Walk of Ages
The Chubu Walkathon’s 35th anniversary event raised the bar for community support.
2025 Kansai D&I Summit
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is a noble cause. Over the past decade, many positive changes have been achieved, but there is still a long way to go on the journey to true D&I. But good intentions don’t always guarantee good results. How do we get D&I back on track?
Sharpening the Story
The ACCJ Healthcare x Digital (HxD) initiative reached a new milestone on December 2 with its first-ever exclusive mentorship event for healthcare startups at Nakanoshima Qross in Osaka.
Making a Difference Step by Step
This May will mark a major milestone for the ACCJ–Chubu community: the 35th anniversary of the Chubu Walkathon International Charity Festival. You're invited to join the celebration and make a difference.
Chubu Walkathon 2025
The ACCJ Chubu chapter hosted the 34th annual Walkathon on May 18 in Nagoya’s Meijo Park to support local charities and improve the lives of the less fortunate.
Rising Star in Global Leadership
Ashiya City Mayor Ryosuke Takashima shared his vision for the future and his commitment to open dialogue with citizens at an event hosted by the ACCJ Kansai chapter on March 27.
Leading the Way
Meet the 2024 ACCJ Leaders and Volunteers of the years, recognized for extraordinary dedication to the chamber's mission.
United to Inspire Inclusion
On its 10th anniversary, the Kansai D&I Summit emphasized the importance of unity and collaboration in driving meaningful change.
Transforming Treatment
The annual HxD Pitch Day brought together five innovative start-ups that are bringing healthcare innovation to a changing world.
Growing Greener
The ACCJ Kansai chapter recently led a series of events that brought together community members, businesses, and organizations in an awe-inspiring effort to foster sustainable gardening practices and address food insecurity in the region.
Leading the Way
Each year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) honors members who have shown extraordinary dedication. On December 20, recipients were recognized in person for the first time since 2019 at a special Leadership Forum networking event, chaired by ACCJ Governor John W. Carlson III, at The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon.
Healthy Ideas
The 2022 HxD event was modeled on the concept of ideathons, or workshop-like gatherings of groups tasked with challenges for which they are to propose solutions. Through this model, a total of 86 ideators, facilitators, and mentors worked together through a cyclic ideation process to identify root causes and develop the next big project in healthcare.
Committee Matters
Looking back at 2022, it was a year of great progress for the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). I was honored to represent you as president and am humbled to have been reelected for a second term. This year, I look forward to building on our progress, harnessing the energy of our members and leaders who so generously share their time and expertise.
A Culture of Inclusion
Shaping workplace culture and inclusion. Leading the change. These are the themes of the 2022 ACCJ-Kansai Diversity and Inclusion Summit, which will again follow the format of three two-hour online sessions, to be held over successive weeks in October and November.
Final Frontier
Cooperation between the United States and Japan in the space industry is growing stronger and represents a great pathway for innovation in the bilateral relationship. A significant player in the space travel industry in Japan is the Space Port Japan Association (SPJ), which was established in 2018 and is attracting considerable attention on both sides of the Pacific. SPJ co-founder and Representative Director Naoko Yamazaki joined members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) on April 21 for an hour-long online discussion.
Chubu Walkathon
On May 22, more than 1,000 participants took part in the 31st Annual Chubu Walkathon International Charity Festival. This year’s event took place on a beautiful Sunday in Nagoya’s Meijo Park and was also livestreamed. More than ¥7 million was raised to support local charities.
HxD Winners
As we enter the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, two societal needs have become crystal clear: healthcare and digitalization. The combination of the two could bring some of the most impactful changes to Japan and the world by improving the quality of life, reducing the cost of care, and allowing society to better cope with future crises. Bringing them together is exactly what the ACCJ has done with its Healthcare x Digital (HxD) initiative, which began in 2020 and reached new heights in its second year.
Supplier D&I
While there is much talk in Japan about diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace, another important, though less-discussed, aspect of D&I involves suppliers. Some major companies have long championed diversity in their supply chains, but the issue is now getting more attention—and progress is being made—thanks to the efforts of socially conscious leaders. This was the topic of a November 25 virtual event, hosted by the ACCJ-Chubu Programs Committee and entitled Supplier D&I: Three-Year Journey in the Japanese Market.
Sustainable Change through Animation
One of the most noticeable aspects of digitalization has been the shift from traditional television to on-demand streaming video. But even before the coronavirus boosted demand, these companies were experiencing a shortage of high-quality animated content. ACCJ 2018 Volunteer of the Year Royi Akavia sees this as foundation for telling stories that make a difference using original characters to which children can relate.