*|MC:SUBJECT|*

December 2025 Issue

TOMODACHI SMBC Shaka-kachi Leadership Program: In-Person and Online Sessions Begin　

From October to December 2025, the TOMODACHI SMBC Shaka-kachi Leadership Program held its Social Value Creation Training and leadership workshops. Designed for university students who are eager to address social issues and take concrete action, the program aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders who will drive positive societal change with a global mindset. Throughout the program, SMBC Group employees serve as navigators, providing guidance and support to participants. Over the course of approximately six months—from October onward—the program includes an in-person Social Value Creation Training, online leadership workshops, multiple individual meetings with navigators, a U.S. training, and a final presentation.
Read More>>

TOMODACHI-Dow Women’s STEM Leadership and Research Program 2025-2026 Launches Online Sessions with 10 New Participants

The TOMODACHI-Dow Women’s STEM Leadership and Research Program 2025–2026 has launched with the participation of 10 newly selected students.
This program offers a five-week research internship for 10 female undergraduate students majoring in STEM at universities in Japan. Its goal is to advance educational equity while further narrowing the gender gap in STEM fields in Japan. Implemented and hosted by Rice University in Texas, the program places participants in university research laboratories, where they gain hands-on exposure to cutting-edge research and the U.S. higher education system. Through collaboration and exchange with American students, as well as opportunities for career exploration, participants also deepen their understanding of the English language and U.S. culture.
Read More>>

Applications Open for the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship Program 2026

The application for the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship Program 2026 is open now. Please click below to download the application materials.
This scholarship is offered to undergraduate students who will take part in the study abroad programs offered at 12 partner universities, including Hokkaido University, Tohoku University, University of Tokyo, Keio University, Waseda University, Chuo University, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Doshisha University, Osaka University, Kyushu University, and the University of the Ryukyus.
Read More>>

Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Liz Kernan

Liz is an Associate Data Scientist at Harvard Business School, where she has worked for the past nine years. She is passionate about using data to improve social policy issues and support evidence-based decision-making.
In addition to her work at HBS, Liz serves as an elected official in Brookline, Massachusetts, representing one of the largest Japanese communities in the state. She was recently appointed Secretary of the Brookline Commission for Women, where she advocates for gender equity at the local level. Liz had been selected in this year’s cohort for the 2025 U.S.-Japan Council’s Emerging Leaders Program and attended the annual conference in Hawaii in October.
Liz is a 2014 graduate of the TOMODACHI KAKEHASHI Inouye Scholars Program and an alumni of the 2015–2016 JET Program in Gunma Prefecture, where her mother is from.
Read More>>

TOMODACHI Opportunities

TOMODACHI Initiative Program Intern
The internship at the TOMODACHI Initiative offers an exciting environment where interns will be exposed to the non-profit, corporate, and government fields simultaneously. Responsibilities include creating and drafting documents, translation, website management, social media management, newsletter development support, public speaking, communication with program participants, designing presentations and posters, and event planning and operations. Interns generally work remotely, but may occasionally be asked to assist with in-person tasks at the office or support events as needed.

U.S.-Japan Council Development Intern
The Development Intern will assist the Development Manager in fundraising and organizing events for business leaders for the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC). Responsibilities include drafting documents in Japanese and English, translation, writing newsletter articles, creating presentations and promotional materials, and providing administrative support for event planning and management. The position is primarily remote, but may require office work and on-site event support as needed.

Alumni Intern
The Alumni Social Media Intern will assist the Director of Programs and Partnerships for the U.S.-Japan Council and the TOMODACHI Alumni Program Manager in the area of programming, social media and other marketing and communications for the TOMODACHI Initiative Alumni Leadership Program as needed. Reports to the Director of Programs and Partnerships for the U.S.-Japan Council. This position requires conveying and dispersing information from TOMODACHI Alumni Affairs to the TOMODACHI alumni community, as well as the broader U.S.-Japan Council community.

Please see here for details on the above intern recruitment information.

Update from Team TOMODACHI - December 2025

For donors, supporters, and friends of the TOMODACHI Initiative and the TOMODACHI Generation.

Led by the U.S.-Japan Council and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo , the TOMODACHI Initiative is a public-private partnership born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. TOMODACHI invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges and leadership programs.