 NATSUKO KOIKE is attending the Fashion Institute of Technology for an 18-month program in fashion retail. She is from Tokyo, and did her undergraduate studies at American University. She has been working at the Hakuhodo PR firm and is very interested in using this opportunity to develop a career in corporate social responsibility within the fashion industry. More » |
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 RYOHEI KAWANISHI is attending Parsons The New School for two years to study for his MFA in fashion design. This program focuses many elements of fashion design, from developing knitting material to organizing runway shows. Ryohei is from Tottori, Japan and he lives in London, where his fashion designs have already received several prizes and other recognitions. More » |
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 SHINICHIRO MONOBE is attending Stanford’s Graduate School of Business for a two-year MBA. He has started his own publishing business and has worked for several years as a psychiatrist. Coupled with his medical background, Shinichiro is interested in bringing the innovative business practices he is studying at Stanford to do innovative work in Japan’s medical system in the near future. More » |
The Young Americans Kick Off Two Tours Supported by the TOMODACHI Initiative |
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The Young Americans, the fun-loving American-style musical theatre camp for kids, will be running two tours in the Tohoku region this fall supported by the TOMODACHI Initiative: the Young Americans Tohoku Tour 2013 supported by Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi Ltd., and the TOMODACHI Young Americans Mini Workshop Tour supported by Goldman Sachs. More »
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Reception Brings Together Donors, Friends and Supporters to Launch “Building the TOMODACHI Generation” |
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On September 5, 2013, the Washington Center (TWC) and the U.S.-Japan Research Institute (USJI) hosted the launch reception for “Building the TOMODACHI Generation,” an educational exchange program between Japanese and American university students on the potential of civil society and social problem solving. The reception was held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. and had over 200 esteemed guests from across all sectors in attendance, including The Honorable Kenichiro Sasae, Japanese Ambassador to the United States, and representatives from corporate sponsors including—Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd., and Morgan Stanley.More » |
TOMODACHI Summer 2013 SoftBank Leadership Program students present at the Apple Store, Ginza |
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On September 1, 2013, at the Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo, six participants of the TOMODACHI Summer 2013 SoftBank Leadership Program presented their plans for helping to revitalize and reconstruct their local communities in Tohoku. Using iPads, the students leveraged the leadership training they had received while studying at the University of California at Berkeley to show the audience their plans for the future. Approximately 100 people turned out to hear the students present. More »
 The TOMODACHI-Softbank Leadership Program 2013 was also featured recently on Link TV: Click image to see the video
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U.S. Legislators Discuss Leadership Skills with TOMODACHI Women’s Leadership Program Participants |
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On September 3, 2013, TOMODACHI Women’s Leadership Program mentors and mentees participated in a breakfast discussion with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Representative Daniel Benishek (R-MI), Representative Terrycina Sewell (D-AL), and Representative Grace Meng (D-NY). U.S. Embassy Tokyo Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Joy Sakurai led a panel discussion with the Senators and Representatives on their thoughts about mentorship and women’s leadership.More » |
U.S. Embassy-Keio SFC-TOMODACHI Entrepreneurship Seminar and Business Plan Competition |
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From September 2-6, 2013, the U.S. Embassy, Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC), and the TOMODACHI Initiative partnered to hold the third U.S. Embassy-Keio University Entrepreneurship Seminar and Business Plan Competition at the Keio University Hiyoshi Campus.
Twelve groups of entrepreneurs participated in this seminar and business plan competition, including students from Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto Sangyo University, Otaru University of Commerce, Miyagi University, University of Aizu, and Keio University. Throughout the week, the students attended several workshops and seminars on entrepreneurship. Workshop topics included the importance of a mission and vision in order to take action, and how to improve business ideas. The students also had an opportunity to engage with mentors to refine their business plans and related ideas. More » |
TOMODACHI Presents KanKan-Sports Camp of America Summer Camp in Kesennuma /Oshima |
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From August 13-16, 2013, 60 kids from Fukushima and Oshima participated in a cross-cultural summer sports camp organized by Kankan and Sports Camp of America (SCOA). The camp gave the Japanese children a chance to experience American culture, including through sports, camp games and a cook-out, all organized with the help of American college counselors.
