---
title: Doshisha University’s Koji Murata (USJLP 2000) Publishes Reflections on U.S.-Japan Relations in Chuo Koron
description: Koji Murata's reflection on U.S.-Japan relations highlights the need to renew human ties between the nations, featured in Chuo Koron's August 2025 issue.
---

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# [Doshisha University’s Koji Murata (USJLP 2000) Publishes Reflections on U.S.-Japan Relations in Chuo Koron](https://us-jf.org/en/news/doshisha-universitys-koji-murata-usjlp-2000-publishes-reflections-on-us-japan-relations-in-chuo-koron)

 Written by [USJF](https://us-jf.org/en/news/author/usjf) | Aug 15, 2025 10:47:10 AM

An essay written by Dr. Koji Murata, Professor and former President of Doshisha University, titled “*The End of the ‘Japan Hands’ Era–or a Rebirth?*”, appears in the August 2025 issue of *Chuo Koron*, one of Japan’s most respected public affairs magazines. Murata is a Fellow of the [U.S.-Japan Leadership Program](https://us-jf.org/en/usjlp?hsLang=en) (2000)<https://us-jf.org/en/usjlp?hsLang=en>, which brings young leaders from both the U.S. and Japan, a transnational network that has grown to more than 550 members. 

In the piece, Dr. Murata reflects on the tradition of personal diplomacy and intellectual bridge-building that has long sustained the U.S.-Japan alliance. He traces the legacy of American and Japanese figures who have nurtured mutual understanding across turbulent decades and poses an urgent question for the present: What must be done to renew these human ties for the next generation?

“This is my eulogy for Ambassadors [Richard Armitage](https://www.stimson.org/2025/remembering-richard-armitage/), [Mike Armacost](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sfgate/name/michael-armacost-obituary?id=57958690), and Professors [Joseph Nye](https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/international-relations-security/joseph-nye-obituary) and [James Auer](https://as.vanderbilt.edu/news/2024/05/23/auer-founder-of-the-center-for-u-s-japan-studies-and-cooperation-has-died/),” he writes, honoring the lasting contributions of those most influential inside and outside of government in recognizing and defining the shape and role of the U.S.-Japan relationship from the 1970s to today. 

At a time of shifting geopolitical dynamics and generational change, Dr. Murata’s essay underscores the importance of continuing to invest in people-to-people connections between Japan and the United States. A perfect example of this sort of connection is the USJLP network, which Murata calls "Japan Hands 2.0 with diverse backgrounds.”

Dr. Murata’s full article is available in the [August 2025 issue of Chuo Koron](https://chuokoron.jp/chuokoron/backnumber/127078.html). For more information about USJF programs that foster U.S.-Japan dialogue and leadership, please visit [www.us-jf.org](https://www.us-jf.org?hsLang=en).

[View full post](https://us-jf.org/en/news/doshisha-universitys-koji-murata-usjlp-2000-publishes-reflections-on-us-japan-relations-in-chuo-koron)

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