Japan-America Student Conference

Conference Dates: August 3–August 22, 2026 (American Orientation immediately prior to the conference start).
Sites: San Francisco, Nashville, and Washington, DC.
Applications Open: October 13, 2025
Application Closes: December 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET

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Information Sessions

• Thursday, November 6th, 2025 from 6-7 PM EST (Online) – Register Here
• Sunday, November 16, 2025 from 7-8 PM ET (Online) – Register Here
• Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 6-7 PM ET (Online) – Register Here

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Roundtables

Each delegate joins a Roundtable (RT)—a small cross-cultural research cohort exploring one aspect of the U.S.–Japan relationship. These groups meet throughout the conference to explore their topic through discussion, research, and collaboration. At the end, each group presents its findings at the Final Forum.

Roundtables are led by Executive Committee members and shaped by student perspectives. Each topic offers a lens to explore bilateral issues and encourages delegates to think critically about solutions, policy implications, and cultural meaning.

1. INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: Japan–U.S. Roles in a Changing Era of International Politics
2. ARTS: Shaping Culture through Artistic Mediums
3. ENVIRONMENT & RESOURCES: Managing the Environment and Natural Resources
4. HEALTH: Health and Reform
5. CIVIL: Identity, Community & Polarization
6. MEDIA: News and Media
7. INNOVATION: Innovation across research, industry and society

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: Japan–U.S. Roles in a Changing Era of International Politics

RT Leaders: Soichiro & Zoë

As the world enters a turbulent age of cooperation and conflict between states, it is vital to acknowledge the roles of the US and Japan as leading powers on the international stage. In this roundtable, delegates will discuss current events in international relations and examine the US-Japan role within these crises. Understanding the historical and cultural contexts for political trends and perspectives within the US and Japan is essential to think critically about their impacts on the international order. 

Delegates will contend with current regional conflicts such as territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas and the threat of Chinese infringement on Taiwanese sovereignty; the war in Ukraine and Russia’s disregard for international norms; and conflict in Gaza escalating tensions in the Middle East. Beyond traditional security threats, other challenges such as environmental degradation, trade barriers, digital warfare, and disinformation campaigns must be considered as obstacles to global welfare.

The US and Japan’s unique military, economic, and political relationship is a key factor in international affairs and stability. Delegates should question how shared values, economic cooperation, and security commitments between states can transform the global political landscape.

ARTS: Shaping Culture through Artistic Mediums

RT Leaders: Mako & Gerald

We live in an era in which the very meaning of culture is being reexamined, with advances in AI-generated art, deepening wars and social divisions, and conflicts over historical narratives and cultural memory. While calls for global dialogue are growing, differences in language and historical background make it increasingly difficult to achieve a deep understanding of others and their cultures.

In this context, art serves as a common language that connects people across national, linguistic, and professional boundaries, and can even serve as a form of soft power that can move society. Furthermore, art is not simply a reflection of culture; it is the very force that actively shapes culture. This RT will focus on the two-way relationship in which “culture generates art, but art also shapes culture.” We will examine this relationship cross-sectionally and comparatively through a variety of artistic mediums, including painting, film, music, architecture, design, literature, and manga.

We believe that it is especially significant now for students with different specialist and cultural backgrounds to come together and share their perspectives to engage in in-depth discussions about how we can understand and shape culture through the arts.

In this RT, we will not limit our analysis to a single field, but will approach the “circuit” structure of culture and the arts from a cross-disciplinary and comparative perspective. We will also explore the possibility of social change through the arts, making use of each individual’s expertise and interests.

ENVIRONMENT & RESOURCES: Managing the Environment and Natural Resources

RT Leaders: Ryoya & Gerald

Since ancient times, humans have depended on natural resources, from the basic farming that fed early societies to the complex energy systems that power our cities today. However, the exploitation of the environment and natural resources in the present day is occurring at a rapid, dangerous pace, destroying the environment, harming humans and animals, and limiting future options for resources. That being said, since our societies are built on constant interaction with nature, we cannot simply stop using it. Rather, what we need instead is fair and sustainable ways of use that ensure a balance between using nature and preserving it.

This RT will explore how we might build such a balance by drawing from multiple academic fields and viewpoints. Politics and economics shape the policies and incentives that govern and drive how resources are used and managed, while STEM fields such as engineering, energy science, and environmental studies offer innovative approaches to sustainability. Furthermore, cultural and historical perspectives highlight how different societies and cultures have understood nature, and how such narratives continue to influence how current decisions are made.

