The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission recently hosted the first in a series of online discussions on Resilient Rural Communities in the United States and Japan. On September 12, 2019, the Commission’s Vice Chair Dr. Sheila Smith, Senior Fellow in Japan Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations moderated a discussion with experts from the United States and Japan, who shared approaches to considering what rural resilience means for their country. Discussants spoke about current initiatives that might offer ideas and stimulate thought between U.S. and Japanese rural innovators, while exploring the synergies and differences between rural policy in the U.S. and Japanese context.
Maki Hijikata, Chief Liaison with the Mayor’s Office, Project Execution, Environment, Gender Issues, Toyama City, Japan
David Leckey, Executive Director, Orton Family Foundation
Taylor Stuckert, AICP, Executive Director, Clinton County Regional Planning Commission & Co-Founder, Energize Clinton County