Stephen McHugh currently serves as a program officer at the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA). At JCIE/USA Stephen manages a diverse array of programs that examine US-Japan cooperation on key global issues, including on promoting healthy aging and supporting democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region. He also helps run several US-Japan legislative exchange programs, including a US Congressional Staff Exchange program. In his work promoting healthy and active aging, Stephen has a specific interest in how policy can properly account for and protect older people, particularly in the face of disasters, including natural disasters, climate-change related extreme weather events, and pandemics.
Prior to joining JCIE/USA Stephen spent two years teaching English at a public high school in Tokyo through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). Following this experience, he went on to serve as a JET Program Coordinator at the Embassy of Japan in Washinton DC, where he managed the application process for all US applicants to the program. Stephen was born and raised in London but moved to the United States to study at The University of Chicago, where he obtained a BA in English Literature.
