U.S.-Japan Friendship Reception celebrates launch of the Gallaudet Japan Initiative

On September 17, 2025, Gallaudet University hosted a U.S.-Japan Friendship Reception to launch the Gallaudet Japan Initiative. The Initiative will deepen partnerships with the business community, educational institutions, and government organizations in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

The goal of the Initiative is to build a two-way pipeline between Japan, the Asia-Pacific region, and Gallaudet University. Students and scholars in both parts of the world will have expanded opportunities for research, academic and professional collaboration, and cultural exchange.

The Gallaudet Japan Initiative has the support of the Embassy of Japan through its partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education.

The Initiative is spearheaded by the Global Gallaudet team, Senda Benaissa, E-’05, and Amanda Mueller, in partnership with Neal Murata, a U.S. Diplomat from the Department of State, currently on detail to Gallaudet.

Friendship reception

The U.S.-Japan Friendship Reception was hosted in the historic House One on the Gallaudet campus. Guests at the reception included Gallaudet staff, faculty, and students, as well as representatives from Japanese organizations such as ANA Airlines, Suntory, Sony, and Toshiba.

The guest of honor was the Ambassador of Japan to the United States, Shigeo Yamada. Gallaudet President Roberta Cordano and the President’s spouse, Mary Baremore, welcomed Ambassador Yamada to House One.

President Cordano and Ambassador Yamada were joined by Congressman Mark Takano. Rep. Takano had previously visited Gallaudet in February to meet with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Child Resilience Center. He returned to campus to show his support for the Gallaudet Japan Initiative.

The reception was highlighted by remarks from President Cordano, Ambassador Yamada, and Rep. Takano, affirming their commitment to expanding the relationship between Gallaudet and Japan.

A history of exchange

The Gallaudet Japan Initiative represents the next step of a growing partnership between the university and Japan. Gallaudet has welcomed over 100 alumni, scholars, and community leaders from Japan over the years who have attained degrees, conducted research, or engaged in professional development opportunities.

Many Japanese scholars at Gallaudet have been supported by the Nippon Foundation’s World Deaf Leadership Scholarship. The scholarship, originally created for Deaf Japanese leaders, now provides financial support for deaf leaders from developing nations around the world to seek degrees from Gallaudet.

In Japan, Gallaudet has been active through a robust partnership with the National University Corporation Tsukuba University of Technology (NTUT) a leading national public university in Ibaraki Prefecture). NTUT is a dedicated school for deaf and hard of hearing students, where classes are conducted in Japanese Sign Language (JSL). The partnership with Gallaudet has fostered various joint research and academic programs in the area of Deaf Studies, Deaf-Centered disaster risk reduction (DRR), and architecture, among others.

This November, the Deaflympics summer games will be hosted in Tokyo, Japan, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the games. The USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF) estimates that approximately 40% of United States athletes in the 2025 Deaflympics will be Gallaudet students, staff, faculty, or alumni.

Gallaudet representatives Dr. Kota Takayama, G-’09, and Ai Minakawa, G-’21, visited the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. this past June. During their visit, they presented a workshop called “Understanding the World through Deaf Perspectives.” The workshop helped prepare the Japanese officials for hosting Deaf and hard of hearing people during the Deaflympics.

Ambassador Yamada will host a “Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics – Team USA: Cultural Orientation & Send-off Reception” for USADSF athletes at his home in Washington, D.C., before the Deaflympics begin.

A prosperous future

President Cordano and the Global Gallaudet team will travel to Japan to meet with Tsukuba University of Technology President Dr. Yasushi Ishihara; Dr. Yutaka Osugui, NTUT Professor and Special Advisor to the President of NTUT; and Dr. Takayama. Drs. Osugui and Takayama have played a crucial role in the ongoing relationship between NTUT and Gallaudet. 

Dr. Osugui is also the Vice President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD). In Japan, Gallaudet and ICSD will sign an MOU that transfers ICSD’s historic documentation, including the Deaf World Games, to the Gallaudet Archives. The Archives maintains the world’s largest collection of materials related to deaf people, deaf culture, deaf history, signed languages, deaf education, and deaf-related organizations.

To cap their time in Japan, President Cordano and the Global Gallaudet team will attend some of the final games of the 2025 Deaflympics, as well as the closing ceremonies. It will mark a celebratory milestone in the relationship between Gallaudet and Japan, and an auspicious symbol of continued partnership in the future.

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Visit the Global Gallaudet page to learn more about Gallaudet’s international relations.

The Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics take place November 15-26.