Washington DC: The Japan America Society of Washington DC (JASWDC) is pleased to announce the election of James “Jim” Schoff as its new incoming Chairman in 2026. Schoff is an expert on the US-Japan relationship, with decades of expertise in US-Japan security, technology, and economic policy. He was an exchange student in Japan in his youth and has remained committed to development of US-Japan youth leadership and people-to-people ties through his career. Schoff’s term as Chair will commence on April 1, 2026, in time for the Society’s 64th Sakura Matsuri-Japanese Street Festival and 34th National Japan Bowl. He succeeds Ambassador James Zumwalt, who concludes his six-year term on March 31st and will remain with the Society in an advisory capacity as a Chair Emeritus.

 

Schoff currently serves as senior director of the US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. His distinguished career includes significant experience in government, policy, and business. Notably, he served as a senior fellow and director of the Japan Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for nine years before joining Sasakawa USA, following two years as Senior Adviser for East Asia Policy in the US Office of the Secretary of Defense. Among his many published works is a book about the growth of US-Japan cooperation titled Uncommon Alliance for the Common Good: The United States and Japan after the Cold War (Carnegie, 2017). He has also worked in business and education fields in Japan and in the United States, and he is a Fellow of the US-Japan Leadership Program. Schoff previously served as a JASWDC trustee from 2014-2019 and has continued to support the Society as a member of its Tanaka & Green Scholarship selection committee.

 

“We are thrilled to welcome Jim Schoff back to the Society as its newest Chair,” said Chris Johnstone, JASWDC Trustee and head of the JASWDC Chair Search Committee. “Jim is a well-known and highly regarded expert on US-Japan relations, with impressive work on technology, diplomacy, and defense matters. Moreover, he is a proven leader who is deeply committed to our mission, and to building the US-Japan relationship at the grassroots. He is the right person to lead the Society’s Board at such a dynamic and exciting time for JASWDC.”

 

In his new role, Schoff will preside over the Society’s distinguished Board of Trustees, supporting the Society with strategic guidance and oversight. Schoff’s leadership begins at a time of dynamism for the Society, having recently moved into a new DC headquarters and announced a transformational endowment gift from the family of former President William H. Tanaka.

 

“I am deeply honored to step into the role of Chairman for the Japan America Society of Washington DC,” said Jim Schoff. “I am also humbled to take over from Ambassador Jim Zumwalt– somebody who has played such an important role in for the Society and in the careers of many US-Japan experts, including mine. I first became a member of the Society in 1990, and it has been a part of my life ever since. The US-Japan relationship is more vital than ever, and I look forward to working with the board and staff to advance the Society’s mission of promoting bilateral relations at the grassroots. Over the past 68 years, the Society’s dedicated leaders have created a valuable institution supporting US-Japan friendship in the National Capital Region and beyond, and my goal is to help build upon this legacy and expand our contributions to this essential alliance,” Schoff said.

 

About the Japan-America Society of Washington DC

The Japan-America Society of Washington DC is a 501(c)(3) educational and cultural non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Japan and the U.S. at the grassroots public diplomacy level. Our programming aims to bring Japanese and American people closer together in the Nation’s Capital area.

Former Chairs of the Society include Matthew Goodman, Ambassador Rust Deming, and Bill Breer, all of whom continue to advise the Society, as well as the late Congressman William Frenzel, Secretary Elliot Richardson, and Assistant Secretary Marshal Green.

Press Contact Information

William Denton, Communications Manager wdenton@jaswdc.org