[JDF Speaker Series] U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation

Grace Schwab

National Security Professional

Ms. Grace Schwab advises and supports U.S. leadership in setting the strategic direction for the U.S.-Japan Alliance. She has worked on issues related to strategic stability, nuclear deterrence, and ally assurance in the Indo-Pacific region.

Junya Kawai

Defense Counsellor

Embassy of Japan

Mr. Junya Kawai is a Counsellor at the Embassy of Japan in the United States, focusing on defense affairs.

Before his current position, he served as Chief of Staff for the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japan's Prime Minister's Office, handling defense affairs, cybersecurity, and emergency response.

He joined the Japanese Ministry of Defense in 2005, concentrating on cybersecurity, intelligence, and domestic / international legal affairs. He is one of the contributors of "The Handbook of the Law of Visiting Forces (2nd Edition)," published in 2018 by Oxford University Press. Right after the 3.11 earthquake, which struck the eastern part of Japan in 2011, he was chosen as a liaison officer for the Japan Self Defense Forces and coordinated its rescue operation in Fukushima Prefecture.

He holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Tokyo, where he studied Japanese Politics and Diplomacy, and earned a Master of Science from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He is the father of two children and the husband of a university scholar.

Natasha Taliferro

Programming Chair (MSFS '25)

Japan Dialogue Forum

Natasha Taliferro is a second-year Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) candidate at Georgetown University pursuing a concentration in Global Politics and Security. Her research interests include Japan, the U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral alliance, and the larger Indo-Pacific region, with specialization in Northeast Asian affairs. Natasha founded Japan Dialogue Forum in January 2024 as a premier organization at the forefront of conversations and expertise about Japanese foreign policy at Georgetown University. Before joining the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Natasha worked for a Japanese copper alloy manufacturing company in Japan as an International Sales Representative with a portfolio that included clients in the aerospace, semi-conductor, and fusion energy industries. Natasha is also a Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program alumna and a 2023 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellow. 

Minami Nuibe

Communications Chair (MSFS '25)

Japan Dialogue Forum

Minami Nuibe is a second-year Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) candidate concentrating on Global Politics and Security. Prior to joining Georgetown University, she served as a civilian defense official for Japan’s Ministry of Defense for over six years from 2018. Minami has experience in diverse affairs regarding Japan’s security, such as defense cooperation, personnel affairs, naval and air military operations, and defense budgeting. In 2020, she served as a Legal and Policy advisor at Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Yokosuka Regional Headquarters. Her most recent position was as a Legal and Policy Advisor on aviation and ballistic missile defense (BMD) operations at the Joint Staff Office in Ichigaya, Tokyo.