President Obama's proposal for global nuclear disarmament has re-energized the vision of "a world free of nuclear weapons." Yet the path to abolition of nuclear weapons is far from simple. Many issues, such as improved security for nuclear weapons materials, and the balance between the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence and the promotion of nuclear disarmament, require further discussion between the United States and Japan on how to reach the goal of "a world free of nuclear weapons."

In light of this situation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, in cooperation with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has invited Former Secretary of Defence Dr. William Perry, a pivotal figure in crafting nuclear disarmament policy under the Obama administration, and who currently serves as the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor at Stanford University, as well as other distinguished experts from the United States and Japan, to discuss the roles of Japan and the United States in global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

The details of the event are as follows:

Dates: October 21, 2009 October 22, 2009 Venue: Conference Room "Orizuru Rei" "Orizuru Yu," Hotel New Otani, Tokyo 4-1 Kioi-cho, Chiroda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8578 Program: October 21, 2009, At Conference Room "Orizuru Rei," Hotel New Otani, Tokyo <First Session: Speeches and Dialogue> 17:00-17:10 Opening Remarks Jiro Hanyu, Chairman, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation 17:10-17:40 Keynote Speech Yukio Satoh, Vice-Chair of the Japan Institute of International Affairs Former Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations 17:40-18:10 Memorial Speech William Perry, Former US Secretary of Defence; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor, and co-director, Preventive Defense Project, Stanford University 18:10-19:30 Panel Dialogue William Perry Shotaro Yachi, Professor of Waseda University, Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Former Special Envoy of the Government of Japan. Moderator: Ryuichi Teshima. Journalist, Former Washington Bureau Chief of NHK 19:30-19:40 Closing Remarks Robert Hathaway, Director, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 19:50-21:00 Reception: (At Conference Room "OrizuruYu") Remarks Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman, The Nippon Foundation ? October 22, 2009, At Conference Room "Orizuru Yu," Hotel New Otani, Tokyo <Second Session: Panel Discussion> 9:00- Opening Announcements 9:05-9:20 Wrap-up report on the first session Nobumasa Akiyama, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Law/ Graduate School of International Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University; Adjunct Research Fellow of Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) 9:20-10:35 Panel 1 "Ensuring the Credibility of Extended Deterrence in Promoting Nuclear Disarmament" Facilitator: Nobumasa Akiyama Panelists: Ken Jimbo, Associate Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University Robert Litwak, Director of International Security Studies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Charles Ferguson, Council on Foreign Relations 10:35-10:50 Coffee Break 10:50-12:05 Panel 2 "Toward US-Japan Global Partnership for Nuclear Threat Reduction" Facilitator: Nobumasa Akiyama Panelists: Katsuhisa Furukawa, Fellow, Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society, Japan Science and Technology Agency Tatsujiro Suzuki, Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo Barry Posen, Ford International Professor of Political Science at MIT, Director of the MIT Security Studies Program / Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar 12:05-12:15 Closing Remarks Language: English/Japanese, with simultaneous interpretation Participation Fee: free Contact: Kaori Kobayashi, Yumiko Nozaki, Aya Murata, Project Division, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Tel: 03-6229-5439 Please register by 17:00 Monday 19th October. *Please note that the venue has a limited number of seats, and places will be allocated on a first come-first served basis.