Ed Case (D-Hawaii), a bill the congressman co-sponsored “on the importance and vitality of the United States alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea” was sent to committee. For example, the day after lobbyists working for the government of Japan met with the office of Rep. The goals of this lobbying run the gamut, from increasing general support for Japan and South Korea to shifting billions of dollars in the Pentagon budget. In fact, nearly one-third of all lobbying done by both countries is explicitly tied to defense issues, including military basing and arms sales, or targeted at the armed services committees and military-focused staffers, according to the FITI reports. This immense breadth of lobbying on behalf of Japan and South Korea is coupled with a deep focus on members of Congress with the greatest sway over the issues these countries care most about, namely economic and defense issues. Amongst the Brownstein lobbyists at the firm that will be representing the South Korean government are Nadeam Elshami, former chief of staff to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, former Congressman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and former Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska). The South Korean government added to its already extensive Hill network earlier this year, singing a contract with Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck in January. Combined, they met with, called, or e-mailed the office of nearly every member of Congress.Īnd their influence is still growing. In just one year, 2019, lobbyists for these countries each contacted members of Congress or congressional staff more than a thousand times. Recently released reports on Japan and South Korea’s lobbying operations in the United States by the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative, which I direct at the Center for International Policy, documented just how massive these countries’ influence is on Capitol Hill. With this extraordinary spending, these countries by access, influence, effectively, a seat at the table in crafting U.S. To put this in perspective, the oft discussed Saudi lobby that helped drive Trump’s trip to Riyadh, has received just $109 million in this same time-period. Since 2016 Japan has spent a whopping $191 million and South Korea has spent over $165 million on FARA registered firms, according to CRP.
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Japan and South Korea spend more on Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, registered firms than any other country in the world, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. The sheer size of both countries’ lobbying operations in the United States is staggering. While Japan and South Korea disagree on much, they certainly agree on the importance of garnering greater influence in America. But, much like Donald Trump’s first trip abroad as president to Saudi Arabia, which was preceded by an extensive courting of the Trump administration by now Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom’s influence peddlers in the United States, there may have been another powerful political force pushing Austin and Blinken to Japan and South Korea: the extraordinary amount of money both countries spend on lobbying in the United States every year. military personnel stationed in both countries - ostensibly justify this trip. These and other strategic concerns - not the least of which are the more than 92,000 U.S. allies, it is perhaps unsurprising that Tokyo and Seoul would be the first stops abroad for top officials in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet.Īs a spokesperson for Blinken succinctly explained, the trip was designed “to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to strengthening our alliances.” Blinken, himself, made it clear on the first day of the trip that these alliances will, “push back, if necessary, when China uses coercion and aggression to get its way.” After former President Trump’s mercurial, at best, relationship with these long-time U.S. Last week Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Japan and South Korea.
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