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The Japan-United States Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON) (The 31st Plenary Meeting)

February 20, 2026
Japanese
Group photo of participants in the Japan-United States Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange
Scene of the 31st Plenary Meeting

On February 19, the 31st Plenary Session of the Japan-United States Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON) was held in Okinawa Prefecture.

  1. Mr. SASAE Kenichiro, Japan CULCON Chair (President of the Japan Institute of International Affairs and Former Ambassador of Japan to the United States) and Mr. Charles D. Lake, II, U.S. CULCON Chair (Chairman and Representative Director, Aflac Life Insurance Japan and President, Aflac International) co-chaired the plenary session and were joined by stakeholders from both countries representing the government, business, and academic sectors.
  2. At the beginning of the meeting, congratulatory messages expressing the importance of meaningful cultural and educational exchanges and the promotion of mutual understanding from Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, and the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, were read out.
  3. Lively discussions focused on the role played by subnational diplomacy and regional exchanges in the Japan-U.S. partnership and the measures required to improve information access in the digital age. The results of the discussions were summarized in a joint statement.

(Reference1)

CULCON was established in June 1961 in a joint statement announced by the then Prime Minister Ikeda and the then President Kennedy. Its first meeting was held in Tokyo in January 1962. Since then, conferences have generally been held every two years, alternating between Japan and the United States.

(Reference2) Attachment

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