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The Detroit Consulate was established in 1993 when economic relations between Japan and the Great Lakes region were strengthening. This led to a huge increase in Japanese businesses—such as automotive industries—and Japanese residents here. The Consulate office is located in the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. Its jurisdiction includes the states of Michigan and Ohio.
There are approximately 24,000 Japanese nationals residing in the states of Michigan and Ohio combined. The region is home to over 1,000 Japanese business sites, providing employment for almost 117,000 people. This region boasts very active grassroots-level exchange activities. In addition to the sister-state relationships between Michigan and Shiga Prefecture and Ohio and Saitama Prefecture, as well as various sister-city exchanges, there are numerous Japan-related events held in several locations in each state. Interest in Japanese language learning is also strong here, with approximately 9,000 students of Japanese language at Michigan and Ohio schools and universities each year.
The goal of our Consulate is to continue to foster and maintain bilateral relationships between Japan and the governments, businesses, universities, cultural organizations, and general public in Michigan and Ohio.
The JACL Detroit Chapter is a cultural hub for the Japanese American community based in metro Detroit. We organize and support programming related to Japanese and Japanese American culture in Michigan, in order to connect with each other, to connect with our history, and to connect with other Asian and ethnic American communities.
Our history is rooted in World War II, when the United States federal government incarcerated over 120,000 Japanese Americans living in the West. Some of those incarcerated were allowed to leave the camps and resettle in Midwestern cities. Detroit was one such destination.
Though resettlement was intended to prevent the formation of new ethnic enclaves and the experience of incarceration dealt a traumatic blow to the Japanese American community’s willingness to express our cultural heritage, the JACL Detroit Chapter has been committed to aiding and celebrating Japanese American community in Michigan since 1946.
Japan America Society of Michigan and Southwestern Ontario is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization with a membership of individuals and corporations. The Society is dedicated to strengthening the ties of friendship between the Japanese people and the citizens of the Greater Detroit and Windsor area and to assist in developing a common understanding of economic, political and cultural diversity.
The Japan America Society is dedicated to strengthening friendly relations between Americans, Canadians and Japanese nationals doing business in this area.
The JAS was established as a non-profit 501 c (3) corporation in 1989 by the legendary Detroit ‘Big 3’, Lee Iacocca of Chrysler Corporation was the Society's first officer, he was joined by Roger Smith of General Motors and Harold Poling of Ford and Mr. Nabuto of Mazda.
Community leaders Walter McCarthy, chairman of the Detroit Edison Company, Peter Stroh of the Stroh Brewery Company and Detroit Mayor Coleman Young introduced the Japan America Society in 1989 in an effort to support Japan-American relations by encouraging the development of a common understanding.
The Society's members represent local American, Japanese and Canadian manufacturers, R&D operations, trading companies, transportation companies, major banks, utilities, accounting and law firms.
The Society maintains an extensive network of relationships with local Universities, cultural institutions, organizations and government offices to collaborate on programs. Projects foster the Japan-US relationship, and demonstrate the beneficial effect of enduring relationships among Japanese and American people, and traditional and contemporary craftsmanship and art on industry. The Japan America Society of Michigan and Southwestern Ontario is part of a network of 38 Japan-America Societies across the country. Taken together, these Societies represent more than 25,000 people.
The Society is closely aligned with the Japan Business Society of Detroit an organization of Japanese corporations and families here in Michigan.