This program was funded by TOMODACHI’s Fund for Exchanges, made possible through generous contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd. More » |
H-LAB Students on TOMODACHI Scholarship Visit the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo |
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TOMODACHI and the U.S. Embassy jointly supported five Japanese high school students from the Tohoku region to participate in H-LAB, the competitive Harvard College-run liberal arts summer program. From August 16-21, 2013, these Tohoku students studied with their counterparts from around Japan, using an American-style curriculum. This program was featured on August 21 on NHK’s top rated “Good Morning Japan” news show [add link to NHK program]. More » |
Okinawa Students Participate in the TOMODACHI-Ryukyu Frogs Jr. Program 2013 |
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The TOMODACHI-Ryukyu Frogs Jr. Program 2013 sent four Japanese high school students from Okinawa to Silicon Valley, California August 18-28, 2013.
Ryukyu Frogs is an Okinawa-based program that invests in developing future IT business leaders. This year, the TOMODACHI Initiative supported four high school students to participate in this well-established ten-day exchange program.More » |
Japanese Students Visit California and New York on the TOMODACHI BEYOND Tomorrow Summer 2013 U.S. Program
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The TOMODACHI BEYOND Tomorrow Summer 2013 U.S. Program was organized for Tohoku students with high aspirations to overcome the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami to become global leaders. This year, 12 selected students traveled to San Francisco, California and New York from August 6-16, 2013, to meet people and organizations notable for their proactive efforts in improving society.
This year’s participants, most of them college students, were motivated to engage in activities or start companies in fields like disaster recovery, IT, communications and international relations. More » |
St. Louis-Ishinomaki Grassroots Exchange Program |
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From August 28-September 5, five middle and high school students from Ishinomaki traveled to St. Louis, Missouri on the St. Louis-Ishinomaki Grassroots Exchange Program, organized with the help of the Japan Society of St. Louis. Students stayed with homestay families and took part in one of the oldest and biggest Japanese festivals in the United States. At the festival, they set up a booth and displayed special goods from the Tohoku area. This program was part of TOMODACHI’s partnership with the National Association of Japan-America Societies, made possible by the generous support of Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd.More » |
The 2013 Japan-America Student Conference (JASC) Meets with Senator McCain and Travels on a TOMODACHI-Sponsored Trip to Iwate |
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The Japan-America Student Conference participants had the honor to meet with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) at their send-off meeting at the U.S. Embassy. TOMODACHI also supported the group’s travel to Iwate Prefecture during the week of August 12-19. The JASC delegates had busy week, with a reception hosted by Iwate Prefectural Governor Takuya Tasso, a tour of Miyako, a forum on Miyako's reconstruction, a homestay weekend with families from the local area, and a trip to Hiraizumi World Heritage site. More » |
Governor Tasso of Iwate Prefecture Visits the United States to Thank Americans |
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In August 2013, Governor Takuya Tasso of Tohoku's Iwate Prefecture visited the United States to thank Americans for supporting and aiding in the reconstruction of Iwate after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. In addition to meeting with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S.-Japan Council, Governor Tasso met with a group of students from Iwate prefecture who were visiting the United States. These students were inspired by the TOMODACHI Initiative and had the chance to interact with American students who will be going to Japan in November 2013 as part of the TOMODACHI U.S-Japan Youth Exchange Program.
For more information about Governor Tasso's visit, go to the U.S.-Japan Council's site here » |
The 2013 TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program Japanese Delegates Travel to the United States |
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The TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program is a bicultural experience that provides ten outstanding young leaders from each country with unique access and opportunities to create a professional network among rising business and government leaders throughout the United States and Japan.
Following the success of the American delegation’s trip to Japan in July/August, the Japanese delegation traveled to Seattle and Washington D.C. September 9-14, and met with business leaders and government officials, taking back ideas and experiences to apply to their own professions in Japan.More » |
