Connecting Japan and Japanese Americans

Welcome to Connecting Japan, a project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in conjunction with the Japanese American community, in collaboration with the U.S.-Japan Council. This site features initiatives fostering ties between Japan and Japanese Americans, established to further develop the U.S.-Japan relationship. Connecting Japan aims to further strengthen U.S.-Japan relations and the network of Japan and Japanese Americans by providing:

Information on joint programs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Japanese American community
A forum for the sharing of information among program participants
Resources on the relationship between Japan and Japanese Americans

Partnership Programs Include:

Japanese American Leadership Delegation The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Parntership sponsor this one-week delegation program to Japan of outstanding Japanese American leaders selected nationwide to meet with key Japanese leaders in government, business, culture, academia and the non-profit sectors, and to participate in a symposium open to the Japanese public.

Meeting of Ambassador, Consuls General andJapanese American Leaders Held regularly in the United States, this forum brings together Japanese American and Japanese leaders to discuss issues of mutual concern regarding the long term strengthening of the U.S.-Japan relationship.

“While the relationship between the United States and Japan is considered by many as the most important bilateral relationship in the world, the connection between Japanese and Japanese Americans is atypical and more complex than that shared by other Americans and their ancestral peoples and lands.

While World War II played a major role in severing ties between Japanese Americans and Japan, the political, business, and cultural milieu that both nations face today requires renewed perspectives on the Japanese – Japanese American relationship.”

Irene Hirano U.S.-Japan Council