2012-08-13T16:10:00-07:00 2011-12-31 Sasaki Shishima & Co 901 Corporate Center Drive 503 Monterey Park CA 91754 990 2011-01-01 900447211 US-JAPAN COUNCIL US-J 2022236840 1819 L STREET NW WASHINGTON DC 20036 Irene Hirano 2012-08-13 true Paul N Shishima 3232652590 2011 2016-02-24 21:20:13Z 4658985 false false X WWW.USJAPANCOUNCIL.ORG X 2008 DC See Form 990, Part III, Page 2, Line 1 Statement of Program Service Accomplishments. 19 18 15 8 0 488125 496162 331877 4159909 155 2914 50 0 820207 4658985 1916360 0 280948 556034 0 51586 412197 639094 693145 3111488 127062 1547497 335523 2579987 56763 753730 278760 1826257 X The U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) is an educational organization that contributes to strengthening U.S.-Japan relations by bringing together diverse leadership, engaging stakeholders and exploring issues that benefit communities, businesses and government entities on both sides of the Pacific. The USJC promotes people-to-people relationships and maintains a network of Japanese American leaders who are committed to working with Americans and Japanese to further the U.S.-Japan relationship. The USJC collaborates with institutions and organizations to develop programs and networking opportunities. false false 1916360 EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND PROGRAMThe USJC responded to the Great East Japan Earthquake by establishing a USJC Earthquake Relief Fund (EQRF). The USJC Board of Directors approved that 100% of the contributions would be provided to support relief efforts and longer-term rebuilding in the devastated areas of Japan (Tohoku region) through qualified Non-Profit Organizations or Non-Governmental Organizations (NPO/NGO) that were working on-the-ground in the region. The USJC committed to working on the relief and recovery efforts longer term by establishing collaborations and partnerships with the Japanese NPO/NGOs that were supported. The organizations which were supported had extensive experience in providing assistance to children, families, and local communities. The impact of the USJC's work in this area was to assist thousands impacted by the disasters, to assist Japanese npo's and ngo's working effectively in the region, and to establish longer-term partnerships with key organizations working in the region.In addition to the Earthquake Relief Fund, the USJC established a U.S.-Japan Relief Network which served as a digital communication hub for information about relief activities and fundraising events across the United States. The USJC also spearheaded a Los Angeles based relief network, "L.A. for Japan," to assist earthquake relief activities in Southern California. Another project spearheaded by the USJC to support relief efforts in Japan was the "Genki Notes" Project. The Japanese word "Genki" means happiness and energy, and this project sought be bring hope to people in the Tohoku region of Japan by asking children of all ages to write notes or draw message of hope. Thousands of children around the U.S. participated in this partnership with Emerson College Department of Journalism and the Japan Foundation. The notes were translated to Japanese and hand-delivered to evacuation centers. The notes were also posted on a specially created website, www.genkinotes.org. 657736 OTHERS JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION PROGRAM - This program provides the opportunity for Japanese American leaders from throughout the United States to travel to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The USJC administers the program annually. The program began in 2000 and creates the opportunity for Japanese American leaders to build relationships with Japanese leaders in the government, business, political, non-profit and educational sectors. The program also provides an opportunity for Japanese leaders to gain a greater understanding about multi-cultural America through the experiences of a diverse group of Japanese Americans. Upon their return from this one week trip, Delegates work with program alumni, local Japanese consulates, and the USJC to implement programs and activities to further build regional U.S.-japan relations. There were 13 members of the 2011 program and to date 136 have participated in the program. JAPANESE CONSUL GENERALS & JAPANESE LEADER'S ANNUAL MEETING AND PROGRAMS - The meeting bring together Japanese American leaders from sixteen regions in the U.S. with the sixteen Japanese consul generals and Japanese government officials from Tokyo to discuss how to collaboratively work together to ensure a stronger U.S. - Japan relationship at the regional and national level. The meeting develops recommendations to further regional efforts to engage greater involvement in U.S.-Japan relations. The USJC serves as the organizer of this Annual Meeting. The 2011 meeting was held in Washington, D.C.JAPAN LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM AND JAPAN PROGRAMS - In May 2011, the USJC's board members and several USJC members traveled to Japan for a week-long set of events in Tokyo. The USJC sponsored a Leadership Symposium in Tokyo: "Defining a new Paradigm for U.S.