The Yomiuri America (Weekly New York Edition)
The 50th Japan-America Student Conference
Presentation of “Solutions for the 21st Century” -- Intense Discussion by 58 Students
Friday, August 21, 1998 – Chicago
The 50th Japan-America Student Conference (JASC) was held at DePaul University in Chicago August 10 to 18.
The Conference, in which American and Japanese students from freshman to Ph.D. level discuss important issues
concerning U.S.-Japan and the world, has been held every year alternating the locations between the U.S. and Japan to
facilitate friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries.
The JASC was held at Arizona State University July 20 to 30, at Smith College in MA August 1 to 6, and students
discussed different topics in roundtables. The Forum concluded the Conference in Chicago that was the final Conference
site.
Four Japanese students who were concerned about the deteriorating U.S.-Japan relationship in 1933 initiated the
JASC. They came to the U.S. to recruit American Students in 1933 and the first Conference was held in Tokyo in 1934.
Former Prime Minister and current Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, as well as his wife, are participants from the 6 th
and 7th JASCs in 1939 and 1940.
This year’s theme is “Seeking Solutions to Facilitate Mutual Understanding Between the United States and
Japan”. Twenty-nine students from each country totaling 58 students had intense discussions in seven roundtables:
Economics, Culture, Education, Information Technology, Minority Issues, Security, and Policies of Development. Each
roundtable presented “Solutions for the 21st Century” at the Forum in Chicago.
Yumi Kimura, Chair of the Japanese Executive Committee (Senior, Law major, Tokyo University), was the cocoordinator of the Education roundtable. She spent her high school years in California and said, “Americans don’t know
much about Japan. I hope knowing each other will help improve the U.S.-Japan relationship.” Hanae Ayoubi, Chair of
the American Executive Committee (Senior, UNC-Chapel Hill), whose mother is a second generation Japanese-Peruvian,
said the reason for her participation was
“I wanted to know more about Japan.”
Among those who were present at the Forum in Chicago were alumni from the both countries such as Toshio
Tabata and Kimitake Nakayama, who are founders of the Conference, and Patrick Okura who is a second generation
Japanese-American and participated in the first Conference in 1934. Tabata who was one of the first Japanese Executive
Committee members described how he started the Conference by proposing the idea to American students when the U.S.Japan relationship was deteriorating. Other alumni also talked about their JASC experiences. While listening to the
alumni’s opinions, the students discussed the role of future JASCs. The Commemoration party was held with about 170
guests on August 14th at the Chicago Cultural Center.
The 50th Japan-America Student Conference
Mr. Tabata Describing the Origins of the Conference
Friday, August 28, 1998 – Chicago
The 50th Japan-America Student Conference was held at DePaul University in Chicago from August 10 to 18.
The Conference was initiated by four Japanese students who were concerned about the deteriorating U.S.-Japan
relationship in 1933 and the first Conference was held in 1934.
Toshio Tabata (89 years old), one of the founding Japanese students and Trustee of the International Education
Center, who went to the U.S. to visit universities in 1933 (see photo), participated in the Conference in Chicago and talked
about the origins of the Conference and his experiences to the students.
The year 1933, when Tabata went to the U.S. by ship, was the year when Japan seceded from the League of
Nations which caused Japan’s isolation from the world and the U.S.-Japan relationship was in imminent danger. Tabata,
who was a junior Economics major at Keio University, and his friends visited American universities starting from the
University of Washington in Seattle. They hoped to improve the U.S.-Japan relationship and promote mutual
understanding as much as they could do as students. He asked professors to arrange meetings with students at the
universities he visited and enthusiastically explained their idea of the Conference to the students.
He laughed recalling that the ship company rejected his request for their free tickets. But the four students
negotiated on the condition that they would bring back many American students by ship and persuaded the company to
pay their one-way fare and the one-way fare of the first American JASCers to Japan.
In the following year 1934, 79 students and 20 professors came to Japan and the first JASC was held at Aoyama
Gakuin University in Tokyo. They paid their way to the U.S., but the ship company paid their way back as promised.
Tabata also participated in the first Conference as one of the Japanese Executive Committee members. Although the
Conference was discontinued because of the war between 1941 and 1946 and again between 1955 and 1964 for financial
reasons, it has been held every year since 1964 alternating the site between the U.S. and Japan and promoting friendship
and a better relationship between the U.S. and Japan.
Former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger are
among the alumni of the 64-year-old Conference. Mr. Miyazawa was one of the Japanese delegates from the 6 th and 7th
JASC in 1939 and 1940 as was Mrs. Miyazawa.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Evening edition)
Saturday, August 15, 1998
Japan-America Student Conference Celebrating its 50th Commemoration
The Japan-America Student Conference, in which students from the U.S. and Japan promote mutual understanding and
trust between the two countries since 1930s before the war, celebrated its 50th Convocation this year and its
Commemoration reception was held in Chicago, IL August 14th.
Among the prominent alumni of the Conference is Mr. Kiichi Miyazawa who was one of the participants of the
pre-war Conferences to promote U.S. - Japan friendship. After discontinuing twice after the war, the Conference has been
held every year alternating the site between the U.S. and Japan since the 1960s. As this year marks the 50 th Conference,
this year’s focus is going back to the basis of the U.S.-Japan relationship and further promoting mutual understanding.
Twenty-nine students from each country are participating in the Conference in the U.S. from July 20 to facilitate
friendship.