TOKYO — The United States-Japan Foundation announced that it has added to its board of Trustees James M. Kondo, chairman of the board of International House of Japan, an independent foundation that contributes to building a free, open, and sustainable future.
In his four years at International House, Kondo has expanded the organization’s reach and impact, by merging with the think tank Asia Pacific Initiative, establishing the Institute of Geoeconomics, and forging strategic partnerships with Asia Society, Japan Society, India International Center, and other key institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. In the process, the size of the institution has more than doubled in revenue.
Kondo is also a leader in Japan’s technology world, acting as senior advisor for OpenAI, having served previously as chairman of Twitter Japan, and as a special advisor to the Japanese government’s cabinet office.
“The Foundation is thrilled to add to our board somebody with James’s prominence and experience in both countries, his network, his energy, and his creativity. We are privileged to be able to work with him as we reshape our vision and direction,” said board chair Lawrence K. Fish.
“James’s work at International House is an inspiring model for raising the ambition and impact of an organization,” said USJF president Jacob M. Schlesinger. “We look forward to tapping into his expertise as our Foundation aims for a similar transformation.”
Kondo is a Fellow in the Foundation’s US-Japan Leadership Program, having joined the network in 2005-06.
“In the last 20 years, the US-Japan Leadership Program — with its community of fellows — has become the bedrock of US-Japan relations,” Kondo said. “As a proud Fellow of the USJLP, it is a tremendous honor to serve as a Trustee of the US-Japan Foundation. I am inspired by the long-term, future-oriented decisions that the Foundation has made in the past and would like to contribute to helping the Foundation make equally impactful decisions to shape the future.”
Kondo is also a Global Trustee and Co-Chair of the Japan Center at Asia Society, and a Trustee at Keio University, his alma mater. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School, and was a World Fellow at Yale University, and a Visiting Scientist at the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In addition to his participation in the USJLP, James has been a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, an Asia 21 Fellow of the Asia Society, an Inamori Fellow of the Inamori Foundation, and a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy.
Kondo joins on the USJF board: Chairman Fish, Wendy Cutler; Richard E. Dyck, Colleen Hanabusa, Craig M. Mullaney, Tak Niinami, Richard J. Samuels, Donna Tanoue, and Takeshi Ueshima.