The Tennessee World Affairs Council, Mission Value Partners, and Thierry Porte are proud to help launch the Takahashi/Alexander Scholarship Program: Building Tennessee-Japan Friendship, One Story at a Time. This new scholarship celebrates the extraordinary history of friendship, investment, cooperation, and personal relationships that have connected Tennessee and Japan for generations.

Open to students age 13 and older who study in Tennessee, the program invites applicants to explore the past, present, and future of Tennessee-Japan relations through an original essay of no more than 500 words. Students may focus on diplomacy, STEM, communications, national defense, business and agriculture, culture, or the special “Sensei” category recognizing Japanese language educators.

Applications are due by noon on October 1, 2026.

Seven winners will each receive a scholarship of at least $700 and an invitation to a special reception on October 27, 2026, in Nashville, where they will have the opportunity to connect with one another and with individuals who have helped build Tennessee’s longstanding relationship with Japan.

Through this scholarship, we hope to inspire a new generation of Tennesseans to learn from the remarkable people who built these international bonds, and to imagine how they can carry that friendship forward.