Twenty-First Conference: Seattle (July 23-30, 2022)

Posted on Jul 23, 2024 - Nov 30, -0001

Photo left: Fellows from the Classes of 2014-2017 commemorate the long-awaited return of USJLP's annual tradition, Fellows Weekend, on Friday, July 29 at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, WA.
 
After a two-year hiatus, the US-Japan Leadership Program enjoyed a jubilant return this past summer with a remarkably successful 21st Annual Conference over July 23-30, 2022 in Seattle, WA. The conference not only served to induct the Program's newest Class of 2022 Delegates, but also to bring together over 100 of the Program's vibrant, diverse and dedicated members over the course of the 7-day event, including a festive two-day interclass reunion with USJLP Fellows at the close of the week. From the incredible level of talent and achievement in the group, the insights and revelations formed during discussions, and the intensity of the relationships built in only a few short days, the 2022 Seattle Conference was a beaming reminder of the continued value and importance of Program's mission to foster life-long, trust-based relationships and deeply meaningful exchanges between current and rising leaders positioned to affect impact and change in each country.
 
The 2022 Conference programming centered around 42 Delegates (22 Japanese and 20 Americans) who were selected for their wide array of talent and backgrounds, including representation from the fields of: education, ethnography, political science, government, public affairs, human rights, social advocacy, military and defense, journalism, publishing, sports, finance, law, performing arts, music, entrepreneurship, non-profit, technology, medicine, and the private sector. The week provided this diverse class with a framework for building shared trust, respect and understanding through daily discussions, collaborative activities, and off-site excursions unique to the Seattle area. Click here to learn more about the USJLP Class of 2022.
Class of 2022 Delegates pose together with Fellows and family in matching "happi" coats dance uniforms following a special USJLP rendition of the traditional Awaodori dance as the sun set on the first day of Fellows Weekend, Thursday, July 28.
 
Discussions were curated to both take advantage of the expertise and diverse perspectives represented among the Japanese and American Delegates, and to encourage a frank and open dialogue. The week launched with complimentary country-specific panels where discussants brought forward their top domestic concerns and challenges for the U.S. and Japan, which served to orient Delegates towards the most urgent issues of unique and common concern and lay the groundwork for fruitful exchanges in the week ahead. Additional topics that Delegates with expertise tackled together in panels included: shifting global alliances and power relations, the Great Resignation and the future of workstyles and the workforce, broader societal implications as we evolve towards Web3, challenges to achieving a sustainable and climate-resilient future, and the state of innovation in each country. Additional time was devoted to a series of personal talks that served a brief but deep and inspiring dives into various aspects of culture, industry, the human condition, as well as personal and leadership challenges and lessons learned. Throughout the week, both structured and unstructured time for small group and one-on-one discussions paved the way to tease out and go deeper on key ideas and questions raised in the formal sessions.
During their stay in Seattle, Delegates were provided with daily opportunities to converse together outside of formal discussions while participating in an array of activities showcasing the city's diversity and American culture. Experiences included a "Pike Place Market Iron Chef" team-building cooking challenge, a personal talk and guided tour of the historic Panama Hotel, evenings spent taking in a Seattle Mariners game and visiting Woodinville wine country, Lake Union boating and kayaking, and a day trip to Mt. Rainier National Park.
On Sunday, July 24, Delegates explored their teambuilding, leadership, and culinary skills during an "Iron Chef" cooking competition, creating four different three-course meals shared family style among 50 people. Teams met their chefs at Pikes Place Market to shop and strategize their menus (photos above, left), and then headed to Blue Ribbon Cooking on Lake Union to don their aprons and battle it out for the most creative and delicious kitchen creations before enjoying the fruits of their labor in a lakeside setting (photos above, right).
Special educational and off-site cultural and recreational experiences were provided throughout the week, including: (above, top row) a private tour of the historic Panama Hotel National Historic Landmark, a National Trust National Treasure and a living museum devoted to preserving a highly personal history of the Japanese and Japanese American internment experience, with hotel owner and preservationist Jan Johnson on Tuesday, July 26; (above, center right) a Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers game on Monday, July 25; (above, bottom right) an evening in Woodinville wine country on Tuesday, July 26 that concluded with a quintessential American summer tradition: s'mores!; (above, bottom left) an exhilarating and memorable day hiking and taking in the beauty of Mt. Rainier National Park together on Wednesday, July 27. 
 
