Iolani School Headmaster Val Iwashita has been chosen as one of 13 Japanese-American leaders from around the country to join the 2011 Japanese-American Leadership Delegation, whose aim is to promote U.S.-Japan relations.

The delegation will travel to Japan in March to meet and exchange information with Japanese leaders in government, business and other areas.

The delegation, led by U.S.-Japan Council President Irene Hirano Inouye, will travel to Japan from March 4 to 12.

The trip gives Japanese leaders a chance to gain a greater understanding of America through the experiences of a diverse group of Japanese-Americans.

Upon returning to the United States, delegation members will work with former delegates, consulates, the U.S.-Japan Council and community organizations to organize programs related to building U.S.-Japan relations.

Iwashita will speak at a symposium in Osaka about the American educational system and the benefits of studying abroad.

“By sharing our ideas and philosophies about education, we can help each other through mutual support and increased cultural awareness,” Iwashita said in a news release. “What we, as a country, do to help Japan will come back to benefit us as well.”