Birth of CGP
Established in April 1991
The idea for the “Center for Global Partnership (CGP)” originated with the late ABE Shintaro, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. Mr. Abe first proposed the creation of CGP in June 1990 while visiting the United States as a special envoy of the Japanese Government. The concept was welcomed by the leaders of both countries. The operation of CGP is financed entirely with the interest from a special 50 billion yen endowment created within the Japan Foundation. The year 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of CGP.
History of CGP
1990
| June: | Japanese Special Envoy ABE Shintaro announces the idea of establishing CGP |
| December: | Preparatory office established for CGP’s operations |
1991
| February: | Public Symposium “Challenges and Opportunities for a New Era of US-Japan Exchange” |
| March: | Public Symposium “Initiatives for Improving US-Japan Communications” |
| April: | CGP formally established, KUSUDA Minoru assumes the first Executive Director |
| May: | CGP’s New York Office opens
First Advisory Committee meeting held in Tokyo |
| July: | Application for CGP grants programs begins |
| September: | Abe Fellowship program begins (Co-organized by Social Science Research Council, SSRC) |
1992
| May: | Open Seminar “Okinawa Reversion: Its Long-Term Significance in US-Japan Relations, Past and Future” (Co-organized by the Japan Institute of International Affairs, JIIA) |
| July: | JALEX program begins. (Co-organized by Laurasian Institution, ～2001) |
| December: | Science Fellowships for U.S. scientists begin. (Co-organized with the National Science Foundation, ～2001)
RIPS Security Studies Fellowship Program (the predecessor of the Japan-U.S. Partnership Program) begins. (Co-organized by the Research Institute for Peace and Security, RIPS)
CGP New York starts the small grant programs |
1993
| March: | The Japan Documentation Center (JDC) of the Library of Congress established opens (～2000) |
| September: | Public Symposium “The End of the Century: The Future in the Past” |
1994
| September: | Tokyo Acquisition Facility (for JDC) opens (～2000) |
1995
| January: | HOMMA Nagayo assumes Executive Director |
| July: | Abe Fellowship Symposium “50 Years Since the War: An Overview of US-Japan Relations and the Challenges for Policy-Relevant Studies” |
1996
| November: | WAKUMOTO Yoshihiko assumes Executive Director |
| December: | CGP-SSRC seminar series begins |
1997
| Program Review starts (～1999)
“New Perspectives: Japan” program begins (Co-organized by Laurasian Institution, ～2002) |
2000
| NPO Fellowship Program (～2008) |
| July: | New program guidelines created |
2001
| November: | CGP’s 10th Anniversary Symposium “Contemplating the Future of the Japan-US Relationship”
US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program (Co-organized by the Japan Center for International Exchange) |
2002
| January: | TAIDA Hideya assumes Executive Director |
| August: | JOI program begins (Co-organized with Laurasian institution) |
2003
| March: | CGP Grantee Publications published |
| October: | Japan Foundation becomes Incorporated Administrative Agency |
| November: | Roundtable “Redefining Japan and the US-Japan Alliance” in Japan |
2004
| March: | Japanese-American Leadership Delegation (JALD) Symposium starts
Symposium “Redefining Japan and the US-Japan Alliance” in the U. S. |
| April: | US-Japan 150th Anniversary Symposium “US-Japan Relations: Past and Future” |
| May: | Division names are changed (from First Project Operation Division to Intellectual Exchange Division and from Second Project Operation Division to Grassroots Exchange Division) |
2005
| April: | 100th Anniversary Project Innovators Projects (Co-organized by the Japan Society, ～2009) |
| July: | Public Symposium “Non-Traditional Security: The Transformation of Cooperation between the United States and Japan” |
2006
| March: | “Japan-U.S. Dialogue for Cooperation in Reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina” Project starts (Open Seminars in Kobe, Tokyo and the U.S.)
Public Symposium “Soft Power and Public Diplomacy” in Boston |
| October: | “Japan-U.S. Dialogue for Cooperation in Reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina” delegation program |
2007
| April: | NUMATA Sadaaki assumes Executive Director
“U.S. Leaders Network Programs” begins (Co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ～ 2010) |
| May: | Public Symposium “Fertility Decline and Work-life Balance: Policies and Policy Implications from an International Perspective” (CGP-SSRC series) |
| September: | Delegation Program & Symposium "Stories of Disaster, Lessons for the Future-The Kobe Earthquake Survivors' Stories" in New Orleans
Public Symposium “Global Carbon Reduction: Developing New Strategies and Deploying New Technologies in Japan and the United States”(Co-organized by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation) |
2008
| March: | Public Symposium on 150 Years History of US-Japan relationship
Support for U.S. Think Tanks starts |
2009
| April: | Intellectual Exchange Division and Grassroots Exchange Division integrated. |
| July: | SAKATO Masaru assumes Acting Executive Director |
| August: | Japan Travel Program for U.S. Future Leaders (～2014)
US-Japan Journalism Fellowship: Japan Travel Program for US Postgraduate Students (2009 and 2010) |
2010
| January: | Support for Kobe-New Orleans Exchange project “The International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters” |
| September: | U.S.-Japan Public Intellectuals Network Program starts |
2011
| April: | NOMURA Akio assumes Executive Director |
| June: | The Great East Japan Earthquake-related project “Genki Mail” implemented |
| December: | The Great East Japan Earthquake-related project “JET Memorial” (Taylor Anderson Memorial Project) begins (～2016)
Invitation Program for US Experts on Asian Affairs begins (～2014) |
2012
| February: | Abe Fellowship program 20th Anniversary Public Forum “The Environment and Climate Change: Best Practices for Energy Saving and CO2 Reduction within a City-Level Framework” |
| May: | The Great East Japan Earthquake-related youth project “Kizuna” begins (～2012) |
| June: | The Great East Japan Earthquake-related project “JET Memorial” (Montgomery Dickson Memorial Project) begins (～2017) |
| July: | Abe Fellowship program 20th Anniversary Public Symposium “Possible Futures for Japan” |
| September: | Japan Senior Fellow position at the Brookings Institution established |
| October: | The Japan Foundation 40th Anniversary Symposium “Transcending Borders: New Trends in International Cultural Exchange” |
2013
| April: | TAGUCHI Eiji assumes Acting Executive Director |
2014
| May: | CHANO Junichi assumes Executive Director |
2015
| April: | Social Science Research and Education on Contemporary Japan Program begins. |
| May: | CGP granted to establish USJETAA
U.S.-Japan Public Intellectual Networks Program (invitation) starts |
2016
| October: | JOI Program 15th Anniversary Event implemented |
| November: | CGP/Abe Fellowship Program 25th Anniversary Symposium “Emerging Futures in the Changing World” |
2017
| October: | Abe Global Fora (Co-organized by the Asia Society Texas Center in Houston, Co-organized by Stanford University in San Francisco) |
| November: | Abe Global Forum (Co-organized by Columbia University in New York) |
2018
| February: | U.S.-Japan Public Intellectual Networks Program (dispatch) starts |
| October: | Grassroots Exchange Network-Japan (GEN-J) Program (dispatch) starts |
2019
| May: | Grassroots Exchange Network-Japan (GEN-J) Program (invitation) starts |
2020
| January: | TSUKA Hiroko assumes Acting Executive Director |
