TUJ Leverages Longstanding Experience to Co-Organize Successful Young Trilateral Leaders Summit

YTL participants, U.S. Embassy staff, and TUJ faculty, staff and students gather for a group photo during the YTL Summit, held in Osaka from July 7 to 9, 2025.

The Japan campus of Temple University (TUJ) drew on its longstanding experience as the oldest and largest foreign university branch campus in Japan to successfully organize the second annual U.S-ROK-Japan Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Summit, held from July 7 to 9, 2025, in Osaka.

As the only American university with both a campus in Tokyo and a satellite location in Kyoto, TUJ was well-positioned to support the three-day event through a dedicated team of faculty, staff and students.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by TUJ, the university mobilized its human resources and academic capabilities to stage the summit. The event brought together 50 delegates, 45 from the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan, and five from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, selected from nearly 800 applicants. Among them was Soren Dickson, a senior-year undergraduate student at TUJ majoring in international affairs, as the only representative from the university.

Official U.S. Grantee

TUJ has been closely involved in the summit from the start, having been selected by the U.S. Department of State in fall 2024 as the official grantee to organize the event. From October 2024 through the conclusion of the summit on July 9, TUJ Chief of Staff May-yi Shaw led the initiative, overseeing all aspects of TUJ’s involvement.

“It was an honor for TUJ to be selected to organize this important YTL Summit,” Shaw commented. “This marked a milestone event for TUJ, and I would like to thank TUJ member who contributed to making this a meaningful and memorable experience for the summit participants. I’ve received countless messages from the participants after the summit about what a life-changing and transformative experience the summit had been for them.”

In the months leading up to the summit, TUJ hosted virtual workshops in May and June, focusing on team building, leadership development, cross-cultural negotiations, and the challenges of trilateral cooperation. TUJ faculty and staff, including Dean Matthew Wilson, Shaw, Assistant Dean for Leadership Initiatives and Senior Lecturer William Swinton and Lecturer Benoit Hardy-Chartrand, facilitated these sessions.

Prior to the summit on July 6, a welcome dinner took place at the residence of Jason Cubas, the U.S. Consul General of the Osaka-Kobe Consulate. The three-day summit took place at venues including the U.S. Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka and the Osaka International Convention Center (Grand Cube Osaka), with a cultural excursion to Kyoto on the first day.

TUJ Unites to Deliver Global Event

TUJ staff supported communications and social media efforts, helping share updates across official platforms. TUJ student workers played an active role in logistics, venue setup, materials preparation, and participant hosting, gaining valuable firsthand experience in organizing a high-profile, international event.

The summit opened with a breathtaking Japanese taiko performance and uplifting remarks by Aaron D. Snipe, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, setting the tone for discussions on youth leadership in trilateral partnership. For the remaining day, participants joined expert panels focused on trilateral security and emerging technologies in the region, followed by a cultural excursion in Kyoto, visiting the famed Kiyomizu-dera temple and its enchanting neighborhood.

The second day featured sessions on cross-cultural business, soft power, and youth-led initiatives, including a special panel featuring five alumni from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) and Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) program. On the final day, the summit took place inside the USA Pavilion at EXPO 2025, showcasing innovative, youth-driven solutions for the regional’s most pressing issues.

Besides having toured the USA Pavilion in the morning, participants visited the Japan and Korea Pavilions after the pitch competition before gathering for the closing ceremony, which featured a special live performance by TUJ alum Lisa Horiuchi, the winner of Chiba Television’s “Sing for a Million Yen Challenge” Season 3.

Ongoing Support for Youth Leaders

Shaw served as the main emcee throughout the summit, while TUJ student Dickson served as the panel moderator for the session on holistic trilateral security and actively engaged with fellow delegates. In the final pitch competition – the climax of the summit where Dean Wilson served as one of the judges and posed thought-provoking questions to the participants – 10 teams presented creative proposals to strengthen trilateral cooperation, with the top three teams receiving a seed fund to implement their projects over the next six to eight months.

Reflecting on the summit, Dickson said it brought together his passion for youth leadership at TUJ and his focus on trilateral relations. “This summit reflects that TUJ and youth like me have a crucial role to play in ensuring the continuing sustainability of this vital relationship,” he said.

TUJ will continue to supervise the progress of these initiatives and remain involved in supporting post-summit YTL activities. The university will help sustain a vibrant alumni network through follow-up opportunities, including virtual meetups, mentorship programs, and reunions, ensuring continued collaboration, growth, and dialogue among future regional leaders.

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