The Japan-America Student Conference (JASC) is a student-led exchange program, initiated in 1934 by university students concerned by the breakdown of bilateral relations prior to the Second World War. Today, an equal number of students from the U.S. and Japan are competitively selected each year to spend one summer month together, studying and analyzing Japan-U.S. relations while visiting four diverse regions in the host country. JASC alternates its host country every year, emphasizing the personal connections between two distinct cultures gathered together in one place.
The Japan-U.S. relationship is long-standing, but each JASC is innovative and new. By exploring this relationship on multiple levels (e.g. politics, trade, culture, news media), students gain knowledge and confidence to discuss, debate, and co-create bilateral and international relations.
A unique feature of JASC is that students organize each Conference, working together across the Pacific throughout the academic year. They also host Roundtables during the Conference, discussing important issues outside the traditional classroom with other students from across the globe.
These experiences provide a foundation for cultural sensitivity and global awareness–and a forum for the open exchange of ideas. More importantly, the intense experience of living and working together encourages mutual appreciation among delegates, promoting lasting friendships that will further strengthen ties between the U.S. and Japan.
The Japan-America Student Conference 