From January 6 to 10, 2020, five of this year’s TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship Program scholars visited New York City, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. for a week-long winter leadership program hosted by the Sumitomo Corporation and the Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA).
 
The scholars had opportunities to present their experiences studying abroad in the U.S. to representatives from SCOA, and to meet privately with the President, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Chief Administrative Officer of the company to share their current coursework and ambitions for the future. Read More>>

From September to November of 2019, the Young Americans conducted six workshops through the TOMODACHI Goldman Sachs Music Outreach Program. Over these two months, they visited public elementary and junior high schools in Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures in the Tohoku region.

In 2019, this music outreach program was held six times at six elementary and junior high schools, welcoming over 500 student and faculty participants. Through dancing and singing, they learned the importance of  understanding diversity and accomplishing a same goal by the team. The students enthusiastically performed with the Young Americans in front of their families and the local community. Read More>>

From December 14 to 15, 2019, STEP3 of the TOMODACHI High School Women Career Mentoring Program in Fukushima 2019 supported by the TOMODACHI Combini Fund was held at the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center in Yoyogi, Tokyo.
 
This year, the participating high school students met with 19 female employees representing seven Seven companies (Kikkoman Corporation, All-Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., Pasona Inc., FamilyMart Co., Ltd., Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Company, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., and Lawson, Inc.), as well as three TOMODACHI staff members. The theme of the workshop was a “Session with Global Career Women.”  Read More>>

Kaito Toyoda, Kasumi Kamizuka, and Tomoya Nakanishi, three participants of the 2019 TOMODACHI Disability Leadership Program held from August 2 to December 2, 2019, finished their disability leadership and advocacy trainings in Boston, Massachusetts.
 
On November 22, 2019, the three trainees presented on their own independent projects, studies, and experiences at the program awards ceremony in Boston. At the ceremony, several distinguished guests joined in celebrating the trainees’ achievements, including internship supervisors and mentors, host families, community organization representatives, and faculty, students, and staff from the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Read More>>

On December 14, 2019, the final session of the 9th U.S. Embassy-Keio SFC-TOMODACHI Entrepreneurship Seminar was held in Tokyo. In the final review, the six teams that were selected to participate based on the mid-way review in August presented their business plans to a committee.  

Between the main seminar in August and the final review, the students implemented a variety of ideas to improve and finalize their business plans.
To prepare specific products and services, they conducted on customer research and several interviews with specialized agencies and relevant companies. As they worked to brush up their ideas, some teams faced conflict over differing points of view. But finally, each team was able to cooperate and finalize their plan together through perseverance. In the end, each team presented an exciting and interesting plan. Read More>>

On December 16, 2019, four TOMODACHI program alumni were invited to attend the 19th U.S.-Japan Council Business Advisory Board (BAB) Meeting in Tokyo, joining over 40 industry leaders for a keynote speech delivered by Mr. Ren Ito, Mercari, Inc. Vice President of Global Strategy.

Mr. Ito explained current “Global Tech Trends” in the IT industry, especially in relation to the interests of the youngest generation. Read More>>

From December 13 to 14, the 2019 ALLI(Advanced Long-term Leadership Initiative) Indo-Pacific Summit was held in Tokyo, bringing together 43 delegates representing 16 different countries within the Indo-Pacific region.

The participants were all alumni of U.S. Department of State-sponsored programs, with host country Japan represented by ten TOMODACHI Alumni from various programs. Read More>>

On November 27, 2019, four TOMODACHI Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program alumni held a 2019 program presentation session in Fukuoka in the Kyushu region.

The gathering welcomed about 20 participants, including young Fukuoka Prefectural Government officials, staff from the program’s generous supporter, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., officers of the U.S. Consulate Fukuoka, and American International Exchange staff. Read More>>

Applications are now open to TOMODACHI alumni from the Tohoku region to apply for "the TOMODACHI Generation Global Leadership Academy 2020" that will be held in Tokyo on March 6-8, 2020.

Applicants:
36 TOMODACHI Alumni (30 high school and 6 university students) from Tohoku who have participated in a TOMODACHI Program. 

Application Deadline:
February 1st, 2020 (Sat) at 21:00 Japan Time
 

For more information, click here.

The TOMODACHI-STEM @ Rice University Program for Female Students is a five-week research internship program for 10 female undergraduates from Japan who are majoring in science & engineering (S&E). Held at Rice University in Houston, Texas, the program will enable students to gain real world experience with S&E research, provide an introduction to U.S. higher education, and provide opportunities for cultural engagement and collaboration with U.S. students.

The program will serve as a catalyst for female Japanese students interested in S&E study and research and engagement with the U.S. through international research collaboration. The program dates will be August 13 – September 21, 2020.

Application Deadline: Tuesday, February 26, 2020 at midnight (by 11:59 PM, Japan time)
For more information and to apply: click here.

Applications are now open for the TOMODACHI Honda Global Leadership Program.

With an expanded target that includes high school students and 5-year junior technical college (“Kosen”) students from any part of Japan are eligible to apply. During this year’s program, selected students will have the opportunity to travel for almost two weeks to Torrance, California and Marysville, Ohio, home to Honda’s headquarters and manufacturing base in the United States from August 15 to 29, 2020. Through exposure to American society and culture via interactions with local high school students and homestays, the Japanese students and the Americans they meet will deepen their mutual understanding of one another. 

Application Deadline:
Thursday, March 19, 2020 (Mail applications)
Saturday, March 21, 2020 (Online applications)
For more information and to apply: click here.

Applications are now open for the TOMODACHI Summer 2020 SoftBank Leadership Program.

Launched in 2012, this program is now entering its ninth year. The program will take place from July 17, 2020 to August 8, 2020 (dates are tentative), sending 100 Japanese high school students from the disaster-affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima to the University of California, Berkeley, for an intensive three-week workshop focused on community-based projects and leadership development.
 
Application Deadline: Sunday, March 29, 2020　
For more information and to apply: click here.

Applications are now open for the TOMODACHI Disability Leadership Program in America 2020.

This program provides young Japanese people with disabilities with a four-month training experience in leadership and advocacy in Boston, Massachusetts.
 
This four-month-long program engages trainees in a spectrum of activities, including an intensive orientation to the program and life in Boston, an individualized internship with a disability-focused government or community organization, weekly leadership seminars, and English language training.

 
Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2020　
For application information and 2020 program details, click here.
For more information on this program, click here.

TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship is a scholarship program managed by the U.S.-Japan Council TOMODACHI Initiative. This scholarship program supports those who aspire to be globally-oriented business executives or fashion designers in the future as they study abroad at graduate design schools in the United States. 

Eligible applicants are those with Japanese nationality who have been accepted to either the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), State University of New York, or Parsons The New School for Design, School of Fashion (Parsons). The scholarship provides up to $90,000 for FIT, and up to $150,000 for Parsons.

Application guidelines are available through each school, and please apply directly to the respective school.
For more details and inquiries, please click here.