About CIE
Greeting
Kazuhide Ishikawa, Chairman
Over seventy-five years have passed since the end of the last World War, and despite great advances in science and technology, the world is still facing many difficult challenges. In addition to conflicts between nations, civil unrest, rampant terrorism, and global issues such as environmental problems, the recent global spread of the COVID-19 virus has claimed many precious lives. Humanity is called upon to face these challenges with courage and to pool our wisdom in order to build a society where our children can have hope for the future.
In these times, it is vitally important for people living in different societies to interact with each other and deepen mutual understanding. In particular, I refer to the trust and friendship between Japanese and Americans, which has been built up over many years of exchange, is an irreplaceable asset for both Japan and the U.S. This relationship is also of great value to the international community as a whole.
The Center for International Exchange (CIE) was established to commemorate the historical encounter between John Manjiro and Captain Whitfield in 1841. At that time, Japanese and Americans were "strangers" who hardly ever met. Over the next 180 years, Japan and the U.S. overcame various challenges to build a strong relationship of trust, sharing values such as freedom, democracy, and basic human rights.
During my time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was involved in various aspects of Japan-U.S. relations, and from my experience, I am convinced that there is nothing more important in bilateral relations than trust that is rooted in mutual understanding between peoples.
As CIE Chairman, I will do my utmost to continue to develop the activities of the Center with your support, keeping in mind the irreplaceable value of grassroots exchange and aspiring to further deepen mutual understanding between the people of Japan and The United States.
Aim of CIE
CIE’s aim is to promote "Grassroots Exchange," meaning the free exchange of opinions between individual citizens of America and Japan, and through this to further mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.
The Summits are at the heart of our activities:
- enabling Japanese participants to introduce their culture and society to people from the USA and other countries
- enabling people from the USA and other countries to introduce their culture and society to the people from Japan
- building on the strength of US-Japan friendship to spread grassroots friendship throughout the world
- furthering other activities in the field of grassroots exchange
