In 2020, JCIE celebrates our 50th anniversary. Our story began when JCIE’s founder, Tadashi Yamamoto, began organizing exchanges of schoolteachers, legislators, and various experts between the United States and Japan in the mid-1960s. Those efforts led to the establishment of the Japan Center for International Exchange in 1970, and we quickly expanded the scope of our activities globally with the goal of “serving as a catalyst for international dialogues that allow the world to better know Japan and allow Japan to better know the world.” We have continued to strive toward that goal, adapting to the changing needs of society as the years passed.

As we reach this important milestone, we have taken this time to reflect on the legacy of our past five decades as a pioneer in the field of citizen diplomacy.  On this page you will find a series of interviews conducted with a number of friends who have been involved in JCIE programs over the years, as well as a study that looks at 50 years of US-Japan political exchanges. 

We thank all those who have supported and encouraged JCIE over the years and hope you will continue to support us in the decades ahead.