Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc.

What Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc. does

Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc. (JAST) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit cultural and business exchange organization founded in 2001 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The organization serves as the state's primary bilateral bridge between Tennessee and Japan, operating across both Nashville and Memphis with programming in English and Japanese. Its core activities are organized into three verticals: business programs (Tennessee-Japan Forum, Mitsui Lecture Series, SEUS/Japan Annual Joint Meeting, Women's Leadership Forum & Network Luncheon), cultural and social programs (Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival, Memphis Japan Festival, Reading Between the Lines book club), and education programs (the Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation Scholarships in Tennessee Program and university partnerships).

JAST is not a technology company and has no proprietary technology products. Its digital footprint consists of a bilingual Wild Apricot-hosted membership website, a YouTube channel, and Mailchimp distribution for the Japanese-language Living in TN Guide. The organization serves three customer segments: corporate members (companies with Japan ties including AT&T, FedEx, HCA Healthcare, Komatsu America Corp., and NTT DATA), individual members interested in Japan-Tennessee relations and Japanese culture, and the broader Tennessee public reached through signature cultural festivals. Strategic partners include The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation (core financial patron), the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Tennessee university partners.

JAST's business model is a non-profit, donation-and-membership-funded operating structure with three revenue streams: (1) recurring membership dues from corporate and individual tiers administered via Wild Apricot, (2) donations and patron support from named corporate patrons and The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation, and (3) transaction-based event participation fees from signature festivals, business forums, and the Women's Leadership Forum. Pricing for membership tiers is not publicly disclosed, no revenue figures are available, and the organization has no funding rounds, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Name

Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc.

Legal name

Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc.

Website

https://jastn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc. (JAST) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit founded in 2001 that promotes cultural exchange and business relations between Japan and Tennessee through festivals, forums, scholarships, and bilingual programming in Nashville and Memphis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: The organization operates a membership program with corporate and individual membership tiers, generating recurring revenue from annual dues.
2. Donations and patron support: The organization receives financial support from patrons including The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation, AT&T, FedEx, HCA Healthcare, Komatsu America Corp., NTT DATA, and others.
3. Event participation fees: Revenue generated from signature events including the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival, Memphis Japan Festival, Women's Leadership Forum, and various business forums.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JAST is a non-profit cultural and business exchange society that connects Tennessee and Japan through signature cultural festivals, business forums and lectures, educational scholarship programs, and a bilingual Living in TN Guide for Japanese nationals. It sells corporate and individual memberships, accepts donations from corporate patrons, and charges participation fees for its signature events held in Nashville and Memphis.

Product overview

Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc. (JAST) is a non-profit cultural and educational organization, not a technology company. The organization offers cultural programs (Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival, Memphis Japan Festival), business networking events (Tennessee-Japan Forum, Women's Leadership Forum), and educational scholarship programs (Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation Scholarships). These are organizational programs and services, not technology products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate and Individual Membership Program

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered moderate.

• Nashville Area Chamber of CommercemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner supporting business connections between Nashville and Japan. Joint promotion of Japan-Tennessee business relationships.
• Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & IndustrymoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level partner supporting business connections between Tennessee and Japan. Collaboration on economic development initiatives.
• University Partners in TennesseemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Tennessee universities to support Japanese language and cultural studies, and scholarship programs for students.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Japan-America Society of Washington, DC: A regional Japan-America society operating the same member-driven nonprofit model as JAST, focused on Washington DC cultural exchange, business networking, and educational programming. Directly comparable in structure and mission; differs in being situated in the policy capital with proximity to Japanese diplomatic and corporate interests.
• Japan Society (New York): The flagship Japan-America cultural and business society in the U.S. It operates the same 501(c)(6)-style nonprofit model as JAST, running membership programs, cultural festivals, business forums, lectures, and educational programs that bridge U.S.-Japan relations, though at materially greater scale and New York-based geography.
• Japan Society of Boston: A New England-based Japan-America cultural and business society using the same nonprofit membership-plus-events model as JAST. Comparable in offering signature cultural events, business networking, and educational outreach; serves a different U.S. region (Boston) but with very similar operating model and target members.
• Japan America Society of Southern California: Southern California-based Japan-America nonprofit society running member programs, business forums, and cultural events under the same model as JAST. Strong overlap in mission and patron mix given large Japanese corporate presence in the LA area; serves as a useful scale benchmark for JAST's potential event sponsorship upside.
• Japan Society of Northern California: Bay Area counterpart Japan-America society offering the same cultural and business exchange programming as JAST. Comparable in operating model and target members (corporate Japan-U.S. business community), with a tech-heavy Bay Area patron base that differentiates its specific event portfolio.
• Japan America Society of Chicago: Midwest Japan-America society offering comparable membership, cultural festival, business networking, and education programming to JAST. Direct functional peer with similar target members (corporate Japan-connected firms, individuals interested in Japan) but operating in the Chicago/Midwest region.
• Japan-America Society of Houston: Texas-based Japan-America society with the same nonprofit mission of cultural and business exchange between Japan and a U.S. region hosting significant Japanese corporate presence (energy, manufacturing). Direct operating-model peer to JAST, but larger Texas geography and energy-sector patron overlap.

Others

• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: Tennessee's primary regional business association and an explicitly named strategic partner of JAST. Comparable in nonprofit membership-driven business networking model, but broader in scope (not Japan-focused) and larger in scale; serves as a partner channel rather than direct competitor.
• The Southeast U.S.-Japan Association (SEUS-Japan): Regional association co-hosting the SEUS/Japan Annual Joint Meeting alongside JAST, focusing on Southeast U.S.-Japan business and economic ties. Highly thematically aligned with JAST's mission and a recurring program partner; not a direct competitor but operates in the same regional Japan-engagement space.

Regional players

• Tennessee World Affairs Council: Tennessee-based nonprofit that convenes business and civic leaders around international affairs, including programming on U.S.-Asia relations. Adjacent to JAST in operating geography and member base (Tennessee corporate and civic leaders), but broader in international scope rather than Japan-specific.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeLUEXPWZvl7NI5J5jainBw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/japan-america-society-of-tennessee-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc.