November 21, 2025
An American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation, led by AJC CEO Ted Deutch, has returned from Japan, where they met with top government officials and diplomats to reinforce strong ties among Japan and the United States, Israel, and the American Jewish community.
Japan has emerged as an indispensable partner to Israel and the Jewish people and AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute (API) is leading the way in fostering this vital relationship.
The visit included meetings with National Security Adviser Ichikawa Keiichi and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro, as well as State Minister for Foreign Affairs Horii Iwao, State Minister of Defense Miyazaki Masahisa, and State Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Ino Toshiro.
The delegation also met with members of the Japan-Israel Parliamentary League, U.S. Ambassador George Glass, and Israeli Ambassador Gilad Cohen, and visited Hiroshima to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing.
During the mission, Deutch signed a historic partnership agreement with the Jewish Community of Japan, strengthening ties between Jewish communities in the U.S. and Japan, and underscoring AJC’s commitment to building global Jewish solidarity. This agreement expands AJC’s global partnership network to 41 Jewish communities and is the organization’s inaugural partnership in Asia.
API has been traveling to Japan since 1989 to advocate for Israel and the global Jewish community, as well as to strengthen the transpacific alliance. Also leading the mission were AJC Asia Pacific Institute Director Shira Loewenberg and API Board Chair Marcie Goldstein along with delegates AJC Board of Trustees Associate Chair and API Board Member Clifford Goldstein, API Board Member Peter Weil, AJC Board of Governors member Eileen Glasser-Wesley, and National Leadership Council members Teddy Greenspan, Emily Greenspan, Julie Weil, and Mark Wesley.
“AJC’s visit was at an opportune moment, on the heels of a historic leadership change in Japan and a successful U.S.-Japan bilateral summit, as well as new momentum towards a more secure, stable, and prosperous Middle East,” said Loewenberg. “Given Japan’s global leadership role and our shared commitment to a negotiated two-state solution in the future, the importance of engaging with Japan at this historic time could not be clearer.”
As confirmed by the Japanese government, AJC played a singular role in encouraging Japan to end its adherence to the Arab boycott against Israel in the 1990s. A senior Japanese official at the time was quoted as saying, “the new Japanese policy of opposing the Arab boycott of Israel was the result of five years of patient diplomacy by the American Jewish Committee.”
Today, AJC continues to play an important role in asserting the significance of the U.S.-Japan alliance; promoting a strong Japan-Israel relationship that benefits the citizens of both countries as well as the stability and security of the broader Middle East; and upholding democratic norms internationally to preserve prosperity and global peace.
API is the only such institute in the Jewish organizational world. It meets regularly with the most senior Japanese officials and civil society leaders. Together with AJC Project Interchange, API has brought three delegations of Japanese government officials to Israel.
AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute (API) was founded in 1989, even before the balance of economic and political power in the world began to shift toward Asia. Today, the organization plays a significant role in expanding the relationships of Israel and the global Jewish community with Asian Americans and Asian countries. Headquartered in New York, API has representation in Southeast Asia, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and New Delhi. For more, please visit www.ajc.org/asia.
