Japan

Welcome to Democrats Abroad Japan, your local voice in the US Democratic Party.  We build communities of like-minded American citizens throughout Japan to engage voters in US elections.   We are an all-volunteer organization composed of an Executive Committee, Communications, Get Out The Vote, Events, and Fundraising committees, and regional chapters.  

NATIONAL AND CHAPTER OFFICER NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN THROUGH MARCH 31st!

Step up to the plate and hit one out of the park.  National Nominations HERE:, Kanto Nominations HERE:, Kansai Nominations HERE:, Tokai Nominations HERE:  

We would love to have you support our programs! What interests you most? Social events? Getting people to vote? Writing? Sharing your knowledge or experience? Getting DAJ connected to other people in your area? Whatever your interest or skills, DAJ needs you!  (you can always email us at [email protected])

 

Please join us on Slack – an online work-sharing platform, where our leaders and teams do the planning. 

DA Japan publishes a bimonthly email newsletter, with information on all our events and election news.  We also run 2 monthly events: 

DaJ Speakeasy, an online social gathering on the 2nd Thursday of each month, and the DAJ Action Meeting, a monthly workshop on a specific pressing issue, on the 4th Thursday. We explore how you can make a difference.   

DAJapan will resume in-person events as COVID restrictions relax in Japan. In the past, we have organized and participated in social and political action events, such as the annual summer BBQ at the US embassy, the Women's March, and the Black Lives Matter Tokyo march.  Our chapters host local events throughout Japan, including book clubs, happy hours and Fourth of July parties.  Our local Thanksgiving events in particular are very popular.   

We maintain a calendar of events, DAJ, and of the larger Democrats Abroad organization.  Click on the calendar image to see the latest calendar:

 

Follow us on: 

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Instagram 

This is your party. Let’s get started!

Dave Brauer

Secretary, DA Japan

[email protected]  

DONATE TO DAJ

DA Japan Leadership:

sarajean rossitto
| Chair, Democrats Abroad Japan, former GOTV Coordinator for the Asia Pacific Region
John Baumlin
| DNC Representative, Democrats Abroad Asia Pacific Region
Matthew Axvig
| Vice Chair, Democrats Abroad Japan; Kanto Chair
David Brauer
| Secretary, Democrats Abroad Japan
See all Leaders


  • News

    DA Executive Director Visits Japan, 2023

    Regional Chapter Meeting: Jarrys Meets with Democrats Abroad Japan Members 

    “The global organization is only as strong as the people on the ground” - Jarryd Rauch

    Democrats Abroad New Executive Director was joined virtually on March 8th in a DAJ regional meeting alongside 13 members, from Akita to Kyushu. 

    Jarryd Rauch joins DA after a four year run with the Democratic National Convention as the State Party Operations Director.  Since taking on this role around Christmas of 2022, they have been working to ensure that the organization is equipped with the necessary resources to help Americans abroad vote in state and local elections. Jarry’s role in the organization allows them to be accessible for anything and everything. Additionally, while they oversee the day to day of the organization, they are currently working on where overseas voters had an impact on races in the most recent elections, information that will soon be accessible to all members. 

    With everything going on it’s important for DAJ members to keep in mind a few things. 

    1. Remember to re-register to vote.
    2. Join us for all or any events that we have coming up. See the calendar for more details!
    3. We are currently in our nominations process for elections. 

    Discussion points brought up by fellow members allowed the new Executive Director to address various topics regarding the party’s effort to engage with new and old members. 

    Some of the issues discussed include 

    • The current role of the executive director
    • DA’s future prospects 
    • State voting data that can be made public for us to corroborate the information we present 
    • It’s dismaying to read about politics in the U.S from a distance but overseas votes can be the margin of error in tight races and do make a difference
    • The current political landscape is rife with GOP attacks
    • The DNC, and DA are able to more effectively organize voters when we take a strong stance which only works when we all are aware and public about the issues we care about
    • Part of the process in the acquisition and retention of volunteers, and voters, is levering the work that DA is doing to increase the salience of issues they care about while also highlighting what’s going on
    • Outside of Tokyo, DA can run ad and phone banking with other forms of media to drum up interest, especially if we turn to Americans who avoid English press
    • When people are living abroad, the American political system is out of sight out of mind for many people but we can change this.

