On May 12, 2018, the Chubu-Hokuriku Region kicked off with their very first TOMODACHI Alumni event in the region. The Welcome Event was hosted at the residence of U.S. Nagoya Consulate Principal Officer, Mr. Gary Schaefer. Ten people from across the region gathered; some joining locally from the Nagoya area and others traveling as far as from Toyama and Shizuoka.

Lillian Hart, Regional Leader and alumna of the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program, along with Tsutomu Sugano, Regional Mentor and alumnus of the TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program, opened the event and led the group in an introduction game to find commonalities with one another. Principal Officer Gary Schaefer made remarks on the importance of supporting grassroots exchanges and the value that the TOMODACHI Generation brings to U.S.-Japan relations. Read More>>

On May 18, 2018, 21 TOMODACHI Alumni from across the Kyushu Region gathered at the Fukuoka American Center to hear from two special guest speakers: Julie Chung, Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Vanessa Zenji, Consul for Public Affairs at the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka.

The event started with Ms. Chung’s heartwarming and inspiring speech about her own experiences of having migrated to the United States and her father’s American Dream success story of how he worked his way up from a janitor to become president of that engineering company. She finished her speech with the inspiring words: “Dream big and work hard.” Read More>>

Ms. Komatsu started her Ph.D. at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University in September of 2017. She received her bachelor’s degree in applied physics at Keio University in Japan. She spent her junior year at Rice University participating in an exchange program supported by the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship Program. She also participated in the TOMODACHI STEM @ Rice University for Female Students Program in 2017. She researches carbon nanomaterials for next-generation semiconductors and renewable energy devices.

We interviewed her about her experiences, from her first exposure to the TOMODACHI Initiative up to the present. Read More>>

On May 10 and 11, 2018, five TOMODACHI alumni attended the WIN (Women’s International Networking) Conference held at IBM Japan. The Conference was attended by 148 middle and senior level managers – all longing for positive change in the world, and their work and life. WIN extended complimentary tickets to TOMODACHI alumni to attend the full two-day conference, including five outstanding plenaries, two learning workshops, and a networking lunch. TOMODACHI alumni gained knowledge and inspiration from speakers and those in attendance.  Alumni Miku Yoshiba wrote, “It was a wonderful opportunity for me as a millennial to connect with other like-minded and motivated women who want to make the world a better place for everyone. Read More>>

The Building the TOMODACHI Generation: Morgan Stanley Ambassadors Program is currently recruiting candidates for its 2019 program, which will take place from February 16 – March 4, 2019 (tentative).

Students attending the U.S.-Japan Research Institute (USJI) member universities (Doshisha University, Keio University, Kyoto University, Kyushu University, Ritsumeikan University, Sophia University, The University of Tokyo, University of Tsukuba, and Waseda University) are eligible to apply by early July (freshmen and sophomores preferred; deadlines vary among the 9 member universities).

For more information and to apply: click here.