U.S.-Japan Council Newsletter (July 25th, 2013)

SAVE THE DATE!  2013 USJC 4TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE – WASHINGTON, DC, OCTOBER 3RD-4TH

Please be sure to keep your calendars open for the 2013 USJC 4th Annual Conference being held in Washington, DC from October 3rd-4th. Registration will begin in August. The Council will bring together leading subject experts and visionaries to discuss the long-term benefits of taking risks and daring to move from trusted to innovative courses of action. As the U.S. and Japan remain committed to strong and positive relations, exploring versatile collaborations and partnerships is essential to a successful future.

Keynote Speakers will include Mr. Hiroaki Nakanishi, President of Hitachi, Ltd., and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, Recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Conference topics include: global citizenship, higher education, civil society sector, leadership development, media communications, culinary diplomacy, energy entrepreneurship, economic collaboration and navigating the U.S.-Japan relationship in DC and Tokyo.

October 3rd (5:30pm-7:00 pm):  Opening Reception on Capitol Hill
October 4th (9:00am-7:00 pm):  Annual Conference and Closing Reception at the Capital Hilton

FEATURED PANEL: GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

What does it mean to become a Global Citizen? We need to think about a Global Education and provide our next generation with the appropriate tools and knowledge to lead: a global mindset, language skills, cultural sensitivity, moral character and leadership skills.

Today’s educators must create opportunities for students to develop these tools and allow them to flourish in this interconnected and complex world. We will discuss these issues, how the U.S. and Japanese education systems are evolving in this globalized context and how the U.S.-Japan Council can support our next generation’s education.

Discussion will feature:

Ms. Yumi Kuwana, President, Cook Pine Solutions LLC (moderator)
Dr. Linda Hill, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Mr. W. Lee Howell, Managing Director & Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum Switzerland
Dr. Yutaka Tsujinaka, Executive Advisor to the President, Tsukuba University

Click here to read USJC Member Yumi Kuwana’s article, “The Best Education Money Cannot Buy” on the Huffington Post website.

TOMODACHI UPDATE

MORE THAN 100 STUDENTS FROM TWO TOMODACHI SUMMER PROGRAMS CONVENE IN WASHINGTON, DC

Participants of different programs implemented by the TOMODACHI Initiative do not often have the chance to meet each other. But this July, Japanese participants in two programs, the TOMODACHI Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program and the TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program, both happened to visit Washington, DC at the same time. On July 23, they, along with American students soon to visit Japan as part of the Youth Exchange Program, convened at a reception hosted by the Embassy of Japan.

The reception featured speeches by Irene Hirano Inouye, President of the U.S.-Japan Council; Minister Hideaki Mizukoshi, Embassy of Japan; Ms. Amy Radetsky, International Affairs Consultant at Coca-Cola Company; and Mr. Tsunehiko Yanagihara, General Manager of the Washington, DC Office of Mitsubishi Corporation (representing TOMODACHI’s Fund for Exchanges, which funds the Youth Exchange Program). The Embassy’s Defense Attache also gave a presentation on Operation TOMODACHI, and American and Japanese students participating in the programs spoke about their experiences and anticipations.

The TOMODACHI Summer Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program provides high school students from areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake with the opportunity to take part in a cultural exchange in the United States.  Besides Washington, DC, the students also visit Atlanta, Georgia, home of Coca-Cola. They then split up into small groups to experience homestays and volunteer activities in different parts of the United States. One hundred nineteen students are participating this year. Click here for more information about the program.

The TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program, which was just launched in June, is developed and implemented by American Councils for International Education. The program supports six American and six Japanese high school students to participate in a three-week exchange program and community service project.  Japanese students travel to Washington, DC to live with American host families, visit local high schools and meet with social and business entrepreneurs, as well as organizations that focus on social issues. American students participate in similar activities in Japan. Click here for more information about the program.

USJC MEMBER LEADS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASEBALL EXCHANGE IN ISHINOMAKI

On July 27, a baseball team from Hawaii’s Punahou School will visit Ishinomaki, Miyagi for two games with local students. The trip is organized by USJC Council Member Duane Kurisu with support from TOMODACHI and Major League Baseball. To mark the event, Kurisu will be joined by Ishinomaki Mayor Hiroshi Kameyama, Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Ryozo Kato, MLB Asia Vice President Jim Small and U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos. Kato is a former Ambassador of Japan to the U.S. and a Member of the U.S.-Japan Council Board of Councilors.

Players from both teams will also participate in a beach clean-up in Ishinomaki and meet players from the Rakuten Golden Eagles before a professional baseball game in Sendai.

Click here to receive future updates from Team TOMODACHI!

ANNOUNCEMENT

IN MEMORIAM: KIP TOKUDA & LILLIAN KAWASAKI

This July, the Japanese American community lost two prominent figures and close friends.

Kip Tokuda, a 2003 JALD alum, was a member of the USJC Seattle Host Committee, helping the Council make its first appearance in the Pacific Northwest at the 2012 Annual Conference. Among many achievements, the former state representative of Washington helped found the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington. In 2012, he received the Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government in recognition of his contributions to the U.S.-Japan relationship.

USJC Council Member Lillian Kawasaki was a member of the 2004 Japanese American Leadership Delegation and had been active in the Council’s Clean Tech Working Group. Following a barrier-breaking, 36-year career with the City of Los Angeles, she had served as the Director of the Water Replinishment District of Southern California since 2006. She was a co-founder of Friends of Manzanar and was committed to preserving the site in memory of her mother’s internment during World War II.

U.S. & JAPAN IN THE NEWS