosion: The 50 Million Shock introduced in Ministry of Finance’s monthly journal Finance Read More »

On November 14, an article written by researcher Sophie Knight on healthy Japanese homes that use little to no active heating was published in the Financial Times. Titled “Japan’s house for all seasons”, the article was the fifth in a series RJIF is publishing as a result of its research project into Japan’s contemporary living …

RJIF publishes article in Financial Times on passive houses in Japan Read More »

On October 6, 2015, Dr Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation (RJIF), appeared in Asia Society’s ChinaFile Conversation. He answered the question of “What Will the TPP Mean for China?”. He discusses the geopolitical significance of the trade pact agreement, and the implications for the future Asia-Pacific regional order. The Asia Society …

RJIF Chairman’s response to “What Will the TPP Mean for China” in the Asia Society’s China File Read More »

On September 14, an article written by RJIF researcher Sophie Knight on interior firm Muji’s renovation of old housing complexes in Japan was published in online business magazine Quartz. Titled “Muji is collaborating with Japan’s housing agency to makeover old apartments”, the article was the fourth in a series RJIF is publishing as a result …

RJIF publishes article in Quartz on Muji renovating old public housing complexes Read More »

Dr Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, contributed to the 30th Anniversary Special Edition of The National Interest (Sept/Oct 2015). Dr Funabashi appears alongside an all-star cast to answer the question of “What is America’s Purpose?” He argues that the future of American power must be a long-term game of strategic rebalancing …

RJIF Chairman in the 30th Anniversary Special Edition of The National Interest Read More »

Chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, Dr. Yoichi Funabashi’s commentary on “Japan’s Gray-Haired Pacifism” appeared in the International New York Times on 12 August 2015. Dr. Funabashi explores the implications of Japan’s demographic trends, and in particular a super-aging society, and its impact on Japan’s defense policy.

The Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation (RJIF) is pleased to announce that Mr. Martin Fackler has been appointed as a Research Fellow and Journalist-in-Residence. Most recently, Mr. Fackler was the Tokyo bureau chief of the New York Times, and from 1 September 2015 he will join RJIF to oversee research projects and communications. (* Mr. Martin …

Martin Fackler appointed as Journalist-in-Residence at RJIF Read More »