WASHINGTON, July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Caroline Kennedy – renowned diplomat, author, and attorney – has rejoined the United States-Japan Foundation Board of Trustees.
Caroline Kennedy, the former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, rejoins the United States-Japan Foundation board.
Kennedy served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017. She played a critical role in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, culminating in the historic visits of President Barack Obama to Hiroshima and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor.
She advanced realignment of the U.S. forces in Okinawa, promoted women’s empowerment, and increased student exchange. In November 2021, she was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Following her Tokyo posting, Kennedy joined the USJF board in 2017, leaving in 2022 to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Australia, where she served until December 2024.
“We’re thrilled to have Caroline back with us,” said USJF Board Chair Lawrence K. Fish. “She was an extraordinary Trustee during her first term with the Foundation, and we’re eager to tap into her unique knowledge and experience with both diplomacy and public service as we redefine our mission and expand our social impact.”
“I am honored to rejoin the board of the U.S.-Japan Foundation,” said Kennedy. “Few organizations have done so much to strengthen ties between the people of our two great democracies. I am excited about the chance to expand that work and engage new generations in solving our common challenges. A highlight of my past service was joining a group of the Foundation’s U.S.-Japan Leadership Program Fellows cycling the Shimanami Kaido along the Seto Inland Sea. I am excited to see more of what we can do together.”
As U.S. Ambassador to Australia, Kennedy deepened American alliances in the Asia-Pacific. She focused on the AUKUS partnership (between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and initiated the Quad Cancer Moonshot in which the U.S., Australia, Japan, and India will join to reduce cervical cancer across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Kennedy is Honorary President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and has served on numerous non-profit boards and spearheaded public-private partnerships. She was Vice Chair of the NYC Fund for Public Schools from 2002-2013, where she worked to increase private sector support for New York City public schools with a focus on arts education, libraries and leadership training.
Her long-standing interest in education led her to establish the International Poetry Exchange program in 2014 bringing together students from Tokyo, Gotemba, Okinawa and New York in a spoken word program and competition.
The United States-Japan Foundation was established in 1980. It has since given out more than $100 million in grants and runs the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program with a network of 500 fellows from the two countries.
Kennedy joins on the USJF board: Chair Fish, Vice Chair Kohei Itoh, Wendy Cutler, Richard E. Dyck, Stan Kasten, Lin Kobayashi, James M. Kondo, Santa Ono, Kazuyo Sejima, Donna Tanoue, Keiko Tashiro, and Jeffrey W. Yabuki.
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