KYOTO -- The 49th Japan-America Student Conference kicked off late July 28 at the Kyoto International Conference Hall, and this time instead of focusing on bilateral relations, participants are looking at changes in the Asia-Pacific community.
The conference, considered the oldest and most prestigious exchange program of its kind, is being attended by 60 undergraduate and graduate students from both countries. The program is aimed at promoting one-on-one relations through a variety of round-table discussions, parties, field trips and other events to be held through Aug. 19.
Started in 1934, as U.S.-Japan relations were deteriorating in the wake of Japan's invasion of Manchuria, the conference continued until 1941 and then was suspended throughout the war years. After a series of attempts in the 1950s, the conference was reborn in its present form in 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics.