The state of North Carolina’s relationship with Japan has long rested on a strong foundation between industry and government leaders. Now, higher education is completing the picture.
Barbara Stephenson, vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer, and Heather Ward, associate provost for global affairs, joined state officials and industry leaders in Tokyo for the 47th annual Southeast U.S./Japan Conference, Oct. 27–31. The North Carolina delegation was led by Gov. Josh Stein and organized by Lee Lilley ’06, North Carolina secretary of commerce. Delegations hailed from seven American states to strengthen political, economic and educational ties with Japanese counterparts.
North Carolina hosted last year’s conference in Charlotte and this year’s conference in Tokyo. Last year, Stephenson and Ward both spoke at the conference, the first to include higher education leaders.
The SEUS/Japan Conference underscored the broader economic and cultural relationship between North Carolina and Japan. Japan is the state’s top source of foreign direct investment, with 233 Japanese firms employing 36,000 people statewide and investing nearly $19.6 billion in capital over the past decade, according to the Economic Development Partnership for North Carolina, which maintains an office in Tokyo.
Governor Josh Stein at the 2025 SEUS/Japan conference discusses Japan’s impact on the state of North Carolina. (Yuuki Ide/Tokyo)
“Japan and North Carolina have a truly special partnership,” Stein said. “More than 36,000 North Carolinians wake up every morning and go to work for a Japanese company — and many more benefit from our years of cultural and academic collaboration.”
Don Hobart, retired associate vice chancellor for research at UNC-Chapel Hill, was a panelist alongside other university leaders from both countries. The discussion focused on how higher education institutions and industry can drive technological advancement to address shared challenges, an idea that is central to UNC Global Affairs’ strategy in Japan.
“For North Carolina, higher education has been central to the state’s economic development strategy, both from the workforce development angle and in research and innovation,” Ward said.
Connecting Tar Heels in Tokyo
During the visit, UNC Global Affairs and the Office of University Development hosted a reception at the Tokyo American Club for more than 130 Tar Heels and friends, including alumni, former exchange students, donors and Japanese partners. Stein and Lilley attended, too, with the governor speaking about the important relationship between North Carolina and Japan.
Stephenson acknowledged the University’s first international student in 1893, Shinzaburo Mogi, and the first Japanese student to graduate from Carolina in 1918, Kameichi Kato. Members of the Kato family attended the reception.
“The ties between Japan and America, and, more specifically, between Japan and North Carolina, are extensive,” Stephenson said. “More than a century of ties, decades of aligning interests and a couple years of focused relationship-building have made this visit possible, and I want to thank each of you for the role you have played in getting us here.”
Members of the Kato family chat with Ward and Stephenson, following their visit to Carolina. (Yuuki Ide/Tokyo)
She also introduced a special guest, Taketo “Mike” Furuhata ’52, the first international student to obtain an MBA from Carolina, who attended the reception. When Furuhata first came to Carolina, it took him 50 days to travel from Yokohama, Japan, to Chapel Hill.
“Between the time Kameichi Kato studied in Chapel Hill to the time Mike Furuhata earned his MBA, relations between Japan and America were difficult,” Stephenson said. “But Mike’s story is yet another example of how our countries’ stories are beautifully woven together.” She presented Furuhata a copy of “UNC Kenan-Flagler: A Century of Tradition and Innovation,” which includes a story about his experience at Carolina.
Since leading the University’s first delegation to Japan in 2023, UNC Global Affairs has expanded Carolina’s academic and research partnerships with Japanese universities and government funding agencies.
To learn more about Carolina’s engagement with Japan, contact Ward at heather.ward@unc.edu.
AloJapan.com