TOKYO — On May 22, during President Biden’s trip to Tokyo, Glen S. Fukushima, vice chairman of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation and former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, announced to the president the establishment of the Fulbright-Glen S. Fukushima Fund through a $1 million donation to expand study and research opportunities for Japanese and Americans.
This is the largest single donation ever made by a U.S. citizen to the U.S.-Japan Fulbright exchange program.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel welcomed Fukushima’s generous commitment to promote education exchange: “The timing of the announcement during President Biden’s historic visit to Japan demonstrates the important role that individuals such as Mr. Fukushima play in strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance. Opportunities like this one serve as a down payment on the future of our peoples by enabling them to realize their academic aspirations.”
In announcing his commitment to Biden, Fukushima commented, “I am pleased to have this opportunity to give back to the Fulbright Program, from which I benefited greatly when I was a Fulbright Fellow from Harvard University at the University of Tokyo in 1982-1983. President Biden’s visit to Japan is the perfect occasion to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Fulbright Japan, and I hope my modest donation will contribute to promoting U.S.-Japan intellectual, educational, and cultural exchange.”
Fukushima is an alum of the U.S.-Japan Fulbright exchange program, and his donation is one of the largest ever made by an individual to the Fulbright program globally. The new fund represents a major step forward for educational opportunities between the U.S. and Japan by supporting higher education. Educational exchange is a cornerstone of the rich people-to-people ties that underpin the U.S.-Japan friendship and alliance.
Currently in its 70th year, the Fulbright program in Japan has produced six Nobel Prize winners and boasts of close to 10,000 alumni who have made important and lasting contributions in their respective fields. Fulbright enables recipients to pursue academic study and research, while also developing leaders who can contribute to promoting mutual understanding between the U.S. and Japan.
Like all Fulbright grants, those awarded through the Fulbright-Glen S. Fukushima Fund will be through an open and merit-based selection process.
For more information on the Fulbright program, visit the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission’s webpage: www.fulbright.jp