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Update from Team TOMODACHI
June 2014
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TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program U.S. Delegates Return Home with Renewed Focus Towards U.S.-Japan Relationship
On June 27, a ten-member U.S. delegation comprised of young business and government leaders participating in the 2014 TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program capped off a week of cultural immersion, professional engagement and international business correspondence at a dynamic and engaging dinner reception hosted by Mitsui & Co. at their headquarters in Tokyo. Themed “Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Industrial Development,” the program enabled participants to visit Fukuoka and Tokyo and engage with U.S. Embassy officials and Japanese business executives, to discuss issues of trade relationships, cultural partnerships and opportunities for U.S. business growth in Japan.
In September, the ten 2014 Japanese delegates will visit Silicon Valley, California and Washington, D.C., and will attend symposia and workshops to advance their respective professional fields and increase cultural understanding. More »
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The Latest on TOMODACHI Programs and Activities
Students from DePaul University Visit Japan on the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program
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In June, two of the four U.S. universities (DePaul University and Loyola Marymount University) participating in the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program sent their student delegations to Japan. Twenty-three students and two faculty representing DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, engaged in a direct exchange with Japanese students at Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto), discussing a variety of topics related to culture, national identity, as well as ethnic minorities and immigrant populations in their respective countries. The delegation from Loyola Marymount is currently in Japan, discussing leadership and diversity with students from Sophia University, and will return to the U.S. the first week of July.
This program was created to commemorate the legacy of the late Senator Daniel Inouye--a powerful leader described as a “true American hero” by President Obama, and each delegation is led by a U.S.-Japan Council member. The program is administered in collaboration with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan Foundation as part of their broader “KAKEHASHI Project” and aims to enhance cross-cultural learning between youth from the United States and Japan. More »
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Three Japanese University Students Selected for the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholars Program
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On the evening of June 24, an awards ceremony was held in Tokyo to honor the three recipients of the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship Program for one year of study abroad in the United States. Ayaka Ogita of Tohoku University will be studying Sociology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Yukako Hirakawa of Keio University will be studying Journalism and Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Kazunari Tanabe, also of Keio University, will be studying Economics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. More »
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Deputy Chief of Mission Visits Takata High School and Meets TOMODACHI Students
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On June 17, the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Kurt Tong, and his wife Dr. Mika Marumoto, made their inaugural visit to Takata High School in Ofunato, Iwate offering hope and demonstrating their support for the recovery after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Ten Takata High School students, including two TOMODACHI alumni, engaged in a roundtable discussion with Mr. Tong, asking a broad range of questions, from the academic to the personal. More »
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Young Japanese Leaders Visit Washington, D.C. to Attend the InterAction Forum as part of the TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Program Supported by J.P. Morgan
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Ten young Japanese NGO leaders traveled to Washington, DC from June 8 to 14 to participate in the InterAction Forum Study Tour, a component of the TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Program supported by JP Morgan. The Japanese delegation attended the 2014 InterAction Forum, an annual convention that brings together leaders from organizations in various fields to advance collaboration and innovation in the non-profit sector. They also met with key leaders from the U.S. non-profit sector who respond to disasters in the United States and abroad. This year, the Forum emphasized themes such as building leadership, transparency and accountability, and efficiency in humanitarian response. More »
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Maryland and Fukuoka High School Students Connect Through Dance in a Grassroots Exchange Program
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Six members of the Northwestern High School Intrepid Dance Team from Hyattsville, Maryland took part in a dance exchange program with Wakaba High School in Fukuoka from June 14 to 23 on the TOMODACHI Northwestern High School Dance Exchange Program. Highlights from the trip included the joint dance performance in Fukuoka, as well as excursions to cultural sites in Kyushu such as the Dazaifu Shrine. More »
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New English Language Conversation Sessions for TOMODACHI Alumni Kicks Off at the American Center Japan in Tokyo
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On June 13, the American Center Japan (ACJ) in Tokyo hosted the first in a series of English conversation sessions for young Japanese. Ten TOMODACHI alumni gathered at the ACJ to practice their English conversation skills during a 60-minute session facilitated by Steven Dyokas, Environmental and Scientific Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Tokyo. “It was the first time I had practiced my English in a discussion-style setting. I prefer this roundtable style because it is more engaging and interactive,” stated Chihiro Izumi from Iwaki, Fukushima, who is now a freshman at JTB Travel & Hotel College in Tokyo. This English conversation program is planned on a monthly basis and the next session is scheduled for July 9. More »
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Just Released: TOMODACHI 2013 Report is Now Available!
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Find out about TOMODACHI's programs and activities in 2013 through this newly released report.
Click report to read (also available in Japanese)
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Upcoming Programs and Events
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June 23 - July 3 Students from Loyola Marymount University visit Japan on the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program
Jun 30 – Jul 7 Nine students from Dallas, Texas go to Sendai, Miyagi for the Dallas-Sendai Young Ambassadors Program
Jul 1 -24 The second part of the two-part TOMODACHI Japan Society Junior Fellows Program takes ten American students from the United States to Japan
Jul 10 - 16 Ten students from Hawaii visit Tohoku on the Japan-America Society of Hawaii Rainbow Kids Program
Jul 10 Tohoku University-ICP Workshop “Role of the University in the Community”
Jul 12 Okinawa International University-ICP Workshop “ University Social Responsibility in Action –Student Initiative and Civic Engagement”
Jul 15 University of Tokyo –ICP Workshop “ The 19th GSDM Platform Seminar “University Civic Engagement and Social Innovation”
Jul 19 – 30 Eight students from Fukushima visit California on the South California-Fukushima Youth Cultural Exchange Program
Jul 19 – Aug 2 Six students from Keio High School travel to Washington, D.C. on the U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program
Jul 20 – Aug 7 Sixty Japanese high school students from Tohoku visit the United States on the TOMODACHI Summer 2014 Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program
Jul 20 - Aug 10 Five TOMODACHI alumni invited to Lawrenceville, New Jersey and five invited to Malibu, California as TOMODACHI Fellows of the ELS University Preparation Summer Program
Jul 22 – Aug 12 Approximately 100 Japanese students from Tohoku participate in the TOMODACHI Summer 2014 SoftBank Leadership Program at U.C. Berkeley
Jul 24 – Aug 7 Twenty-six Japanese students from Tohoku visit Southern California on the TOMODACHI MUFG Summer 2014 International Exchange Program
Jul 25 – Aug 4 Eight students from St. Louis visit Ishinomaki for 3.11 awareness on the St. Louis-Tohoku Grassroots Exchange Program
Jul 26 – Aug 3 Ten TOMODACHI alumni attend the Drucker for Future Japanese Leaders Program for English Language courses in California
Jul 28 TOMODACHI dance workshop by Young Americans in Tokyo
Jul 28 – Aug 4 Seventy-two Japanese and American university students visit Des Moines, Iowa, San Francisco, California, New York, New York and Washington, D.C. on the 66th Japan-America Student Conference
Jul 28 – Aug 7 Students from the University of Hawaii and University of Massachusetts Boston visit Japan on the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program
Jul 28 – Aug 24 Five TOMODACHI alumni attend the TOMODACHI Summer English Language Exchange Program in Washington, D.C.
Jul 31 - Aug 9 Ten students from San Diego will visit Ofunato on the San Diego/Tijuana-Ofunato Youth Baseball Exchange
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