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Update from Team TOMODACHI
July 2015
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High School Students Return to Southern California After Eye-Opening Trip to Japan on the TOMODACHI MUFG International Exchange Program
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 From June 27 to July 12, twenty high school students from Southern California visited Japan on the TOMODACHI MUFG 2015 International Exchange Program. The program kicked off in Tokyo with a welcome reception hosted by President and CEO Nobuyuki Hirano at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Headquarters, which many staff members and executives attended to meet the students.
During their two weeks in Japan, the students traveled to Sendai, Kesennuma, Hiroshima, and Kyoto, and experienced Japanese culture and history by participating in homestays, meeting with an atomic bomb survivor, and exploring important cultural heritage sites. In Kesennuma, an area that was heavily affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the students learned the importance of disaster preparedness and were inspired by the resilience of the Tohoku people.
 “I want to thank everyone for making this life-changing experience amazing. I learned a lot on this trip; on becoming a better ambassador and a better leader in our communities. I also learned a lot about my family history as a Japanese and where my ancestors came from.” -- Ashley Tadano
At the end of the program, the students spoke about their experiences and discoveries at a farewell gathering in Kyoto. They shared that the life-changing trip inspired them to stay engaged and to continue contributing to U.S.-Japan relations as TOMODACHI alumni. Read More>>
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The Latest on TOMODACHI Programs and Activities
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TOMODACHI Initiative Hosts Summer Welcoming Reception in Tokyo for Donors and Partners
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This July 1 event commenced with an introduction of TOMODACHI’s newly instated Executive Director, Marc Lassman, by Press Attache Marrie Schaefer from U.S. Embassy Tokyo, followed by staff introductions and announcements before attendees engaged in a lively networking session. The evening highlighted TOMODACHI’s gratitude for the tremendous support of our donors and partners, as well as the renewal of TOMODACHI’s mission to continue to foster a TOMODACHI Generation committed to cultivating a stronger relationship between the United States and Japan.
TOMODACHI would like to thank our donors once again for their continued support. More>>
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American Participants of the 2015 TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program Visit Japan
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The 2015 TOMODACHI Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program brings together ten American and ten Japanese young professionals representing both the public and private sectors to travel to each other’s countries and meet with established and up and coming leaders in business and government. From July 4-11, 2015, the American delegation, consisting of representatives from Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Houston, Austin, and Portland, traveled to Japan.
Guided by the program theme of ”Transformation, Future Vision,” the delegates focused on the roles of leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, trade, energy, and infrastructure in U.S.-Japan relations. In September, the Japanese delegation will visit Detroit and Washington, D.C. More>>
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Japanese NGO Leaders Return to Japan After Learning How to Strengthen NGO Capacity Building on the 2015 InterAction Forum Study Tour supported by J.P. Morgan
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On June 28, ten Japanese NGO leaders returned from the week-long 2015 InterAction Forum Study Tour, part of the TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Program supported by J.P. Morgan, In addition to participating in the three-day annual InterAction Forum in Washington, D.C., the delegation also had the opportunity to meet with the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) and several American NGOs to learn about their work in the United States and abroad.
At a June 25 dinner hosted by the U.S.-Japan Council, the delegates spoke about their work in disaster relief and international humanitarian aid. Mariko Poorman of Peace Winds Japan stated, “It is so important to take this experience back to Japan to strengthen NGO capacity and understand that NGO systems in Japan can work.” More>>
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Participation of “Amache Preservation Society” Students in the 25th Japan-America Grassroots Summit 2015 in Oita
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Fifteen high school and college students who are volunteering to preserve the site of the “Granada War Relocation Center” (Camp Amache) in Colorado, participated in the 25th Japan-America Grassroots Summit in Oita prefecture from July 6 to 13. They delivered presentations at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Uenogaoka High School, and at the closing ceremony of the Summit about the experiences of Japanese Americans during and after WWII. In addition to participating in the Summit, they also learned about Japanese culture, visited a Nippon Steel plant, and enjoyed homestays with Japanese families. Through all of these activities, they made many Japanese friends and hope to visit Oita again in the future. More>>
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TOMODACHI Aloha Leadership Program Participants Reconnect with Alumni from the TOMODACHI Rainbow for Japan Kids Program in Tohoku
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Six students aged 12-22 returned home to Hawaii on July 15 after spending one week in Tohoku as part of the 2015 TOMODACHI-Aloha Leadership Program (TALP). The purpose of the trip was to reconnect with participants of the TOMODACHI Rainbow For Japan Kids Program (RFJK). This is the third year in which TOMODACHI took Hawaii students to visit and reconnect with past participants of the RFJK Program, which allows Japanese students affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami to travel to Hawaii for mental and physical recuperation while learning about Hawaii’s culture. More>>
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TOMODACHI FIRST Program Participants Return to Japan After Learning About American Food Culture in Seattle
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The TOMODACHI Food Innovation for Regional Sustainability in Tohoku (FIRST) Program invests in future leaders of food innovation in Japan, with particular focus on the Tohoku region. Due to the difficulties that arose after March 11, 2011, the people in the region have had to become more innovative to continue their businesses and successfully promote their products.
