April 10, 1995

Press Contact: Jeanne Smith (202) 707-9337,
Public Contact: Mindy Kotler (202) 332-5224

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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