The Activities of the Japan Foundation

The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP)

The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP) was established in 1991 with the goal of fostering Japan-U.S. cooperation in tackling global issues. The center promotes dialogue and exchange between all facets of Japanese and U.S. society in order to create a solid partnership based on mutual understanding and joint Japan-U.S. contribution to the global community.

Mask Up 2020 (U.S.-Japan Face Mask Design Competition 2020)

With the mandatory wearing of face masks in the United States, we held the U.S.-Japan Face Mask Design Competition in order to raise awareness on preventing the spread of infection and wearing face masks where no such habits previously existed. We received a total of 210 submissions on the theme of U.S.-Japan relations from 27 American states (including territories and special districts). Nine winning designs were selected and made into face masks, which were donated to Japan-America Societies and Japanese Gardens.

Wearing the winning design face masks (Photo courtesy of Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson, to which the masks were donated) (c) Cristiana Bertoldi

Online Seminar Series: "Think about America / Think with America"

We held a series of online seminars as an initiative amid the COVID-19 pandemic to think about America, a country that is familiar to everyone, from a new perspective. We delivered five sessions online, focusing on various topics or people related to U.S.-Japan relationship which we selected from the experience of the CGP project over the past 30 years. The archived videos are accessible through the Japan Foundation's official YouTube channel.

Online seminar series

U.S.-Japan Public Intellectuals Network Program

We dispatched specialists in science and technology to the United States with the aim of promoting a better understanding of Japan in the United States as well as to build networks between Japan, the United States and Israel. In FY2020, we held a roundtable discussion with the program participants, MATSUBARA Mihoko, KAWABATA Yumi, TAKEDA Hideaki and SHIBUSAWA Sakae. Looking back on past projects, they discussed how the cultural elements of each country impact the social reception of science and technology.

Participants of roundtable discussion at the Japan Foundation Headquarters

Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) Program

The JOI Program dispatches coordinators who introduce Japanese culture to the U.S. Midwest and South, aiming to deepen interest in and understanding of Japan at the grassroots level. Many activities were held online in FY2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this also allowed us to discover new ways to hold events. Moreover, we had lively exchanges of opinion at the 17th coordinators' homecoming report meeting, serving as an opportunity for colleagues who have gone through joys and sorrows together for two years to socialize.

Monthly Origami (paper folding) live event "Hinamatsuri"

Abe Fellowship Program/Abe Fellows Global Forum/Abe Fellows Colloquium/Abe Fellows Retreat

The Abe Fellowship Program is a research fellowship program operated jointly by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) of the United States. We have delayed the recruitment of new fellows due to the restrictions on travel between the United States and Japan caused by COVID-19; however, we conducted the Abe Fellows Global Forum, the Abe Fellowship Colloquium and the Abe Fellows' Retreat online for the sake of sharing research findings and strengthening networks among researchers.

Keynote speakers at the Abe Fellowship Colloquium