From June 6-18, the inaugural FIRST group of ten participants visited Seattle, Washington to learn about key concepts in American food culture, including organic produce, seed-to-table, and the work of slow food pioneer, Alice Waters. Participants met with their American counterparts and learned about the American way of creating and processing foods. They expressed their desire to set a long-term plan for food innovation and sustainability in the Tohoku region, and brainstormed about how to give back to their communities upon returning to Japan. This program was made possible by the TOMODACHI Fund for Exchanges, supported by Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation and Hitachi, Ltd. More>>
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Register Now for the 2015 U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference!
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The 2015 U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference will be held from November 9-10, 2015 in Tokyo at the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel (with select programming before and after these dates). The conference will highlight the importance of the enduring partnership of our two countries and of working across sectors and generations to envision and achieve a more vibrant and dynamic U.S.-Japan relationship that benefits both countries as well as the greater Asia-Pacific region. For more information on the conference, click here
To register for the 2015 U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference, click here
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Over Twenty TOMODACHI Alumni and Friends Attend a TOMODACHI Alumni Leadership Program Event, “A Discussion On Disaster, Music, and Personal Growth” in Tokyo
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“Even in the most dire circumstances, if you learn to communicate and come together with those around you, you can overcome any struggle.”
- TOMODACHI Alumnus Soru Hiratsuka
On July 9, over twenty TOMODACHI alumni and friends attended a TOMODACHI Alumni Leadership Program event titled “A Discussion On Disaster, Music, and Personal Growth.” The function was centered around the theme of personal development and featured gripping speeches from distinguished guests, including TOMODACHI alumnus Soru Hiratsuka. Although topics ranged from helping with the reintegration of outcasted Ebola survivors to getting lost in the slums of India, each speech shared a collective theme of one’s ability to overcome internal and external struggle. Following the presentations, the attendees shared their own challenges and roadblocks through an interactive discussion in which they learned about the power of fellowship. The TOMODACHI Alumni Leadership Program is made possible with the generous support of The Prudential Foundation. More>>
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Upcoming Programs and Events
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July 21-Aug 11 One hundred students and six regional leaders from Tohoku will travel to California for leadership training at UC Berkeley on the TOMODACHI Softbank Leadership Program
July 28-August 25 Seventy two students from the United States and Japan will study and analyze U.S.-Japan relations while visiting four diverse regions in Japan on the Japan-America Student Conference (JASC)
August 3-11 Ten middle and high school students travel from Sendai, Miygai to Dallas, Texas on this reciprocal TOMODACHI NAJAS Dallas Sendai Young Ambassadors Program
Aug 4-11 Sixteen high school students and eight teachers from Japan and the United States will participate in the annual TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Leadership Academy in Tokyo
Aug 4-12 Ten middle school baseball players from Ofunato, Iwate will travel to San Diego, California on the reciprocal TOMODACHI NAJAS San Diego Ofunato Baseball Exchange
August 5-12 Six American students will have the opportunity to observe and learn from civil society initiatives on the ground in Tohoku on the Building the TOMODACHI Generation Program
August 6 Bill Nye "The Science Guy" will speak about space exploration at the Miraikan in Tokyo during his visit to Japan as part of the TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy
Aug 6 U.S. Embassy-Keio SFC-TOMODACHI Entrepreneurship Seminar will be held in Tokyo
August 6-8 TOMODACHI Alumni will participate in the High School World Summit in Fukushima
August 8-16 Twelve student members of Aichi prefecture’s Nihon Fukushi Daigaku High School’s award-winning Taiko program will visit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the TOMODACHI NAJAS Grassroots Exchange Program
August 10 TOMODACHI Fukushima Girls Career Mentoring Program launches is in Tokyo
August 10-24 TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program will take eight nursing students and two mentors from Miyagi prefecture to Washington, D.C. and New York City to meet with disaster medicine experts
Aug 14-22 Sixty high school students will participate in the TOMODACHI HLAB Tohoku Program, a study camp in Onagawa, Miyagi prefecture organized by Harvard University students and Japanese universities
August 16-26 Five Japanese high school students from Okinawa travel to Silicon Valley in California to gain their deep understanding of leadership and entrepreneurship on the TOMODACHI-Ryukyu Frogs Jr. Program
August 17-22 TOMODACHI Alumni will attend the Trilateral Leadership Summit
Aug 28-29 TOMODACHI Alumni will attend the MetLife side event of the WAW! Tokyo Conference
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TOMODACHI Career Opportunities
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U.S.-Japan Council, TOMODACHI Initiative
External Communications Specialist, Tokyo Office
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Working under the direction of the Executive Director of the TOMODACHI Initiative in Japan, the External Communications Specialist will assist in developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic marketing strategy, and will play a critical role in creating a strategic social media plan that promotes the brand and impact of the TOMODACHI Initiative among a diverse audience, including senior corporate executives, government leaders, recipients of support, other donors and the press. The External Communications Specialist will interact closely with donors and corporate executives to market programs, while working closely with teams from the U.S.-Japan Council in the United States and Japan, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo in the implementation of this mission. More>>
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