Michigan-Japan Data and Links


The Japan America Society was founded in 1990.
The Michigan-Shiga sister-state relationship began in 1968.

The city of Detroit and the City of Toyota initiated a sister-city relationship in 1960. 26 more Michigan cities are linked with Japanese cities through sister-city agreements.

There are more than 500 Japanese companies doing business in Michigan, most of them in the area of motor vehicles and parts manufacturing. These companies employ 40,000 Americans here in Michigan.

The procurement of goods and services by Japanese companies in the area is estimated to be in the billions of dollars.

The Japanese culture has been a vibrant part of the local communities since the turn of the 20th century, when Detroiter Charles Lang Freer acquired and shared a significant collection of Japanese art which would eventually form the basis of the The National Museum of Asian Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. The Japan America Society supported the recent restoration of the Japan inspired garden at Freer’s Detroit House.

The Detroit Institute of Arts houses a number of Japanese masterpieces including the 19th century gilded 6-fold screen, ‘Reeds and Cranes,’ painted by Suzuki Kiitsu. An authentic Japanese tea house in Saginaw is the product of a collaboration with the city’s Japanese sister-city, Tokushima.

The Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids is home to an 8-acre Japanese Garden designed by renowned landscape architect Hoichi Kurisu.

Downtown Detroit’s Riverfront Hart Plaza was designed by the Japanese-American artist, Isamu Noguchi and includes his stainless steel Dodge Fountain and Twisting Pylon sculpture.

The Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki practiced in Michigan for 40 years, gracing the Detroit area with several iconic buildings including the original Michigan Consolidated Gas Company building at One Woodward, home of the Japan America Society, and the McGregor Memorial Conference Center and surrounding Reflecting Pool and Sculpture Gardens on the campus of Wayne State University. 

More than 2000 students are studying the Japanese Language at Michigan Universities. 

An annual public Japan Festival is held in October.

The top decision makers of local Japanese and American firms are directly involved in the Japan America Society. They serve as officers, as directors and participate in the Society's programs.

The Japan America Society provides excellent opportunities for American and Japanese manufacturers to meet, make contacts and make friends.