U.S.-Japan Technology Cooperation: Shaping the Future of AI and Quantum

As technological leadership becomes an increasingly essential element of national power, strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific is driving innovation and investment in emerging technologies such as AI and quantum. While these technologies offer significant potential for economic growth and competitiveness, they also present security, economic, and governance risks. Both the United States and Japan have adopted AI policies to spur innovation while encouraging the development of global governance frameworks and cooperating on areas such as AI safety and export controls. Growing interest in quantum technologies has further deepened U.S.-Japan cooperation, with Japan positioning itself as a key partner through major investments and research collaboration. Bilateral cooperation in AI and quantum at both the policy and private sector levels reflects the growing importance of technology to the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Please join the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) for a public event in Seattle on Tuesday, November 18th from 3:00p.m.-5:15p.m. on U.S.-Japan cooperation in AI and quantum technology. The event will feature remarks from Consul-General of Japan in Seattle Makoto Iyori and NBR President Michael Wills, and an expert panel discussion on U.S.-Japan cooperation in AI governance and quantum technology.

Agenda

3:00 p.m. – Registration & Coffee

3:15 p.m. – Welcome Remarks

• Michael Wills, President, The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)

3:20 p.m. – Opening Remarks

• Makoto Iyori, Consul-General of Japan in Seattle

3:25 p.m. – Panel Discussion

• Kyoko Yoshinaga, Project Associate Professor, Keio University

• Ulrike Schaede, Professor, University of California San Diego

• Hodan Omaar, Senior Policy Manager, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
• Jonathon Marek, Assistant Director, Technology and Geoeconomic Affairs, NBR (moderator)

4:20 p.m. – Reception and light refreshments

5:15 p.m. – Event concludes

Speakers

Kyoko Yoshinaga is a Project Associate Professor at Keio University’s Graduate School of Media and Governance and an Affiliate Scholar at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy. Her work focuses on the law and policy of emerging technologies, particularly AI governance and ethics. She also serves as an expert for the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).

Ulrike Schaede is a Professor of Japanese Business at the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. Her research focuses on global business and Japanese business organization, strategy and management under the digital transformation. She is also the founding director of the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology and a member of the Board of Advisors at the National Bureau of Asian Research.

Hodan Omaar is a Senior Policy Manager at the Information and Technology Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation. Her areas of expertise include AI, data, and quantum policy. Previously, she worked as a senior consultant on technology and risk management in London and as a crypto-economist in Berlin.

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