Watanabe Democracy Fellowship 2025 Application Open

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Toshizo Watanabe Democracy Fellowship is now accepting applications for the 2025 Fellowship. The Watanabe Democracy Fellowship is a program of the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (Democracy Center) at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). Each year, ten fellows are selected to participate in a program that includes a two-week delegation visit to the US during the summer, along with opportunities for year-round learning and networking. Visit the Watanabe Fellowship website at janm.org/democracy for complete eligibility requirements. The application deadline is January 30, 2025 PST.

The fellowship is open to emerging and mid-career Japanese leaders under the age of forty-five, from various sectors including business, government, arts, media, NPO/NGO, and education. This includes those working for companies or organizations, as well as those who are self-employed. Applicants must be Japanese citizens or Special Permanent Residents and have at least five years of work experience. Selected fellows will be announced in April 2025.  

An online information session for 2025 applications will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, from 10 a.m.–10:30 a.m. JST / Friday, December 6, 2024, from 5 p.m.–5:30 p.m. PST. Participation is free, but registration is required. For more information, please visit janm.org/democracy/democracy-center-events.
The inaugural cohort of eight Watanabe Democracy fellows visited Los Angeles, Manzanar, and Washington, D.C. over ten days in July 2024. During their delegation visit, fellows explored issues related to American democracy, including diversity, minority representation, and solutions to social challenges. They also examined the roles of government agencies, nonprofits, and individuals in shaping policy, engaging directly with those involved in these activities. The visit included learning about Japanese American history at JANM and Manzanar National Historic Site and meeting with Ambassador of Japan to the United States of America Shigeo Yamada, Members of Congress, the White House, State Department, and an array of grassroots and nonprofit advocacy organizations.

As a post-delegation program, JANM held a roundtable discussion in Tokyo on November 2, 2024, about emerging trends in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in Japan. It featured panelists from organizations at the forefront of DEI work in Japan, including Keidanren, Tokyo Rainbow Pride, and Human Rights Now. The fellows also visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report on their takeaways from the fellowship to Ambassador Arima, Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau.

The fellowship was included in the fact sheet released by the White House during then-Prime Minister Kishida’s State Visit to the United States in April 2024. It read, “President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida applaud the Japanese American National Museum’s new Toshizo Watanabe Democracy Fellowship to promote global democracy and strengthen US-Japan ties.” The fellowship fosters dialogue and cooperation between the fellows and their American counterparts, while also strengthening the US-Japan relationship to promote global democracy.

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About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, JANM promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a center for civil rights, ensuring that the hard-fought lessons of the World War II incarceration are not forgotten. A Smithsonian Affiliate and one of America’s Cultural Treasures, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories. JANM is a center for the arts as well as history. It provides a voice for Japanese Americans and a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public in 1992, JANM has presented over 100 exhibitions onsite while traveling 40 exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. JANM is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday–Sunday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and on Thursday from 12 p.m.–8 p.m. JANM is free every third Thursday of the month. On all other Thursdays, JANM is free from 5 p.m.–8 p.m. For more information, visit janm.org or follow us on social media @jamuseum.

About the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (Democracy Center)

The Democracy Center is a place where visitors can examine the Asian American experience, past and present, and talk about race, identity, social justice, and the shaping of democracy. It convenes and educates people of all ages about democracy to transform attitudes, celebrate culture, and promote civic engagement; educates and informs the public and public officials about important issues; creates strength within and among communities to advocate for positive change; and explores the values that shape American democracy. The Democracy Center looks for solutions that engage communities in self-advocacy, explore the evolving idea of what it means to be an American, and result in actions that bring everyone together.