The government has been expanding a program to win over public opinion in the United States on Japan's foreign policy related to defense and the disputes with China and South Korea over territory and wartime history.
The program is aimed at encouraging more Americans to back Japan in the war of words with its neighbors. A pillar of the strategy is presenting Japan's policies through events organized by U.S. think tanks that are influential in policymaking and forming public opinion.
"I found American people's understanding of Japan is still insufficient," scholar Yuichi Hosoya said after taking part as a panelist in one such symposium on bilateral relations in November in Washington. "There must be more opportunities like this."