Whether visible or invisible, nature exists as a constant condition for our lives that we must learn to work with sustainably. Ultimately, this Roundtable asks: how can we continue to meet human needs from the environment without continuing to exploit it?

HEALTH: Health and Reform

RT Leaders: Rio & Nil

In modern society, medical technology has undergone profound and rapid advancement, driving a sustained extension of average human life expectancy. Paradoxically, these very advances have unveiled a new landscape of health challenges, characterized by the rising prevalence of obesity and lifestyle-related diseases, to enduring social and health inequities. Consequently, the concept of health is no longer circumscribed within the purview of medical science alone; rather, it is now conceptualized as a multifactorial subject mediated by an interplay of lifestyle, socio-environmental determinants, ethical considerations, and technological innovation. This shift is further evidenced by the emergence of more holistic frameworks of well-being that integrate the interdependent domains of mental and social health.

Recent years have witnessed growing scholarly and practical engagement with fields such as biodesign—an interdisciplinary approach that marries user-centric perspectives with radical innovation in the development of medical devices and services—and bioethics, which interrogates the ontological and ethical frontiers of human agency in realms like genetic engineering and AI. It is thus evident that ‘health’ eclipses the domain of individual choice; it is simultaneously linked to foundational questions of societal structure and the deployment of technology, ethical or otherwise.

With that, this roundtable will facilitate an examination of the current and future landscape of health innovation, contextualized within the comparative frameworks of the Japanese and American medical and societal systems. In aspiring toward a society that reconciles health priorities with holistic well-being, what requisite roles must be assumed by governments, corporations, the research community, and, importantly, us—the very body politic these systems are designed to serve? Members will be challenged to leverage their unique expertise in a concerted effort to draft a bold, actionable framework for the future of health.

CIVIL: Identity, Community & Polarization

RT Leaders: Risa & Lucie

Across the globe, political turmoil and growing economic disparities has deepened social fragmentation. In the age of loneliness, polarization and identity politics produce anger, prejudiced tools for power, and violent conflict. However, open discussion despite differences contributes to community-building and a sense of belonging within a nation.

Delegates will focus on factors that contribute to loneliness and division in Japan and America. This roundtable will focus on individual experiences and identities in order to search for moments of resilience and mutual understanding. Conversations may include discussion of how personal and collective identities influence civic participation, transform everyday spaces where community and belonging are formed, and impact political and social shifts.  

MEDIA: News and Media

RT Leaders: Koharu & Maya

As society progresses further and further into the Digital Age, the Internet has become the foremost channel for broadcasting news, circulating information, and spreading underrepresented voices around the world. Movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo have shown how marginalized perspectives and experiences can be amplified through social media to bring about significant social change. At the same time, the Internet can be a breeding ground for misinformation, harmful groupthink, extremism, and other forms of discourse that deepen social divides. While freedom of speech is a fundamental human right and crucial component of democracy, it can also be used to suppress other voices, spread misleading or false information, and manipulate perceptions of politics, identity, and the world as a whole.

This RT will examine the relationship between digital media, news, and social justice from the viewpoints of politics, sociology, media studies, law, ethics, and philosophy. We will ask questions like: How should the media capture and amplify diverse voices? How has the rise of generative AI and the prevalence of misinformation online affected political movements and individuals on a real-world level? What are the ethical responsibilities of news outlets, individuals, and the public to broadcast, circulate, and engage with accurate information? By comparing the systems, cultures, and historical contexts of Japan and the United States, we aim to explore the dimensions of free speech and the future role of news and media in society.

INNOVATION: Innovation across research, industry and society

Asuka & Nil

Science is a human endeavor to understand nature and society and to create new knowledge. Its outcomes are returned to society in the form of applications and technologies, supporting our quality of life and development. However, at the same time, the very practice of science is deeply influenced by social values, institutions, culture, and economic conditions. The selection of research topics, the allocation of funding, and the criteria for evaluating knowledge are all shaped by social factors, revealing that science and society are in a mutually interactive relationship.

In this RT, we will discuss not only how science should be utilized in society but also how society, in turn, guides and defines scientific activity. For example, issues of sustainability, such as the environment, energy, and resources, represent one aspect of this relationship. We will also address the broader influences of ethical norms, policy priorities, public opinion, and cultural backgrounds on the development of science.

Our goal is to reexamine science not merely as a means of producing knowledge or as a source of technology, but as an activity that shapes the future through its bidirectional engagement with society. Through dialogue among participants from diverse academic backgrounds, this subcommittee seeks to explore pathways by which science and society can work together to build a sustainable future.”

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Delegate Experience

Cultural Exchange
Delegates live, eat, and travel together—building friendships across cultures while exploring both modern cities and rural landscapes in Japan.

