2024 Japanese American Leadership Symposium

Image Credit: Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) has organized the Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD) since 2000 as a means to strengthen the long-term relationship between both Japan and the United States and increase understanding of the Japanese American community. This year, ten Japanese Americans from across the United States will travel to Tokyo and the Kansai area as part of the JALD program. During their time in Japan, the delegation will interact with high-ranking government officials and intellectuals from both the public and private sectors.   

As part of the JALD program, USJC is co-hosting a symposium in Osaka with the Japan Foundation, titled “Culture, Sports, and Community: Harnessing Global Experiences for Local Economic Revitalization.” The event will feature keynote speaker Professor Munehiko Harada, Chairman of the Japan Sport Tourism Alliance (JSTA), who will share insights on sports tourism and its impact on the economy.

Afterwards, JALD delegates Darin Mano, Susan Miyagi McCormac, Anna Ninoyu and Rob Ohno will engage in a panel discussion moderated by Tomoko Hosaka Mullaney. As Japanese Americans with leadership experience in various fields, from culture and sports to economics and public policy, they will discuss the power that culture, sports and communities hold in revitalizing local economies based on their own experiences and activities.

This event is open to the public and simultaneous interpretation is available.
Click here to view information about the event in Japanese.

Featured Speaker

Munehiko Harada
Chairman, Japan Sport Tourism Alliance (JSTA)
President, Osaka University of Health and Sports Sciences

Munehiko Harada, Ph.D., was educated at Kyoto University of Education and Tsukuba University. He went on to earn his Ph.D at Pennsylvania State University and spent time at Texas A&M University as a Fulbright Senior Researcher. He was appointed president of Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences in April 2021 after previously serving as a professor there for seventeen years, as well as a professor at Waseda University for sixteen years.

Mr. Harada is the former President of the Japanese Association for Sport Management and the former President of the Asian Association for Sports Management (JASM). Currently, he serves as the Chairman of the Japan Sport Tourism Alliance (JSTA), and is also a board member of Japan Volleyball Association (JVA). His research and teaching areas are sports management, sports marketing and sports tourism.