First let me thank JFSS for organizing and hosting the Taiwan Crisis simulation exercise that was held July 15-16, 2023. I considered it an honor to participate in the role of the U.S. President, with CSIS Japan Chair Christopher Johnstone as the U.S. National Security Advisor, and together with currently active Japan Diet members led by former Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera in the role of the Prime Minister, many retired senior Japan Self Defense Forces personnel, and many former senior career officials of the Japanese government, who came not only from the Ministry of Defense but also from many other ministries and agencies. Those other ministries and agencies will have important roles to play in a real-world response to a crisis in the Taiwan Strait or in Japanʼs Southwest Islands, so I was happy to see their active participation. I also was very happy to see participation by a contingent from Taiwan.
