UNIQLO Announces TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship

Program in Cooperation With the TOMODACHI Initiative to Support
the Next Generation of Business and Fashion Leaders

October 23, 2012, Tokyo, Japan -- UNIQLO today announces that it will establish the TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship in cooperation with the TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership led by the U.S. Government and the U.S.-Japan Council, to support the education of Japan's next generation of business and fashion leaders.

Immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011, UNIQLO and other Fast Retailing Group companies started to distribute clothing with the aid of employee volunteers and donate funds in disaster-affected areas of the Tohoku Region. In March 2012 the Group initiated the UNIQLO Recovery Assistance Project, a mid-to-long-term aid program whereby UNIQLO began working with NGOs and opening stores in the hardest-hit communities of the region.

Fast Retailing Chairman, President and CEO Tadashi Yanai commented on today's announcement and said, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the American people and the U.S. Government for their strong support toward Japan, including Japan's economic recovery and growth, over the many years that our countries have been friends. Your kindness and friendship were especially felt last March, when we experienced such a tragic event in Tohoku."

Yanai added, "The TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship is a new element of Fast Retailing's ongoing commitment to contribute to society. Our role in the Fellowship is to open the eyes of, and indeed encourage, young talented Japanese people to become leaders in the areas of business and fashion by studying at top internationally-known U.S. schools."

The TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship

UNIQLO joined the TOMODACHI Initiative, an initiative that was created by the U.S. Government and the U.S.-Japan Council with the support of the Japanese Government, after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami to primarily assist education in areas affected by the disaster. UNIQLO will start the TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship from September 2013.

The aim of the Fellowship is to send 10 promising Japanese citizens who wish to become business managers and fashion designers on the global stage to study for two years at universities and fashion design schools in the U.S., beginning in or after September 2013. A total of U.S. $1.6 million will be awarded to the Fellowship to provide for the scholarships.

■ Overview of the Fellowship

Name	:	TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship
Graduate schools	:	Stanford Graduate School of Business Parsons the NEW School of Design, School of Fashion Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York
Eligibility	:	Applicants who have been accepted to the schools
Number of eligible persons	:	10, at the three schools together
Study period	:	Two years at all schools
Start of the terms	:	September 2013 or thereafter
Disbursement	:	U.S. $1.6 million will be disbursed to the Fellowship to cover tuition fees and living expenses for the students
Application method	:	Direct application after acceptance announcement by the respective schools
Others	:	Internships and other training opportunities will be offered at Fast Retailing during the time of the Fellowship, as appropriate.

■ About the TOMODACHI Initiative

TOMODACHI is a public-private initiative that was forged after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. It is led by the U.S. and Japanese governments and the U.S.-Japan Council, an American nonprofit organization, and is supported by corporations, organizations and individuals from both the U.S. and Japan. It was established to address the immediate needs of Japan following the disaster. It also supports the development of the next generation of Japanese and Americans, such as through promoting cross-cultural exchanges and opening training opportunities for entrepreneurs and leaders, with the aim of enhancing long-term competitiveness and strengthening U.S.-Japan relations. The initiative's main measures include the provision of financial, human and in-kind resources that are matched to the local needs of Tohoku, the provision of scholarships and student exchange programs with the aim of developing the next generation, the promotion of short-term visits to Japan and the U.S., the provision of support to entrepreneurs and internship programs, and the formation of partnerships with educational organizations operating in the Tohoku Region.

For more information visit the following website: http://www.usjapantomodachi.org/

Top of page

News & Updates

UNIQLO Announces TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship