US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Mr Joseph M. Young paid a courtesy visit to the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) Leader Yukio Edano on February 14, together with Deputy Political Minister-Counselor Simon Lee and Second Secretary Eric Fong. They were joined by Director-General of the CDP International Bureau Akiko Kamei, as well as Deputy Directors Shu Sakurai and Maiko Tajima. During the meeting, they discussed various immediate political issues surrounding Japan.

During the exchange, the Chargé d'Affaires expressed his interest in discussing with the opposition current challenges and upcoming policies regarding the further expansion of the Free Trade Agreement. Leader Edano conveyed the position of the CDP, namely, that while the importance of free trade is understood, domestic measures in various fields such as farmers’ household income compensation systems are still far from adequate. In addition, measures to deal with the currently spreading novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, were also discussed, as a global issue extending beyond Japan and the United States. Both parties expressed their shared affirmation to continue cooperation, centered on the friendship built through Operation Tomodachi following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.