Delegates and returning Fellows spent the final two days engaging in meaningful exchanges, while simultaneously strengthening existing and forging new lifelong ties across all class years in the USJLP network. The 56 Fellows who traveled far and wide to join the Delegates in Seattle this year are a true testament to the extent of the dynamic inter-generational and inter-disciplinary connections that the USJLP network has continued to foster and sustain across the Pacific for the 22 years since the Program's inaugural Seattle conference in 2000. The week culminated in an electrifying celebration of USJLP's return with an evening at the Museum of Pop Culture featuring live performances from USJLP members and a meaningful ceremony marking the second year Delegates' graduation to their new status as USJLP Fellows. The celebrations of members' journeys in USJLP continues next summer as the network looks toward another long-awaited reunion: this time in Japan for the Program's 22nd Annual Conference in Kyoto and Tokyo over July 23-30, 2023. 
Starting the morning of Thursday, July 28, Delegates were joined by returning Fellows for Fellows Weekend, an annual tradition that serves as festive two-day interclass reunion for Fellows and a chance for new Delegates and Fellows to meet for the first time. Interclass activities kicked off on Thursday with a series of collaborative exercises, including (above, top row) a kinetic debate-style group discussion and (above, center row) Awaodori group dancing led by Delegate Sachiko Koyama (22,23) during the Fellows Weekend Opening Reception that evening. Members also enjoyed shared recreation such as (above, bottom left) boating on Lake Union in small groups of mixed class years on Friday, July 29 and (above, bottom right) special member-led opportunities such as a running clinic with Olympian Dai Tamesue (19,22) on Thursday, July 28.
The week culminated in an electrifying evening at the Museum of Pop Culture on Friday, July 29 that featured live performances from USJLP members, a moving headline performance (above top left) by Aisha Fukushima (19,22), and a meaningful ceremony marking the second year Delegates' graduation to their new status as USJLP Fellows (above, bottom right), officiated by United States-Japan Foundation Chair of the Board James Lintott (00,01). 
Above: Class of 2022 Delegates take the stage on Friday, July 29 in celebration of the close of a remarkably successful and intense week forming new friendships, insights and inspirations that will last them well into the upcoming year as they look towards coming together again next summer in Japan!
 
Delegate testimonials about their USJLP 2022 Seattle experience:
“As we grow older and reach positions of leadership, it becomes more difficult to make new friends outside of these positions, but USJLP gives us that. It is a special program that brings together a diverse group of participants to interact with a variety of programs and to learn about the common threads of leadership in Japan and the United States. It is also about understanding the social and cultural differences between the most remote Western and Eastern societies. In today's accelerated digital society, where more micro perspectives are emphasized, there is a high value in having a common channel like USJLP, which is created from face-to-face and in-depth communication in both the government and private sectors.” 
– Sachiko Koyama (USJLP 2022, 2023), Director, Aoyagi, Inc.
 
