Ambassador Kennedy Headlines the TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Conference |
 |
On April 12, celebrating ten months of leadership training, networking and financial literacy workshops, 58 Japanese female university students and mid-career professionals from Tokyo and Osaka commemorated the conclusion of the 2013-2014 TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of mentorship: “None of us can do it alone . . . we are following in the footsteps of those before and setting the way for those to come.”
Other speakers at the conference included MetLife Alico Japan President and CEO Sachin N. Shah, TOMODACHI Initiative Executive Director Laura Winthrop Abbot, Netyear Corporation President and CEO Fujiyo Ishiguro and TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program participant Misato Oi. More »
Take a look at Misato Oi’s speech on women’s empowerment:
Our thanks go out to Google for live-streaming the entire event, which enabled viewers from around the world to participate and hear important messages on women’s empowerment. Click here to view the other speeches during the event. |
Lawson Convenience Stores and Major League Baseball (MLB) Partner to Provide a Charity Marathon for the TOMODACHI Initiative |
 |
Nearly 1,500 people participated in the MLB Charity Marathon at the Tokyo Olympic Center on April 26. Proceeds from the charity marathon were donated to the TOMODACHI Initiative. Former MLB players Hideo Nomo and So Taguchi attended the marathon and spoke to participants. TOMODACHI alumni, staff and supporters enjoyed running in the marathon as a relay team, and helped to manage a TOMODACHI information booth in the center of the arena. More » |
TOMODACHI Award Winners Visit Silicon Valley; New Business Idea Takes Off |
 |
From March 17 to 23, the two winning teams from the 2014 TOMODACHI Awards, Coddress and Molcure, traveled to Silicon Valley to pitch their ideas to top business leaders. The two teams were selected from the University Venture Grand Prix, a competition designed to revitalize the entrepreneurial landscape in Japan, organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Tokyo New Business Conference (NBC). As a bonus, while in Silicon Valley, the participants also met with former U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos. Participants returned to Tokyo having made useful connections in the United States and with renewed motivation to continue developing their ideas. More » |
TOMODACHI Highlighted as “Exciting New Exchange Model” in State Department Global Partnerships Report |
Click the image to read the State of Global Partnerships Report |
The TOMODACHI Initiative’s achievements in fostering U.S.-Japan exchange were featured in the U.S. State Department’s State of Global Partnerships Report, published by the Secretary’s Global Partnership Initiative Office. As the first of its kind, the report highlights “innovative and scalable public-private partnerships that aim to promote development and diplomacy around the world.” The report showcases TOMODACHI’s wide-reaching and important gains in promoting and establishing “deep linkages” between the United States and Japan. The report hails TOMODACHI as an “exciting new exchange model” that supports the U.S. Department of State’s mission to “cultivate mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” More » |
Students from Iwaki City go to Guam on the TOMODACHI Job Shadow Challenge Program |
 |
Ten junior high school students from Iwaki City, Fukushima visited Guam from March 30 to April 2 to participate in the TOMODACHI Job Shadow Challenge Program with ten local students. Students shadowed company mentors and observed how they work, learning work-readiness skills and exploring potential career options. Honoka Ono, one of the participants who visited FedEx, said: “I used to think people work because they have to, even though they do not want to. Looking at people at FedEx, however, I realized that if people love their job to improve themselves, they can enjoy working. I believe there are many people around us who are like the employees from FedEx, and they are the people who are supporting our society. I would like to be a part of that in the future.” More » |
TOMODACHI Japan Society Junior Fellows Program Participants Reflect on Experiences |
 |
On March 30, American host families, teachers and guests gathered in New York City for final presentations by ten Japanese high school students. These students had lived with American host families and attended local high schools in Bethel, CT; Newtown, CT; Old-Tappan, NJ; Bellville, NJ and St. James, NY, as part of the TOMODACHI Japan Society Junior Fellows Program. The students discussed various aspects of Japanese and American culture and how the program impacted them. Reflecting on her experiences, Hikaru Ito said, “I used to have misperceptions or stereotypes [about] American people,” but she learned on the program that “high school students in the U.S. and Japan have a lot in common.” Over the course of the weekend, the students also had lunch with U.S.-Japan Council Members. More » |
TOMODACHI Booth at the Sakura Matsuri in Washington, D.C. |
 |
This year, the annual Sakura Matsuri street festival in Washington, D.C. was held on April 12, and TOMODACHI was once again at the heart of the festivities. A TOMODACHI booth, run by TOMODACHI alumni, U.S.-Japan Council staff and volunteers, publicized TOMODACHI and all the opportunities that it offers. The staff also gave out TOMODACHI promotional items, and passers-by helped to create a collage of the TOMODACHI logo with their thumbprints. Determined not to be left out, a dog even contributed his paw print to the collage! More » |
Upcoming Programs and Events |
| May 16 – 17 |
Orientation for U.S. Delegation of Mitsui Leadership Program in Los Angeles, CA |
| May 26 – 30 |
U.S.-Japan Council Japan Week |
| May 27 |
JP Morgan NGO Leadership Program InterAction Forum |
| June 9 |
JP Morgan NGO Leadership Program InterAction Trip to Washington, D.C. |
|
Recruitment for TOMODACHI Program Participants |
Please forward and share these opportunities to students who may be interested. |
TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy |
 |
The TOMODACHI Initiative is now accepting applications for the 2014 TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy:
For Students and Teachers in the United States: Apply now to participate in a one-week, cross-cultural science technology engineering and math (STEM) exchange and leadership program in Japan! (Deadline: May 9, 2014) To apply, click here.
In August 2014, program participants from both countries will work together in Tokyo to develop a disaster-resilient, smart community of the future. With counsel from Toshiba engineers, the students and teachers will work in teams to develop science-based solutions to community problems, while leveraging experienced-based learning associated with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the engineering design process. The students will also visit to the Toshiba Smart Community building. |
2014-2015 TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program 2014-2015 |
 |
Apply Now for the 2014-2015 TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program! (Application Deadline: May 7, 2014) To apply for this program as a mentor or mentee, click here.
This year’s program will take place in four locations: Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Naha. Selected participants will be required to participate in all five meetings in their location (June 2014-February 2015), as well as the Annual TMWLP Conference in Tokyo in March 2015. The first meeting will take place in June 2014.
This program is designed to establish a network of a select corps of Japanese women, consisting of a combination of mid-level professionals and highly-motivated university students who show promise as Japan’s next generation of leaders, to promote women’s leadership and empowerment in the workplace. |
