In This Issue

Call to Action

Order of the Rising Sun

TOMODACHI Launch Events

Legislative Exchange Initiative

U.S. & Japan in the News

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U.S.-Japan Council Newsletter
February 16, 2012

An Update from the President

We are approaching the one-year anniversary mark of the March 11th disasters in Japan. Much has happened in the past year that has brought the U.S.-Japan Council and our network of Council Members and friends into direct involvement with the relief, recovery and now rebuilding efforts in the Tohoku region. Through devastation has come inspiring stories of people helping people.

We are grateful to the many contributors who generously supported the U.S.-Japan Council’s Earthquake Relief Fund. These funds will be completely committed by the beginning of March. Since last fall, USJC has been honored to serve as the administrator for the new TOMODACHI Initiative in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Japan with the support of the Japanese government. Partnering with a growing number of companies and organizations, TOMODACHI will invest in young people, initially in the Tohoku region, and later, all of Japan.

On February 3rd, 2012, Ambassador John V. Roos hosted an event in Tokyo, where we announced initial commitments from SoftBank, Coca-Cola and GE to support educational exchanges and partnerships. In November 2011, TOMODACHI announced a major partnership with Major League Baseball to support future youth baseball camps and youth sports exchanges. These announcements were followed by a reception in Washington, D.C. hosted by Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and USJC to introduce TOMODACHI to U.S.-Japan leadership on the East Coast.

USJC will be involved in one-year commemoration events in Los Angeles, Washington, DC and New York (sponsored by Japan Society). Events during the week of March 11th will provide important opportunities to continue supporting the rebuilding efforts. We will be taking this opportunity to reflect on the many positive partnerships that have come out of the U.S. and Japan working closely together in the aftermath of the earthquake. These partnerships and connections are a solid foundation for the future of U.S.-Japan relations.

Best regards,

Irene Hirano Inouye
President

2011 Annual Report

The 2011 Annual Report is now available. Click here to download it.

Call to Action

As you know, the anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake is rapidly approaching. Many of you will be asked by friends, colleagues and even press about how recovery efforts are coming along one year later. Please take the time to visit the U.S.-Japan Council Facebook page and make a post about relief activities in your region or how you feel one year later. We will be directing journalists to visit our Facebook page to see what kinds of activities are happening around the country. Simply join the conversation here to type your story or post an update on our wall.

Thank you for your cooperation, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Council Member Grant Ujifusa Receives Order of the Rising Sun Award

On January 26th, at the office of the Consulate General of Japan in New York, Grant Ujifusa, Redress Strategy Chair of the Japanese American Citizens League, was given the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government for his role in securing a measure of redress for 110,000 Japanese Americans forced into internment camps during World War II.

Click here to read Grant's acceptance speech.

TOMODACHI Launch Events

TOMODACHI Launch Event in Tokyo - February 3rd

Ambassador John V. Roos, GE Japan President & CEO Mark Norbom, Coca-Cola Japan Company Limited Representative Director Daniel Sayre, Softbank Corporation Chairman & CEO Masayoshi Son and USJC President Irene Hirano Inouye

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and the U.S-Japan Council announced the launch of TOMODACHI's Educational Exchange programs in Tokyo on February 3rd, 2012. U.S. Ambassador John V. Roos and U.S.-Japan Council President Irene Hirano Inouye noted that "educational programs serve to enrich and inspire young Japanese and Americans through exposure to each other's countries, cultures, and ideas, and TOMODACHI aims to enhance existing educational exchange programs and foster new ones that incorporate the Tohoku region and help to strengthen overall U.S.-Japan relations."

Programs launched:

TOMODACHI Summer 2012 SoftBank Leadership Program - A three-week program at the University of California, Berkeley, for up to 300 Japanese high school students from the disaster-affected regions. Participants will focus on global leadership development and community service.
TOMODACHI-GE 2012 Healthcare Academic Program - A series of courses at Tohoku University and Fukushima Medical University designed to develop medical professionals in the fields of next-generation genome information and regional health & welfare information collaboration.
TOMODACHI Summer 2012 Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program - A three-week homestay program held at various U.S. cities for 180 Japanese high school students from the disaster-affected regions (60 students each year over three years). Participants will engage in English language study, university campus visits, and cultural exchange activities while staying with U.S. families.
Knowledge Investment Programs (KIP) "Japanese Students' Voice on 3.11" Program - A program for 28 university students from the Tohoku region and other parts of Japan that includes a three-week visit to the United States. Participants will focus on crisis communications, risk management, and post-disaster reconstruction strategies during interactions with U.S. academics, politicians, and business executives.
American Field Service (AFS) TOMODACHI Summer 2012 English Language Study Program - A four-week English program held at Maryland's Sandy Spring Friends School for 20 Japanese high school students from the disaster-affected regions. Participants will also learn about U.S. history, government, and culture.
Japan America Society of Hawaii "Rainbow for Japan Kids" Program - A 10-day program held in various locations within Hawaii for approximately 60-70 middle school and high school students from the Tohoku region. Participants will focus on team-building activities and cultural diversity.