"USJLP may be a critical juncture in my life. Meeting such intelligent, passionate, and kind people from different sectors has forced me to reevaluate my expertise and seriously consider creative new ways to improve on my craft. I was compelled to think big while paying attention to the small details that make things happen."
– Tom Le (USJLP 2022, 2023), Associate Professor of Politics, Pomona College; Research Associate, PRIME Institute, Meiji Gakuin University; Adjunct Fellow, Pacific Forum
 
“USJLP means developing friendships and having meaningful conversations. Being part of USJLP has enriched my life because it has given me the opportunity to learn and share experiences with leaders in different fields across the two countries. Unlike other fellowships or programs, what makes USJLP unique is the ability to get to know the participants beyond the superficial level. It is designed to have open conversations in a safe environment.”
– Sawa Nakagawa (USJLP 2019, 2022), Founder & Partner, ThreeArrows Impact Partner
 
“Having been out of university and in my field of work for about 10 years now, joining USJLP was an INCREDIBLE opportunity to connect with wonderful people outside of my usual network. This is especially true after having been somewhat isolated during the pandemic years. I came away from the program with a lot of new ideas for how I can be a better human being, a better artist, and a more devoted global citizen. It really felt like doing an MBA in a week! I am only halfway done with my delegate experience, but I feel what makes USJLP so unique is the opportunity to spend FUN time with REALLY accomplished people (usually when you meet people of that caliber it's in a less relaxed setting), and the variety of fields represented.”
– Chad Cannon (USJLP 2022, 2023), Composer / Producer, Invisible Sea Productions; Founder / Director, Asia / America New Music Institute (AANMI)
 
“USJLP is a chosen family. The relationships I have built and sustained through the program have challenged my perspective, sparked my creativity, and held me during hard times. The opportunity to build community with people from all different sectors across our two nations provides fertile breeding ground for inspiration to take home and collaborations to explore.”
– Melissa Boteach (USJLP 2019, 2022), Vice President, Income Security & Child Care/Early Learning, National Women's Law Center
 
“USJLP is my favorite week of the year. It means putting aside the daily competing distractions and diving deep into a shared experience with leaders from my two favorite countries. It's an opportunity to re-live some of my best experiences of living in Japan and make more friends who see the importance of both of our countries' relationships with one another on a personal and political level.”
– Micah Murphy (USJLP 2019, 2022), Commander, U.S. Navy; Branch Chief, Strategy Implementation, U.S. European Command
 
“USJLP inspired me to take a pause and reflect on what I truly value in life and the change I want to work towards, with people as amazing as those that I met this week. It challenged me to keep moving forward, but also to cherish making and keeping bonds with people that I deeply respect and care about.”
– Yuko Hirose (USJLP 2022, 2023), Policy Specialist, Economic and Enterprise Recovery, United Nations Development Programme 
 
“USJLP family feels like an extended family, a third community that I was able to join as an adult. There is a sense of security and trust in the community, of being members who can collaborate together, go out for drinks, and talk. During the conference, I made each story with our classmates, and we continue to weave that story from now on. I learned from all of them: how to think, how to live, how to act, how to interact with people. USJLP is a community that helps me grow. I want to contribute to the growth of the USJLP community in the future.”
– Kuni Nishimura (USJLP 2019, 2022), Founder and CEO, Xcoo, Inc.
 
“After the week of USJLP experience, I am noticing that I am seeing things differently. I feel a part of me got transformed completely and I look forward to figuring out what it is eventually. I learned so much from delegates and fellows. Their visions, leadership, vitality, humility, and charm are extraordinary. And most importantly, they are great humans with a big heart.”
– Ayako Kotani Smethurst (USJLP 2022, 2023), Co-founder & Executive Director, Kizuna Across Cultures
 
“A USJLP delegate is brilliant, bold, empathetic and curious. Put 40 of them in the same room and magic just happens. There has been no other experience in my adult life quite like it. To think I've only spent 10 days with some of the delegates, but it feels like I've known them for 10 years. It's a gift, and one that I will continue to carry with me throughout my life.”
– Karin Tanabe (USJLP 2019, 2022), Author, St. Martin’s Press
 
“I came in anxious and came out with a new family. The USJLP family challenges me to be not only a better CEO, but a better human being. It's a family that helps each other during our highest highs and lowest lows. It's a family that expands my world and helps me put things into perspective. I'm eternally grateful for USJLP.”
– Christina Qi (USJLP 2022, 2023), Founder and CEO, Databento
 
 

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