President Obama and Prime Minister Noda met on April 30, 2012 and released a fact sheet on U.S.-Japan Cooperative Initiatives. Recognition of CULCON’s efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship is included in the official document: “The leaders welcomed achievements by . . . the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON). The goal of these and other efforts is to cultivate a “TOMODACHI Generation” of young people in Japan and the United States who will serve as the foundation for an even stronger bilateral partnership in the future.” For the full text, please see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/30/fact-sheet-united-states-japan-cooperative-initiatives.