    DAJ sponsored “Personal Storytelling” Communication Workshop with Democrats Abroad Members from all over the world.

    Democrats Abroad New Executive Director was joined virtually on March 10th in a Global Communications workshop meeting alongside 12 members, from Switzerland to India. Since the new Executive Director took up his position almost 3 months ago, one of his new interactive workshops focuses on “Telling our Story”, which emphasized the importance of personal stories in sharing the message of why we are involved in Democrats Abroad. 

    The workshop was broken up into two parts. First, asking ourselves what is a message and how can we incorporate our stories into that message. A message is not just a list of points or a slogan, it is part of an ongoing conversation that is collaborative and executed with a vision. Our stories inform our why and translate our values into the actions we participate in. The second part of the presentation brought up the importance of taking those stories and turning them into a hard ask. Making a hard ask encourages members to communicate intention and expectations clearly, while also being transparent with people about what they are committing too. For example, making a hard ask might mean directly asking a new volunteer if they can commit 3 hours to phone banking on an upcoming date, while remaining both specific and clear about your expectations. 

    Overall the discussion concluded with the consensus that personal investments are essential when working on a campaign. The key is controlling the narrative you are sharing to help you frame your ask in a way that encourages continuous, positive engagement with Democrats Abroad. Toward the end participants were given a chance to share their stories of why they joined Democrats Abroad, why they stay, and were able to participate in a mock roleplay using the new strategies they learned. 

    While living abroad can be challenging, being part of the Democratic Party Abroad helps bridge the gap between Americans living abroad and the political landscape in the United States.

    read more

    DA Japan Voter Outreach Volunteer Opportunities

    DA Japan Voter Outreach Volunteer Opportunities

    Get Out the Vote - voter outreach volunteer opportunities: Hang out with some cool Democrats Abroad Japan members, meet new people and make a difference! sign up for an event - select a 2-3 hours shifts and lets make it happen! Sign up here - Check any events or shifts you can join.
    Yes - even in 2023 there are important elections are coming up and we need Kanto area volunteers to help spread the word about voting at all of the following events this Spring -- other events may be added
    read more
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    Upcoming Events

    Monday, March 27, 2023 at 08:00 PM Tokyo Time
    Zoom online event in Tokyo, Japan

    DAJ Chat with the chair - Monday

    since June 2022 the chair has had regular time slots online where you can just pop in and chat .

    • Mondays Feb 27, March 27

    Have questions about DAJapan? Want to get involved? Want to talk about issues we need to be working on? Interested in knowing how you can have an impact on future elections? Want to find out about doing voter registration at your organizations or company?

    Want to have a fun event in your area? What to know more about what you can do?

    Then stop to chat with the Chair!

    RSVP for the zoom link OR have a look at the DAJ online cal

     

     

     

    Saturday, April 01, 2023 at 12:00 PM Tokyo Time · 4 rsvps

    DAJ KANTO CHERRY BLOSSOM PARTY IN SAIGOYAMA PARK

    March 25th's DAJ Kanto cherry blossom party in Saigoyama Park has been CANCELLED due to rain 🌧. Unfortunately, Sunday, March 26th, doesn’t look much better with 90% chance of rain. So we will be pushing back the event to SATURDAY, APRIL 1st, at the same start time (noon) and location (Saigoyama Park).

    So please come join your fellow Democrats Abroad in-person under the cherry blossoms in Saigoyama Park, near Daikanyama station, Tokyo on APRIL 1st. The event is potluck, so please bring whatever foods and beverages you'd like and something to share with the group. A tarp, paper plates, cups and garbage bags will be provided. Even though the event officially ends at 2pm, you are more than welcome to stay later.     

    For more information about Saigoyama Park