Click here to continue reading the press release on the TOMODACHI website.

Click here to watch a TBS news segment about the Initiative and the event featuring Ambassador John V. Roos and Irene Hirano Inouye.

Additional coverage:

TOMODACHI Launch Event in Washington, DC - February 9th

Deputy Assistant Secretary James P. Zumwalt, Jean Anderson, Andy Anderson, Irene Hirano Inouye, Ambassador John V. Roos, AS Kurt Campbell and Ambassador Fujisaki participate in a toast to celebrate TOMODACHI and an enduring friendship between the U.S. and Japan.

Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, USJC President Irene Hirano Inouye and Ambassador John V. Roos participate in a press briefing after formal remarks at the February 9th event in Washington, DC.

John Tobe, 2012 JALD Delegate Neil Horikoshi and Council Members Ron and Fujie Ohata at the TOMODACHI event on February 9th.

The U.S.-Japan Council and the Embassy of Japan co-hosted a reception on February 9th to commemorate the launch of TOMODACHI educational exchange programs that will bring more than 450 students to the U.S. The evening also celebrated the upcoming Cherry Blossom Centennial Celebration. This was the sister launch event to the Tokyo reception described above. Click here to read the press release from this event.

Notable Quotations

“You cannot help but to go to the Tohoku region and be inspired by the people there. We have such momentum right now due to the incredible help of our initial sponsors, but we will be rolling out many more projects. It’s going to take a lot of work and commitment from the U.S. and Japan and the public and private sectors, because we have big ambitions here to create a TOMODACHI Generation." - Ambassador John V. Roos

“This is an enormously worthy endeavor. I can’t imagine anything more important than building new ties between the United States and Japan. One of the things we’ve been concerned by in recent years is the decline in the number of Japanese and Americans that know each other at younger ages. The United States cannot be effective in the Asia Pacific region without a strong relationship with Japan. It is absolutely essential that we maintain these bonds that unite us, not just at the security level, not just at the political level, but at the people-to-people level.” - Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell

I think it is very fitting that we are launching TOMODACHI in the centennial year of the planting of the cherry trees. The cherry blossom festival reminds us every year of the enduring friendship between our two countries. Through the TOMODACHI initiative, we are also planting... We are planting the gifts of hope and opportunity for young people to ensure that the foundation supporting our two countries will remain strong. Like the trees, we have to nurture the TOMODACHI Generation in order to have 100 more years of friendship between our countries. - U.S.-Japan Council President Irene Hirano Inouye

Click here to see video from TV Asahi.

Click here to see photos from this event.

Legislative Networking Initiative Events

Washington, DC Roundtable

On January 27th, USJC and CULCON held a Legislative Exchange Summit in Washington, DC. The roundtable discussion was led by USJC President Irene Hirano Inouye and CULCON Secretary-General Paige Cottingham-Streater and included representatives from many of the organizations running exchanges between the U.S. and Japanese legislatures. Organizations represented at the summit included the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Mansfield Foundation, Japan Center for International Exchange, George Washington University, U.S. Department of State and the Embassy of Japan.

As the first meeting of its kind, the roundtable discussion greatly enhanced lines of communication between various agencies and groups, paving the way for future collaboration and support. Attendees also worked to find ways to assess and solve the problems facing incoming and outgoing legislative exchanges. USJC will continue to be a part of future summits, starting with the next scheduled meeting in May, 2012.

Hawaii Diet Member Reception

Rintaro Ogata, Lt. Governor Brian Schatz, Hidenori Tachibana, Governor Geroge Ariyoshi and Hitoshi Hagihara

Visiting Diet Members and Hawai'i Community Leaders

The U.S.-Japan Council hosted a small reception for visiting Diet Members at the conclusion of their three-week trip to the United States. The event was held on Thursday, Jan 19th at the Waialae Country Club. About 45 people attended including Board of Councilors Member Governor George Ariyoshi, Hawai'i Lt. Governor Brian Schatz, Council Member State Representative Scott Nishimoto and many others.

Click here to view photos from the event on Flickr.

Description and photos provided by Council Member Wendy Abe.