U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel to Tokyo and Seattle October 24-27. This will be her fourth trip to the Indo-Pacific region since May and demonstrates the United States' continued commitment to the region and our allies Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
In Tokyo, Deputy Secretary Sherman will hold meetings with senior Japanese officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa, Director General of the National Security Secretariat Akiba Takeo, Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo, and Vice Minister of Defense Suzuki Atsuo. She will also participate in a trilateral meeting with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo and ROK First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyundong, and she will hold a separate bilateral meeting with ROK First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyundong. While in Tokyo, Deputy Secretary Sherman will discuss women's empowerment with a group of Japanese and ROK university students. She will also participate in a discussion on marriage equality with Japanese LGBTQI+ community leaders.
In Seattle, the Deputy Secretary will highlight sources of U.S. foreign policy strength at home. She will meet with Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and visit the Seattle Passport Agency. The Deputy Secretary will also host a roundtable with members of Seattle's Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities to share perspectives on U.S. foreign policy. The Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs Jessica Lewis will meet with Boeing executives to discuss U.S. competitiveness and the challenges presented by defense production capacity issues. The Deputy Secretary and Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nate Fick will visit the T-Mobile Tech Experience 5G Hub and meet with executives to discuss U.S. technology policy and expanding opportunities for U.S. telecommunications companies. At the University of Washington, Deputy Secretary Sherman and Ambassador Fick will speak with students about the critical role that technology and workforce development play in addressing the foreign policy challenges of the 21st century.
