Facilitating Philanthropy Program

The US-Japan Philanthropy Initiative handles charitable donations from US-based individuals and corporations in the manner of a donor-advised fund, accepting recommendations about organizations the donor prefers to support, then conducting due diligence to decide whether to make a grant to the suggested organization or others that advance the aims of the donation.

UK-Japan 21st Century Group

The UK-Japan 21st Century Group was launched in 1985 at the joint recommendation of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. It is a coalition of private sector, public sector, and civil society leaders from both countries that aims to promote dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.

Trilateral Commission

Founded in 1973, the Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental forum of leading private citizens from Europe, North America, and Japan (now including all of Asia Pacific) that aims to promote mutual understanding and closer cooperation on common problems facing these three major democratic, industrialized regions of the world.

US Congressional Staff Exchange

JCIE established the US Congressional Staff Exchange Program in 1982 in recognition of the vital role Congressional staff play in policymaking. The one-week program provides senior Congressional staffers with the opportunity to meet Japanese legislators and policymakers and give them a sense of the Japanese policymaking process as well as political, economic, and societal trends.

US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange

The US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program brings members of the US Congress and Japanese Diet to one another’s countries for a series of intensive dialogues with leaders from a broad range of fields. Participants in the US-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program have risen to influential positions in their respective countries with an enhanced understanding of the US-Japan relationship.

US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange

In 1973, JCIE and the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) jointly launched the US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program, an annual bilateral exchange program designed to expose young leaders of each country to the politics and policymaking processes of the other country and to enhance their understanding of US-Japan relations.

ASEAN-Japan Dialogue

In 1977, JCIE initiated the ASEAN-Japan Dialogue to address salient issues in the ASEAN-Japan bilateral relationship. The project was organized in six phases over the period of fifteen years, and the subjects under study included the roles of trade and investment in the development of ASEAN countries, ASEAN-Japan mutual perceptions, and the concept of a Pacific community.

Asian Community Trust

Founded in 1979, the Asian Community Trust (ACT) was Japan’s first charitable trust based on general fundraising. It is committed to providing support for grassroots, self-help efforts of nongovernmental organizations involved in sustainable social and economic development across Asia.

Europe-Japan Conference

Compared to relations with the United States, Japan’s ties with Europe have been weak and lopsided. Awareness of the need to promote mutual understanding and regular contact between Europeans and Japanese prompted JCIE to launch in 1975 a series of nongovernmental exchange meetings known as the Europe-Japan Conferences, nicknamed the “Hakone Conferences” after the venue of the first meeting.

Exchange with the World Affairs Councils of American (WACA)

From 1986 to 2001, JCIE and WACA jointly carried out the Japan Study Program, consisting of study tours every other year for the leaders of world affairs councils. These tours were aimed at improving the relationship between Japan and the United States, raising the level of interest in and understanding of Japanese society, and creating networks between community leaders.