TOMODACHI Fact Sheet

What is TOMODACHI?

TOMODACHI is a public-private partnership led by the U.S. Government, the Japanese Government and the U.S.-Japan Council, and supported by corporations, organizations and individuals from the United States and Japan.

Mission Statement

TOMODACHI is a public-private initiative forged after the Great East Japan Earthquake to invest in Japan’s next generation and thereby deepen relations between the U.S. and Japan. TOMODACHI carries out its mission by supporting initiatives that benefit Japan’s short-term needs and long-term competitiveness with a focus on cross-cultural exchange.

Approach

Coordinate with local communities, predominantly in Tohoku, to match needs to customized contributions; connect financial, human and in-kind resources directly with projects and organizations that meet the TOMODACHI mission of investing in the next generation and strengthening the people-to-people connections between the United States and Japan.

Programs focus on:

Scholarships and student exchanges
Sports, music and cultural exchanges
Virtual exchanges, connecting classrooms in the US with classrooms in Japan
Leadership development
Fostering entrepreneurship
Academic fellowships supporting research consistent with the TOMODACHI mission
University partnerships in the Tohoku region

The TOMODACHI Program was showcased at the Nov. 8 Event "Helping Bring Baseball Back to Tohoku."

A strategic partnership with Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association
Rehabilitating fields in the Tohoku region; starting with a baseball stadium in Ishinomaki
Re-equipping Tohoku youth baseball teams with equipment lost in the tsunami
Sending Tohoku students to Hawaii to attend baseball clinics in partnership with Hawaii Winter Baseball

"Together, we want to create a Tomodachi generation that is deeply committed to the future of our relationship." - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, October 7, 2011