Mansfield Fellows Meet with MEXT Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi

February 15, 2018

Mansfield Fellows Charles Mahaffey (U.S. Department of State) and Stephen Ching (U.S. Department of State) both recently began placements at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and last week they had an opportunity to meet with MEXT Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. Councillor Hayashi has served as MEXT Minister since last August, but his connection to the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program dates back to its establishment.  In the early 1990s he helped write the legislation that created the Fellowship Program while serving as a Congressional Fellow in the office of the late U.S. Senator William Roth. In recent years Minister Hayashi has met regularly with the Mansfield Fellows in Japan and hosted several Mansfield Fellows in his Diet office.  Mr. Ching currently is working in the International Affairs Division of the Minister’s Secretariat at MEXT.  Mr. Mahaffey began his placement in the Atomic Energy Division of MEXT’s Research and Development Bureau earlier this month. The Mansfield Fellows presented Minister Hayashi with friendship coins from the 22nd Mansfield Fellowship class and the Department of State at last week’s meeting.