JCIE CELEBRATES 50th ANNIVERSARY

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.

AN INTRODUCTION by AKIO OKAWARA
President, JCIE

Interview Series

GERALD L. CURTIS 
Burgess Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Columbia University

SHIBUSAWA MASAHIDE
President, Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation

HAN SUNG-JOO
Former Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs; Chairman, Asan Institute for Policy Studies

JOSEPH S. NYE, JR.
University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University; former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

JUNG KU-HYUN
Former President, Seoul Forum for International Affairs

HITOSHI TANAKA
Chairman of the Institute of International Strategy (IIS), Japan Research Institute, Ltd.; Former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs

HANNS MAULL 
Senior Distinguished Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)

THIERRY de MONTBRIAL
Founder and Executive Chairman, French Institute for International Relations (IFRI)

Sir DAVID WRIGHT
Group Global Advisor, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group; Former British Ambassador to Japan

Lord LANSLEY
Member, House of Lords

YASUHISA SHIOZAKI
Member of the House of Representatives; Former Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare

PEGGY BLUMENTHAL 
Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of International Education (IIE); Chair, Board of Trustees, JCIE/USA

MICHAEL J. O’NEILL
Former North American Director, Trilateral Commission;  Partner, K & L Gates LLP

SATORU MURASE
Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

AKIHIKO TANAKA
President, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)

YU MYUNG HWAN
Chairman, Sejong University; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

BARRY DESKER
Distinguished Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

TARUN DAS
Chairman, Institute of Economic Growth; Founder Trustee, Ananta Aspen Center

ROBERTO F. de OCAMPO
Chairman and CEO, Philippine Veterans Bank; former Philippine Secretary of Finance

KEIZO TAKEMI
Member of the House of Councillors