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May 14, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The National Association of Japan-America Societies & International House of Japan to Create an Interactive Website to Promote Deeper U.S.-Japan Collaboration
The National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS) has received funding to launch an interactive website which will serve as an information hub to encourage United States-Japan collaboration. The International House of Japan (IHJ) and the American Friends of the International House of Japan (AFIHJ) will contribute their networks and intellectual firepower to the project. We invite the extended community of Japan-related organizations and the public to shape and sustain this portal, which in turn will further enhance the most consequential partnership in the world today – that between the United States and Japan.
On April 30, the United States-Japan Foundation (USJF), a prestigious private foundation at the forefront of U.S.-Japan relations, notified NAJAS of its award. The grant to NAJAS enables the project’s first phase, while a search for additional funding begins.
The fact that a sprawling, bilateral community has emerged to support this relationship presents an enormous strength. However, the sheer size and breadth of the community makes effective coordination and maintenance of appropriate scale challenging. The website hub (or portal) will facilitate collaboration through internet “crowd-sourced” ever-greening of content to include a comprehensive calendar of events, lists of expert speakers, U.S-Japan program alumni, and grant and scholarship information, among other applications that will boost efficient, well scaled collaboration. The operation of the hub and the activities promoted will be limited to charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes.
The project is an expanded, interactive version of The NAJAS-99, a printed volume of organizations driving the U.S.-Japan partnership. “Our network of 41 independent non-profit organizations is positioned to bring together a wide range of entities in the U.S. Japan space, and what we at NAJAS envision as an interactive Japanhands website will exponentially increase coordination and partnerships. The community has long sought this type of tool, as reflected in our stakeholders’ testimonials on behalf of the print directory (https://us-japan.org/Beyond-NAJAS,) noted NAJAS President Wylegala.
“As an entity with transpacific reach that was co-founded by J.D. Rockefeller 3rd and Shigeharu Matsumoto in the post-war period, we are so excited to engage with NAJAS to bring this project to life,” noted Dr. David Janes, Vice President, North America, and Executive Director of the American Friends of the International House of Japan (AFIHJ).
USJF CEO Jacob Schlesinger said of the project: “We love this idea. It's exactly along the lines of what we think is needed to create a more coherent framework for a fragmented ecosystem, and to better position these organizations to work together for social impact in the U.S. and Japan. “
To realize the full project, matching funds in the amount of $60,000 are needed. Potential donors should reach out to the contacts provided below.
About NAJAS … By providing resources, networking and guidance, NAJAS empowers 41-member organizations to foster exchange, enhance economic collaboration and build lasting friendships that deepen understanding through over 1,500 activities conducted annually across 30 states, a province of Canada and 29 cities in Japan. For details about NAJAS’ mission and the work of our members, please visit https://us-japan.org .
About IHJ … The International House of Japan is a private, nonprofit organization incorporated in 1952 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and other private institutions and individuals for the purpose of promoting cultural exchange and intellectual cooperation between the peoples of Japan and those of other countries.
Learn more about the International House of Japan here: https://ihj.global/en/ and the American Friends of the International House of Japan here: https://www.afihj.org/
Learn more about USJF at: https://us-jf.org/en/
Contact Information
Misha D. Clive (they/them)
Sr. Manager for Operations & Communications
misha@us-japan.org
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Dr. David Janes
Vice President, North America, International House of Japan
Executive Director, American Friends of the International House of Japan
djanes@ihj.global
