MFP No. 21 Begins Fellowship Year
July 14, 2016
MFP No. 21 Begins Fellowship Year
This week members of the twenty-first group of Mansfield Fellows began their seven-week homestay and Japanese language immersion program in Ishikawa Prefecture. This portion of their Fellowship year allows the Fellows to improve their Japanese language skills, participate in professional site visits and cultural activities, and meet with government leaders and policy experts before starting ten months of placements in Tokyo. The new Fellows began the week with an opening ceremony at the Ishikawa Foundation for International Exchange (IFIE), where they will be pursuing a course of intensive Japanese language study. Please click here to read an IFIE blogpost in Japanese about this event.
Before arriving in Ishikawa, the Fellows had a series of orientation meetings in Tokyo. On July 8 they had the opportunity to meet with alumni Fellows Amy Jackson (PhRMA Japan Representative, Mansfield Fellow 1995-1997), Nathan Purdy (Senior FAA Representative, Pacific Rim, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Mansfield Fellow 2011-2013), and four members of the twentieth group of Mansfield Fellows: Jeffrey Kim (U.S. Navy), Zensaku Munn (U.S. Air Force), Rico Doss (U.S. House of Representatives), and Patrick Tibbals (U.S. Air Force). Captain Kim and Lt. Col. Munn are among the members of the twentieth group assigned to new positions in Japan. Major Tibbals has been assigned to Osan Air Base in Korea, where he will oversee operational communications and cybersecurity functions as Director of Operations, 51st Communications Squadron