-Japan Relations" that was attended by over 350 Japanese leaders at Keidanren Hall (Japan's Business Federation). The Symposium focused on the future of business and government relations especially following the 2011 disasters in Japan. The Japan events also included a meeting with the leaders of the npo's and ngo's supported by the USJC Earthquake Relief Fund to discuss next steps and collaborations. Meetings were held with business federations and the Council's Japan based board members. A presentation was also held in co-sponsorship with Showa Women's University that discussed how to enable greater opportunities for young women in Japan. Several hundred students attended the program.TOMODACHIUSJC and the U.S Embassy in Tokyo, with support of the government of Japan, formed a public-private partnership "TOMODACHI," to support longer-term recovery of Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake. TOMODACHI raises funds from U.S. and Japanese donors that will invest in the next generation of Japanese and Americans in ways that strengthen cultural and economic ties, and deepen the friendship between the United States and Japan over the long-term. The USJC is administering the TOMODACHI initiative which began in late 2010 and will be implemented over the next several years. The initiative will support programs in 1) educational exchanges and academic partnerships between the U.S. and Japan; 2) youth exchanges in arts, sports and culture; and 3) programs in entrepreneurship and leadership development.PROCEDURE OF AWARDS/ASSISTANCE MONITORING Award/Assistance Approval ProcessThe USJC reviews recommendations of NPO/NGOs in Japan that are providing relief and recovery services following the earthquake and tsunami in the East Japan Region of Japan. The USJC extensively reviews each potential organization through available public information and additionally requests as part of a due-diligence procedure: 1) a check-list of basic information from the organization including the organization's mission, incorporation and tax exemption documents, summary of past program services, list of staff members, board members, copies of audited financial statement, and any other relevant information; 2) a signed statement certifying that the organization would not promote or engage in violence, terrorism, bigotry or the destruction of any state, nor make sub-grants to any entity that engages in these activities; 3) reviewed the organization against lists provided by the U.S. Homeland Security, www.epls.gov (Excluded Parties List System), and www.ofacsearch.com (Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons). 4) a proposed budget and program plan.Upon review and compliance of all requirements, recommended projects are presented to the Board of Directors for approval. A signed agreement is executed with each organization provided funding.Award/Assistance monitoring process1) Each organization is required to maintain program and financial information as per the agreement.2) Each organization is required to submit an interim and final report which includes a written narrative, financial report and a summary of the impact which resulted from the project. 3) The USJC will use a random sampling to review select expenditures. Documentation of expense authorization and compliance with the budget and items in the grant agreements are reviewed. If any discrepancies found, USJC staff discusses the results with the recipient, and if necessary, corrective action (including return of funds) can be taken. 276966 ANNUAL CONFERENCEThe 2011 Annual Conference was held in Washington, D.C. and attended by 350 leaders in U.S.-Japan relations from throughout the United States and Japan. The Conference featured themes and topics that addressed innovative partnerships and solutions in clean energy, entrepreneurship, education and building npo/ngo sector partnership between Japan and the U.S. The Conference also brought from Japan leading npo/ngo leaders that were working on relief and recovery efforts in the areas devastated by the 2011 disasters in Japan. The Keynote speaker was Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who emphasized the importance of strengthening educational exchanges between the U.S. and Japan. The conference also included a leadership development program, "Emerging Leader's Program" (ELP) for young Japanese American professionals, under the age of 35, who expressed an interest in being involved in US-Japan relations in the future. The ELP included ten individuals from around the country who were selected by a Committee and were joined by alumni from the 2010 ELP. The Conference included working groups that follow-up on key issues and topics addressed at the event. The results from the Conference was sharing of information with attendees and to others nationally and internationally on current issues and topics related to U.S.-Japan relations, to discuss strategies for greater collaboration on recovery efforts in Japan, and to develop the USJC's new initiative, TOMODACHI, a public-private partnership to support educational exchange for young American and Japanese to learn about each other's country through travel, language and specialized programs. 