JACL Celebrates Return of the KAKEHASHI Project

Mar 23

March 23, 2023

For Immediate Release

Seia Watanabe, VP Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org

Matthew Weisbly, Education & Communications Coordinator, mweisbly@jacl.org

JACL is pleased to have once again taken part in the KAKEHASHI Project in conjunction with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Japanese International Cooperation Center (JICE). MOFA has worked with JACL since 2014 to send over 1,000 Japanese American students and young adults to Japan on trips that broaden their understanding of their cultural ties to Japan and facilitate exchanges that promote better U.S.-Japan relations.

Last week, 37 participants and three chaperones from across the country returned from our first in-person Kakehashi Project trip in three years! Attendees were divided into two groups with one visiting Okinawa and the other visiting Gifu, where they participated in several site visits, cultural experiences, and exchanges with local communities. Participants also had the opportunity to meet high-ranking representatives of the Japanese government, with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary & Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Kihara Seiji, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yoshikawa Yuumi.

We look forward to seeing what lessons participants have learned and will share in their respective communities now that they’ve completed their trip! With over 1,000 alumni across all of our KAKEHASHI Project trips, we are excited to be able to offer this wonderful experience to Japanese American youth again and look forward to continuing our relationship with MOFA and JICE.

For more information on the KAKEHASHI Project and stories, articles, and examples of what our participants have both on their trip and upon returning, please visit: jacl.org/kakehashi.

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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.