Daily Life
From early morning site visits to late-night roundtable work, your days will be filled with activity. Expect guest lectures, hands-on research, peer discussions, and immersive excursions in each host city.

Housing & Meals

Delegates stay in safe, shared housing arranged by ISC. All accommodations are vetted for comfort, location, and accessibility. Meals are provided, and ISC works to accommodate dietary needs. An ISC staff member travels with each conference to provide support and respond to emergencies.

World-Class Access
As a delegate, you’ll gain insider access to ambassadors, professors, journalists, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders. Delegates often tour government offices, heritage sites, and innovative institutions not typically open to the public.

Academics
There are no grades, but intellectual curiosity is a must. Delegates are expected to prepare, participate fully, and co-author a final presentation with their roundtable peers.

Social Time
Delegates will have downtime for karaoke nights, cultural demonstrations, and informal bonding events — because connection is at the heart of JASC.

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Meet the Executive Committee

Every year, the Japan-America Student Conference is planned and led by students — just like you.

The Executive Committee (EC) is a group of returning delegates from the United States and Japan. They work together across time zones for months to shape the next conference — building the schedule, leading Roundtables, and coordinating logistics. During the program, they serve as on-site leaders and peer mentors.

JASC 78 is brought to life by this year’s dedicated student leaders:

American Executive Committee

• Eleanor Hiroko Kakimoto Meunier, American Chair, Colgate University
• Zoe Rebecca Hoksbergen, Vice Chair, UC Berkeley
• Nil Nyah, Treasurer, Duke University
• Maya Sasaki-George, Secretary, Trinity College
• Gerald Jaime Reiling, Recruitment, Duke University
• Lucie Freeman, Recruitment, University of Minnesota

Japanese Executive Committee

• Sawaka Date, 伊達早和花, Japanese Chair, Keio University
• Ryoya Tanaka, 田中遼弥, Vice Chair, Kyushu University
• Asuka Fushitani, 伏谷飛鳥, Vice Chair, Kyoto University
• Koharu Yamakawa, 山川心春, Finance, Waseda University
• Rio Ohashi, 大橋莉央, Public Relations, Trinity College Dublin
• Risa Ueda, 上田理紗, Public Relations, University of Tokyo
• Soichiro Tezuka, 手塚颯一朗, Applicant Selection, Keio University
• Mako Imada , 今田真子, Applicant Selection, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

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How to Apply

Eligibility

• Open to undergraduate and graduate students who are 18+ years old at the time of the conference. 
• Must be enrolled at an accredited university either during the application period or in the fall semester after the program concludes. 
• All majors and fields of study are welcome. English proficiency is required (Japanese is not required).

What You’ll Need

• Complete online application
• Required: Unofficial Transcript, Verification of
  Enrollment, Resume/CV
• Optional: Letter of Recommendation, Supplemental
  Materials (e.g. portfolio, etc.)
• $20 application fee

Application

Opens: October 13, 2025
Closes: December 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET

Timeline & Process

After you apply, you may be invited to a short virtual interview within two weeks

Final decisions will be announced in mid-to-late January

If accepted, you’ll be asked to submit a $500 deposit to confirm your spot

Need Help?

Download the Applicant Packet (PDF) for more details. Have questions? Email JASC@iscdc.org or message us on Instagram @jasc_official.us

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Cost & Scholarships  

Participation Fee: $3,000

Thanks to our generous supporters, every accepted delegate automatically receives a scholarship of over $3,000 — bringing the participation fee down from $7,000 to $3,000.

Your participation fee covers:

• Housing in each city
• All meals
• All in-country travel and logistics 
• International flights between the U.S. and Japan (if applicable) 
• Cultural activities and academic programming 
• International travel and health insurance

What’s not included:

• A non-refundable $500 deposit is required to secure your spot if accepted. This will be a credit toward your conference fee.
• Travel to and from the starting and ending cities
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, food, and beverages beyond provided meals, etc.)

Each year, 60–80% of delegates receive full or partial funding through ISC’s Plant a Diplomatic Tree Scholarship, their universities, or from our generous partners. Our Executive Committee is here to support you in securing the resources you need.

Additional support available:

• The Glen S. & Sakie T. Fukushima Alumni Fellowship provides two full scholarships per year and partial scholarships to EC members.
• The Plant a Diplomatic Tree Scholarship supports one delegate annually in honor of Kristy Murray Holch.

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JASC Japan

For information in Japanese or more details on how to apply to join the Japanese delegation, please visit our Japan partner’s site at https://jasciec.jp/.

About JASC

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