FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Celebrates 50 Years of Strengthening Bilateral Ties

Washington, D.C. The Japan-United States Friendship Commission (JUSFC) celebrates its 50th anniversary, commemorating the historic signing of the Japan-United States Friendship Act of 1975 by President Gerald Ford.

Established by Congress five decades ago with bipartisan support, JUSFC has been instrumental in making the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous over the past half-century through its investment in building U.S. expertise on Japan and strengthening bilateral cooperation critical to the United States' competitiveness and security in the Indo-Pacific.

"The agency's establishment emerged from a recognition that the U.S.-Japan relationship would be fundamental to American interests in the Indo-Pacific region for generations to come," said JUSFC Chairman Charles D. Lake II. "The U.S.-Japan Alliance today serves as the cornerstone of U.S. strategic, economic, and security interests in the Indo-Pacific and JUSFC is honored to have supported this important alliance for 50 years through its investments in people and organizations," he added.

A small independent agency led by 15 Commissioners from the public and private sectors, JUSFC supports educational programs, policy dialogues, legislative exchanges, and cultural initiatives through partnerships with organizations nationwide. The agency's efficient model has enabled multiple generations of Americans to develop Japan expertise valuable in diplomacy, business, education, and other professional fields. The return on investment extends across multiple decades as trained experts serve United States interests throughout their careers

Over 50 years, JUSFC grantee partners have supported multiple generations of Americans in developing professional expertise on Japan-expertise that serves U.S. economic and strategic interests throughout their careers. Through merit-based grants to educational institutions and organizations nationwide, the agency has built the United States' capacity in areas critical to U.S. competitiveness: trade and economic analysis, language skills for U.S. businesses operating in Japanese markets, and cultural understanding essential for American professionals engaged in the Indo-Pacific. Strategic partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities have contributed to a deeper U.S.-Japan engagement that is the basis of mutual understanding between the two nations. JUSFC has supported networks including Japan-America Societies and JET Program alumni-Americans who gained valuable professional experience in Japan and returned to advance U.S. interests in business, government, and education sectors nationwide.

"JUSFC's work over the past half-century reflects our commitment to fostering mutual understanding through education and cultural exchange," said Paige Cottingham-Streater, Executive Director. She added, "From institutional grants supporting legislative and educational programs to cultural exchanges, JUSFC has consistently fulfilled its congressional mandate to raise awareness about the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship."

About the Japan-United States Friendship Commission : The United States Congress established the Japan-United States Friendship Commission (JUSFC) in 1975 via 22 U.S.C. § 2901 PL 94-118 as an independent federal agency to sustain the important friendship and partnership between Japan and the United States, and to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship, through educational, cultural, and intellectual exchange. JUSFC is a grant-making agency whose mission is to support reciprocal people-to-people understanding and promote partnerships that advance common interests between Japan and the United States. JUSFC maintains expertise on Japan throughout U.S. academic and professional institutions, supporting organizations that execute U.S.-Japan training, research, and exchange programs vital to Alliance management. JUSFC operates grant-making activities in four strategic categories designed to make the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous: Arts and Culture; Education and Public Affairs; Exchanges and Scholarship; and Global Challenges. JUSFC receives no funds from general revenues from the United States budget. It operates entirely from interest earnings of the Japan-United States Friendship Trust Fund. The Fund originated from payments by the Government of Japan for post-war assistance provided by the United States. These funds remain in the U.S. Treasury in a separate account managed by JUSFC under Congressional authorization.