U.S.-Japan Maritime Youth Exchange

Six American and six Japanese students became partners during a three-week educational whirlwind during the U.S.-Japan Maritime Youth Exchange program in 2004.

The program, which began in Boston on July 22 and concluded in Japan on August 10, provided the students with 10 days of unique site visits in the U.S. followed by 10 days in Japan.

Six students from each country were selected to study the two nations and their cultures with a particular focus on naval and maritime issues. Toward that end, the group had the opportunity to visit ships of both the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force.

Funded in the United States by the United States Navy Memorial, this exchange program was developed in 1996 to promote mutual understanding of the two countries' maritime traditions, as well as the value of continued cooperation and alliance between the U.S. and Japan.

American participants were NJROTC cadets who have completed their junior year of high school. The Japanese students are selected by the Japan Youth Research Institute based on their academic background and competency in the English language.

Once selected for the program, the students were provided readings and assignments that describe the significance of each site they visited. Topics included U.S. and Japanese government, history, architecture and art, navigation, philosophical influences on culture and naval organization. Site-specific topics included visits to the Capitol and White House, for example.

At the program's end, each student was required to write an essay that discusses U.S.-Japan relations in light of the information presented during the two-country tour.