On November 20, the above symposium was held. Prof. Tanaka noted that the significance of Obama's election victory is that the U.S. demonstrated it was capable of changing Itself after Bush's unilateralist approach resulted in a diplomatic and economic mess, and this will have the effect of restoring lost international trust in the U.S. Prof. Nakayama said that much of the Japanese media coverage of the election tended to focus on the first black U.S. president and the full meaning of his victory may be lost on many people in Japan. He noted that many U.S. voters supported Obama as a leader who eloquently spoke of changing the nation and who just happens to be black. A total of 140 people attended.

Speakers:	Kent Calder Director, Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University Rust Deming Adjunct Professor, Japan Studies, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University
Commentator:	Yoshihide Soeya ProfessorAPolitical Science, Keio University/ Director, Keio Institute of East Asian Studies

On November 28, above seminar was held. Dr. Calder said that the U.S-Japan relationship is changing in some very important structural ways that makes the bilateral ties more challenging but create new opportunities that are different from the past. Ambassador Deming noted that Japanese media reactions to Obama′s victory suggest that Japan may be greeting the next administration with caution and may not be fully aware of the opportunities presented by a globalist leader the United States has not had for a long time. A total 120 people attended the seminar.

The above seminar was held on November 12, 2008 at Keidanren Kaikan, with Paola Subacchi and Vanessa Rossi, both from the Royal Institute of International Affairs, popularly known as the Chatham House, serving as speakers. During the seminar, they stated that the size of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries′ sovereign wealth funds (SWF) is larger than that of their combined national economies, but that, to be able to manage the financial crisis, they need to build a strong system. The two speakers also pointed out that, since transition to a single currency within the GCC would take time, the current financial regime will most likely be maintained for the time being. Some 100 people attended.

On August 27, the above seminar was held. Mr. Isdel said that businesses back efforts to support the sustainability of the communities they serve because they are essential to the future of our business and to our ability to earn a profit in the 21st century. A total of 80 people attended.

On July 29, the above meeting was held. Dr. Smith noted that that whoever becomes U.S. president, the U.S.-Japan alliance will have to be reconfirmed, given that Japan now sits in a very different strategic context compared to the past 56 years of the alliance. A total of 60 people attended.

On July 15, the above meeting was held. Dr. Vogel noted that the U.S. and Japan should become truly equal partners and a reassessment of the U.S.-Japan alliance will be necessary. He also pointed out that the two countries should cooperate more closely in addressing global economic issues.

The above symposium was held on June 2. Kevin Nealer said that winner of the November election, presumably either Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, will maintain the “global war on terror” as a priority and will likely step up U.S. operations in Afghanistan, and the next president will expect Japan to play an even greater security role than in the current administration. A total 90 people attended the symposium.

On March 27, 2008, the above seminar was held jointly with Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation).
At the seminar, speeches were carried out on the background of how the European Union (EU) came to have great influence internationally on regulations and standardization, on the current situation and how to cope with such situations in the future, which were followed by a panel discussion on the issues among the speakers.
In the fields of communication, chemicals and machinery safety, formation of frameworks for regulations and standardization has been progressing under the EU initiative, and that the situation is such that it is very difficult for Japan to get involved in their decision making process.
They also discussed that, with this situation in mind, Japan needs to have a strategy so that Japan can stay competitive in the EU-led international competition, such as shifting its independent policy of personnel exchanges and technological development to more of an international joint development approach, and create more advanced institutional design. Some 130 people attended the seminar.

The above symposium was held on March 24, 2008. Prominent scholars from Japan, Singapore, India, China and Malaysia discussed how the dynamism of Asia can be sustained, including important issues such as the impediments to further economic integration in Asia, whether ASEAN can continue to serve as the hub of Asia, financial cooperation, energy security, environmental issues and demographic issues.
In the discussion session, they exchanged views on how the subprime-triggered U.S. economic turmoil could affect the dynamism of Asia.
A total of 100 people attended the symposium.

The above symposium was held on February 25 at the Palace Hotel in Tokyo. Dr. Mann noted that given the current political environment that strongly favors the Democrats, there is a possibility of a "substantial" Democratic victory in the presidential election plus some gains in the party's congressional majority. Yet, whoever becomes President, there are many difficult issues that the country must face and there are no easy answers. A total of 110 people attended the symposium.

Panel 1 "The Domestic Dimension"
M. Taylor Fravel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, MIT
Edward Steinfeld, Associate Professor of Political Science, Director, MIT-China Program
George Gilboy, Research Affiliate, MIT Center For International Studies
General Manager, Greater China Region, for Woodside Energy Ltd. of Australia

Panel 2 "The Regional Dimension"
Chikako Kawakatsu Ueki, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University
Robert Madsen, Senior Fellow, MIT Center for International Studies
Takashi Shiraishi, Professor and Vice President, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, President, Institute of Developing Economies (IDE)-JETRO

Akihiko Tanaka, Professor, University of Tokyo

The above symposium was jointly organized by MIT Japan Program and Kezai Koho Center on January 23. U.S. Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer delivered a keynote speech on "The Strategic Choices for Northeast Asia in the 21st Century." This was followed by a panel that discussed how the rise of China is affecting the domestic politics of countries throughout the region, including China itself.