April 10, 1995
Press Contact: Jeanne Smith (202) 707-9337,
Public Contact: Mindy Kotler (202) 332-5224
Japanese Public Policy To Be Explored in a Library of Congress Conference
The Japan Documentation Center of the Library of Congress
will sponsor a conference entitled "Japanese Public Policy
Perspectives and Resources" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday,
April 24. The conference will be held in the Mumford Room on the
sixth floor of the Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Specialists from government, academia and the private sector
will explain the process by which trade, economic and other
policies evolve in Japan. Featured speakers include
representatives from the Federal Reserve Board, the Institute for
Defense Analysis, the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
and universities across the nation.
The scholars will discuss the roles played by politicians,
journalists, trade associations, the private sector and
government ministries. They will address the importance of
understanding Japanese public policy information and
documentation, and discuss domestic politics, international
relations and security policy in addition to trade and economic
policy.
Among speakers focusing on decision-making within the
Japanese ministries are: Dr. Sheila Smith of Boston University, a
scholar on Japanese security policy; Keith
Henry of the Tokyo Office of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Japan Program, an expert on the relationships between
government and industry; and Dr. Masao Miyamoto, author of
Straitjacket Society (Kodansha International, 1995) and a
former official in the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The seminar is being sponsored by the Japan Documentation
Center with the assistance of the Japan Information Access
Project. The Japan Documentation Center is a joint undertaking by
the Library of Congress and the Center for Global Partnership of
the Japan Foundation. It was established by Congress in 1992 to
provide current information on Japanese public policy and
research in politics, the economy, social conditions, the
environment and business. The Center is a part of the Library of
Congress's Asian Division and operates an acquisitions facility
in Tokyo. The director of the center is Ichiko Morita, a former
professor and head of the cataloging department at Ohio State
University.
The Japan Information Access Project is an independent,
nonprofit membership organization that helps American decision-
makers learn how to access, use and understand Japanese
scientific, technical and policy information.
To register or receive more information about the
conference, call the Japan Information Access Project at (202)
332-5224.
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PR 95-053
4/10/95
ISSN 0731-3527