Please join the US-Japan Roundtable’s Annual Washington Conference. The conference is co-hosted by the Howard Baker Forum and the Atlantic Council, and it will take place at the Willard Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004) on Thursday, February 23rd, 2023, from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET. The US-Japan Annual Washington Conference will address the global implications of Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, and it will assess opportunities for the US and Japan to work together, especially in energy security and civil nuclear cooperation. 

The Howard Baker Forum, which sponsors the US-Japan Roundtable’s Washington Conference, provides a platform for examining specific, immediate, and critical issues affecting the nation’s progress at home and its relations abroad. Established under the leadership of Senator Howard Baker, the Forum continues to organize a variety of programs and research projects to illuminate public policy challenges facing the nation today.

The Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs by providing an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century. Through the papers it publishes, the ideas it generates, the future leaders it develops, and the communities it builds, the Atlantic Council shapes policy choices and strategies to create a more free, secure, and prosperous world.

Agenda | Thursday, February 23

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast


9:00 – 9:05 a.m. Welcome remarks

Scott Campbell, President, Howard Baker Forum


 9:05 – 9:30 a.m. Keynote remarks

The Hon. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, US Department of Energy

Izuru Kobayashi, Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)


9:30 – 10:30 a.m. PANEL I: Nuclear energy policy – The global state of play 

Aleshia Duncan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation, US Department of Energy

The Hon. Jeffrey Merrifield, Partner and Energy Section Leader, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Satoru Yasuraoka, Principal Deputy Director, Office for International Nuclear Energy Cooperation, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

MODERATED BY

Jennifer Gordon, Director, Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, Atlantic Council


10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Coffee break


11:00 – 12:00 p.m. PANEL II: Enabling nuclear energy innovation in the US and Japan

Alice Caponiti, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reactor Fleet and Advanced Reactor Deployment, Office of Nuclear Energy, US Department of Energy

Nicole Holmes, Chief Commercial Officer, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy

Hidehito Mimaki, Deputy Head of Nuclear Energy Systems, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Clayton Scott, Executive Vice President for Business Development, NuScale

MODERATED BY

Carol Berrigan, Executive Director of Federal Programs and Supplier Relations, Nuclear Energy Institute


Networking lunch


12:25– 12:55 p.m. Fireside chat: Nuclear in the context of the energy market

Julie Kozeracki, Senior Advisor, Loan Programs Office, US Department of Energy

MODERATED BY

Jennifer Gordon, Director, Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, Atlantic Council


12:55– 1:25 p.m. Fireside chat: Japan in the context of East Asian security

Markus Garlauskas, Director, Indo-Pacific Security Initiative, Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

MODERATED BY

Scott Campbell, President, Howard Baker Forum


1:25 – 1:30 p.m. Pre-recorded distinguished remarks

The Hon. Rahm Emanuel, US Ambassador to Japan, Embassy of the United States to Japan


1:30 – 2:30 p.m. PANEL III: Strengthening nuclear energy supply chains

Justin Friedman, Senior Advisor for Commercial Competitiveness in Nuclear Energy, US Department of State

Florie Knauf Anderson, Director of Supplier Relations, Nuclear Energy Institute

Daniel Leistikow, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Centrus Energy Corporation

Akihito Uetake, Senior Managing Director, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum

MODERATED BY

Jennifer Gordon, Director, Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, Atlantic Council


2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Coffee break


3:00 – 4:00 p.m. PANEL IV: The role of nuclear energy in industrial policy
– A view from the US and Japan

Yasuharu Kimura, Associate Executive Officer and General Manager, Nuclear Energy Department, Energy Solutions, JGC Corporation

Carol Lane, Vice President, Government Affairs, X-energy

Amy Roma, Partner and Energy Practice Leader, Hogan Lovells

Brett Smith, Senior Director, Government Relations, American Iron and Steel Institute

Satoru Yasuraoka, Principal Deputy Director, Office for International Nuclear Energy Cooperation, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

MODERATED BY

George David Banks, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center


4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Closing remarks

Scott Campbell, President, Howard Baker Forum

Jennifer Gordon, Director, Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, Atlantic Council

Itaru Kikuoka, Deputy Director for Nuclear Energy Systems Department, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries


4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Cocktail reception

Learn more about the Global Energy Center

The Global Energy Center develops and promotes pragmatic and nonpartisan policy solutions designed to advance global energy security, enhance economic opportunity, and accelerate pathways to net-zero emissions.