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February 2026 Issue

TOMODACHI Tanaka Sangyo Agricultural Exchange Initiative: Launching an Agricultural Leadership Program Connecting Niigata and Texas

The TOMODACHI Tanaka Sangyo Agricultural Exchange Initiative is an eight-month leadership development program designed for 20 selected undergraduate students from partner universities in Niigata Prefecture and the State of Texas. Centered on the theme of agriculture, the program aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders who will serve as a bridge between the U.S. and Japan by exploring sustainability, innovation, and intercultural collaboration.
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TOMODACHI Initiative Intern: Takumi Osumi’s Experience

Takumi Osumi, a sophomore student at the International Christian University double-majoring in physics and philosophy, has been working as a TOMODACHI Initiative (TOMODACHI) Intern since the summer of 2025. He is an avid musician, playing acoustic and electric guitar since middle school, and has been part of multiple bands at university. He has simultaneously been practicing Japanese tea ceremony for six years, which has allowed him to stay in touch with Japanese culture.
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Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Kyoko Adachi

Kyoko is a global marketing and communications professional whose journey has taken her from New York to Tokyo and now to Los Angeles. Along the way, she has worked with some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Google, Uber, and Airbnb. As Strategy Director at EssenceMediacom, part of the global advertising group WPP, Kyoko led creative and award-winning brand campaigns that reached millions of people worldwide.
Raised in New York and fluent in both Japanese and American cultures, Kyoko is passionate about connecting ideas, people, and perspectives across borders. She earned her Master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Columbia University. Committed to empowering the next generation of global leaders, Kyoko has mentored young women through programs such as the TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program and the U.S. Embassy’s Girls Unlimited Program, encouraging them to lead with confidence, empathy and curiosity.
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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 - February 2026

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.