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The U.S.-Japan Research Institute (USJI), an NPO jointly operated by Waseda University and based in Washington D.C., held a series of seminars as part its USJI Week from September 9-15.

USJI Week has been held every February since 2010. This year’s event explored the theme of “Challenges and Opportunities for future Japan” in nine separate seminars that covered topics such as innovation, world peace and political leadership, government and economics, energy policy, and medicine.

Waseda University Professors Shuichi Furuya (Faculty of Law), Shunji Yanai (former Japanese Ambassador to the U.S.), and Kazuo Kuroda (Faculty of International Research and Education) spoke at the event.

Professor Furuya served as moderator in a seminar titled “Seeking an Effective Framework of International Legal Order in the Asia-Pacific Region,” where American researchers and lawyers discussed diplomatic issues in the region such as China’s rise to power and territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas.

Professor and former Japanese Ambassador to the U.S., Shunji Yanai, spoke at the seminar titled “A New Era for the Asia-Pacific: Challenges for US-Japan Relations,” which was moderated by Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Sheila A. Smith. In this seminar, a group of distinguished speakers including former American Ambassador to Tunisia, Rust Deming, retired United States Navy admiral and former commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific Region, Dennis Blair, and former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt Cambell, discussed the future of U.S.-Japan relations following the 70^th anniversary of the end of World War II, and answered questions from the audience.

Professor Kazuo Kuroda spoke as a commentator at the seminar titled “Japan-US Partnership towards the formation of Asian Higher Education Area focusing on ASEAN,” which was moderated by Sophia University Professor Hirosato Yasushi. Professor Kuroda spoke of how important it is for East Asia to work together in order to develop educational networks between Asia and the U.S., promote peace and mutual understanding, and maintain stable continuous development.

USJI also held a study meeting for students from George Washington University, Georgetown University, and other universities in the D.C. area. At the study meeting, World War II veteran and 2^nd generation Japanese-American, Terry Shima, shared his wartime experiences and discussed the horrors of war and the struggles of Japanese-Americans living in the U.S.

USJI is based on Waseda’s academic principles and is cooperating with industrial and government organizations to help resolve various issues.

Videos of each seminar at USJI Week can be found on their official website.