135145 2986207 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false true false true false false true true true false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 9 0 false 15 true false false true JA false false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false false false false false X 19 18 false false false false false false false true true false false false true true true true true true true true false false CA X X IRENE HIRANO 2022236840 1819 L STREET NW SUITE 200 WASHINGTON DC 20036 Paul Yonamine 2.00 X 0 0 0 Jan Yanehiro 2.00 X 0 0 0 Allen Okamoto 2.00 X 0 0 0 paul niwa 5.00 X 0 0 0 susan morita 2.00 X 0 0 0 moni miyashita 2.00 X 0 0 0 colbert m matsumoto 3.00 X 0 0 0 kaz maniwa 3.00 X 0 0 0 dayne kono 2.00 X 0 0 0 frederick h katayama 5.00 X 0 0 0 stephen l kagawa 2.00 X 0 0 0 ROBERT K ICHIKAWA 2.00 X 0 0 0 ernest m higa 3.00 X 0 0 0 sho dozono 2.00 X 0 0 0 susan j onuma 2.00 X X 0 0 0 michael hirai 3.00 X X 0 0 0 henry y ota 5.00 X X 0 0 0 THOMAS IINO 8.00 X X 0 0 0 IRENE HIRANO 32.00 X 154112 0 0 154112 1 false true false 0 33520 462642 22365 496162 Membership Dues & Assessments 60250 60250 Educational Program Rev 1427106 1427106 Earthquake Relief Fund 2564306 2564306 Contract Revenue 108247 108247 4159909 2914 2914 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4658985 4162823 0 0 1916360 1916360 0 154112 147907 3650 2555 0 337218 259897 45483 31838 0 27979 23223 2798 1958 36725 30482 3672 2571 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10794 8959 1080 755 0 0 64249 53327 6425 4497 13428 11145 1343 940 0 0 0 0 2309 1916 231 162 6415 5325 641 449 telephone and internet 16918 14043 1691 1184 program consultant 15311 15311 Printing and Publications 14322 11887 1432 1003 events and programs 442848 442848 Bank Charges 16407 13618 1641 1148 36093 29959 3608 2526 3111488 2986207 73695 51586 160272 210705 160241 1537647 4500 808350 0 0 0 0 0 6818 16988 8848 2551 392 6297 0 0 0 0 3300 0 335523 2579987 31763 5981 25000 98634 649115 56763 753730 X 278760 354721 1471536 278760 1826257 335523 2579987 1547497 X false true true X false false X 485182 874252 4656071 6015505 0 0 0 0 485182 874252 4656071 6015505 0 0 6015505 88 155 2914 3157 0 88 155 2914 3157 0 140 50 190 485410 874457 4658985 6018852 X 0.00000 0.00000 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 3935 1516 2419 4913 1035 3878 6297 earthquake relief fund payable 625000 accrued vacation 21263 accrued expenses 2852 649115 4658985 3111488 1547497 1547497 4658985 4658985 4658985 3111488 3111488 3111488 true East Asia and the Pacific 10 1 Distribute Funds Earthquake Relief 1916360 10 1 10 1 1916360 1916360 Asia & pacific quake relief 62524 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 5380 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 48694 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 40000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 305000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 305000 wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 250000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 200000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 135000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 1301 Wire trnsf Asia & pacific quake relief 100000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 100000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 100000 Wire trnsfr Asia & pacific quake relief 100000 wire trnsfr Asia & pacifc quake relief 163461 Wire trnsfr 13 15 false false false false false false Additional Supplemental Information The USJC responded to the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake by establishing the USJC Relief Fund (EQRF). The USJC Board of Directors (BOD) approved 100 percent distribution of the contributions to support immediate relief efforts and longer term rebuilding in the devastated region of Tohoku, Japan. $2,564,306 was collected as of December 31, 2011. The BOD approved commitments of $1,916,360 to qualified Non-Profit Organizations or Non-Governmental Organizations that supported relief and rebuilding efforts. The total distribution as of December 31, 2011 was $1,291,360, with a balance of $625,000 payable. false false false false false false false false false false IRENE HIRANO 154112 154112 Form 990, Part VI, Line 19 Form 990, Part VI, Line 19: Other Organization Documents Publicly Available The governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements are available to the general public upon request. They are also available at the organization's office during regular business hours. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b: Compensation Review and Approval Process for Officers and Key Employees Compensation is determined by disinterested directors or an authorized committee and is based on a review of reliable comparability data and a decision as the reasonableness of the compensation. A record of the deliberation, decision and persons involved are maintained in the organization's corporate minutes book. Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c: Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts The organization has a conflict of interest policy that is signed annually by each board member. Form 990, Part VI, Line 11 Form 990, Part VI, Line 11: Form 990 Review Process copies of the form 990 are distributed to all board members prior to filing. A detailed review and approval is conducted by a committee selected by the board. Form 990, Part III, Line 4d Form 990, Part III, Line 4d : Other Program Services Description OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: OTHERS JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION PROGRAM - This program provides the opportunity for Japanese American leaders from throughout the United States to travel to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The USJC administers the program annually. The program began in 2000 and creates the opportunity for Japanese American leaders to build relationships with Japanese leaders in the government, business, political, non-profit and educational sectors. The program also provides an opportunity for Japanese leaders to gain a greater understanding about multi-cultural America through the experiences of a diverse group of Japanese Americans. Upon their return from this one week trip, Delegates work with program alumni, local Japanese consulates, and the USJC to implement programs and activities to further build regional U.S.-japan relations. There were 13 members of the 2011 program and to date 136 have participated in the program. JAPANESE CONSUL GENERALS & JAPANESE LEADER'S ANNUAL MEETING AND PROGRAMS - The meeting bring together Japanese American leaders from sixteen regions in the U.S. with the sixteen Japanese consul generals and Japanese government officials from Tokyo to discuss how to collaboratively work together to ensure a stronger U.S. - Japan relationship at the regional and national level. The meeting develops recommendations to further regional efforts to engage greater involvement in U.S.-Japan relations. The USJC serves as the organizer of this Annual Meeting. The 2011 meeting was held in Washington, D.C.JAPAN LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM AND JAPAN PROGRAMS - In May 2011, the USJC's board members and several USJC members traveled to Japan for a week-long set of events in Tokyo. The USJC sponsored a Leadership Symposium in Tokyo: "Defining a new Paradigm for U.S.-Japan Relations" that was attended by over 350 Japanese leaders at Keidanren Hall (Japan's Business Federation). The Symposium focused on the future of business and government relations especially following the 2011 disasters in Japan. The Japan events also included a meeting with the leaders of the npo's and ngo's supported by the USJC Earthquake Relief Fund to discuss next steps and collaborations. Meetings were held with business federations and the Council's Japan based board members. A presentation was also held in co-sponsorship with Showa Women's University that discussed how to enable greater opportunities for young women in Japan. Several hundred students attended the program.TOMODACHIUSJC and the U.S Embassy in Tokyo, with support of the government of Japan, formed a public-private partnership "TOMODACHI," to support longer-term recovery of Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake. TOMODACHI raises funds from U.S. and Japanese donors that will invest in the next generation of Japanese and Americans in ways that strengthen cultural and economic ties, and deepen the friendship between the United States and Japan over the long-term. The USJC is administering the TOMODACHI initiative which began in late 2010 and will be implemented over the next several years. The initiative will support programs in 1) educational exchanges and academic partnerships between the U.S. and Japan; 2) youth exchanges in arts, sports and culture; and 3) programs in entrepreneurship and leadership development.PROCEDURE OF AWARDS/ASSISTANCE MONITORING Award/Assistance Approval ProcessThe USJC reviews recommendations of NPO/NGOs in Japan that are providing relief and recovery services following the earthquake and tsunami in the East Japan Region of Japan. The USJC extensively reviews each potential organization through available public information and additionally requests as part of a due-diligence procedure: 1) a check-list of basic information from the organization including the organization's mission, incorporation and tax exemption documents, summary of past program services, list of staff members, board members, copies of audited financial statement, and any other relevant information; 2) a signed statement certifying that the organization would not promote or engage in violence, terrorism, bigotry or the destruction of any state, nor make sub-grants to any entity that engages in these activities; 3) reviewed the organization against lists provided by the U.S. Homeland Security, www.epls.gov (Excluded Parties List System), and www.ofacsearch.com (Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons). 4) a proposed budget and program plan.Upon review and compliance of all requirements, recommended projects are presented to the Board of Directors for approval. A signed agreement is executed with each organization provided funding.Award/Assistance monitoring process1) Each organization is required to maintain program and financial information as per the agreement.2) Each organization is required to submit an interim and final report which includes a written narrative, financial report and a summary of the impact which resulted from the project. 3) The USJC will use a random sampling to review select expenditures. Documentation of expense authorization and compliance with the budget and items in the grant agreements are reviewed. If any discrepancies found, USJC staff discusses the results with the recipient, and if necessary, corrective action (including return of funds) can be taken.