Press Releases
Courtesy Call on Foreign Minister IWAYA by Students Participating in the "Think of Okinawa’s Future in the United States" (TOFU) Program
March 19, 2025
On March 19, 2024, at 5:35 pm, for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call from the students participating in the "Think of Okinawa’s Future in the United States" (TOFU) program. The summary of the courtesy call is as follows:
- Minister Iwaya emphasized the significance of the TOFU program, which is a part of the efforts to support the globalization of Okinawa. He encouraged the participants to take full advantage of the timely opportunity to learn about the United States as it is, as well as Japan's role in the international community, with global attention focused on the United States. Minister Iwaya also urged the students to open their eyes to the world through the United States as the window, and to gain as much inspiration as possible from this experience.
- On behalf of the participants, Ms. KINJO Hina, a second-year student from Okinawa Shogaku High School, expressed her strong enthusiasm for the visit to the United States, followed by a fruitful exchange of views with Minister Iwaya. During the exchange, the students expressed their expectation for the discussions with various people they will meet in the U.S. They also expressed their determination to utilize this trip as a crucial first step in paving the way for their futures.
(Reference) "Think of Okinawa’s Future in the United States" (TOFU) Program
- The TOFU program aims to provide Okinawa’s younger generation with the opportunity to learn about the United States as it is and to directly experience Japan’s role in the international community. The program sends Okinawan high school and university students to the U.S.
- Since its inception in 2017, a total of six cohorts consisting of 140 participants have taken part in the program.
- In 2024, a group of 30 students will visit Tokyo, Washington D.C., and New York from March 19 to March 26, 2024. The schedule includes the following:
- March 19: Courtesy calls to Chief Cabinet Secretary HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs IWAYA Tsuyoshi, and senior officials at the U.S. Embassy in Japan and the U.S. Forces in Japan. [Tokyo]
- March 20: Arrival in Washington D.C. Visits to the U.S. State Department, U.S. Capitol, Embassy of Japan, and Arlington National Cemetery.
Interaction with local American students. [Washington D.C.] (March 20-22) - March 22: Arrival in New York.
Visits to the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations and the Consulate-General of Japan in New York.
Meeting with the Board of Director of the Japan Society of New York.
Lecture by Japanese staff at the UN. [New York] (March 22-25) - March 26: Return to Japan.