Washington Kenkyu Group: Discussion with Ms. Yuri Unno

Date: Friday, July 10, 2026
Speaker: Ms. Yuri Unno, Principal, Penn Quarter Consulting

On July 10, 2026, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA hosted a Washington Kenkyu Group event featuring Ms. Yuri Unno, the Principal of Penn Quarter Consulting and former director of trade and supply chain policy at Toyota Motor North America, titled “The Washington Game: The Essentials of Lobbying.” The event was moderated by Dr. Satohiro Akimoto, chairman and president of Sasakawa USA.

Ms. Unno’s presentation highlighted that lobbyists are essential actors in the Washington ecosystem, bridging the gap between theoretical policy and real-world implementation and implications. Ms. Unno emphasized that Lobbyists are experts at identifying legislation and can be highly influential in shaping its outcome through relationship building. As a longtime lobbyist and influencer in DC, Ms. Unno shared lessons learned at the event.

Ms. Unno listed three opportunities to influence rulemaking in Washington. Submitting public comments for the Federal Register’s notices is an “entry-level” opportunity to participate. The “intermediate” level is to propose amendments to existing bills. The “advanced” level is writing and bringing forward an original bill with congressional staff. Ms. Unno said this level of participation allows for the most influence on policy.

The challenge of influencing policymaking in Washington is that only about 4-8% of introduced bills pass each year. Thus, companies, organizations, and lobbyists need to be tactful in engaging with rulemaking.

During her presentation, Ms. Unno outlined several lobbying strategies that, in her view, companies and government-relations professionals can use to advance their interests in Washington. The following points summarize her recommendations and observations:

1. Monitoring congressional hearings, policy-focused media outlets such as Politico and Axios, industry associations, and think tank events.
2. Actively shaping the direction of industry associations, rather than simply joining them.
3. Organizing “fly-ins” in which employees based outside Washington meet with lawmakers to discuss relevant issues. Ms. Unno noted that employees may be particularly persuasive because they can speak as constituents and describe how policies affect communities and businesses beyond Washington.
4. Building relationships before they are needed. Quoting the saying, “You can’t make friends when you need them,” Ms. Unno emphasized the importance of networking: meeting with people regularly, attending events consistently, and staying after events to engage with congressional staff, government officials, scholars, and other government-relations professionals.
5. Developing reciprocal relationships with scholars at universities and think tanks. Ms. Unno explained that these relationships should not be viewed solely as opportunities to gather information, but that companies can also provide scholars with practical information on how proposed or existing policies affect businesses, industries, and the broader economy.
6. American companies also make political contributions to expand their political reach. Ms. Unno discussed regular PACs, leadership PACs, and Super PACs, noting that each operates under different rules governing contributions and expenditures.

Ms. Unno also shared her advice for Japanese companies in the U.S. First, companies should assign staff to Washington for at least four years to overcome the learning curve. Second, companies should hire Washingtonians and pair them with expatriates. Lastly, companies should build relationships with U.S. companies such as Walmart and Google to learn their know-how within the Washington ecosystem.

Dr. Akimoto tied Ms. Unno’s point that “You can’t make friends when you need them” to lessons from past business controversies, illustrating what happens when a company fails to build strong relationships before a crisis.

During the Q&A session, the question was asked whether lobbying had shifted from Congress to the White House under the Trump administration and whether using White House-focused firms is a better strategy for companies. Ms. Unno answered that Congress remains the branch that matters for lobbyists. While administrations change, the relationships developed with members of Congress, and perhaps more importantly, with congressional staffers, who may stay in office even when members of Congress change, are crucial. She noted that companies need a long-term strategy rather than a short-term one built around one president.

The discussion returned several times to industry associations. Both Ms. Unno and Dr. Akimoto agreed that when a broader collective voice is possible, it is always better to act as a coalition rather than for an individual company to advocate.

Photo (left to right): Dr. Satohiro Akimoto and Ms. Yuri Unno.