The American Friends of the International House of Japan was established in May 1986 by a group of distinguished Americans who cared deeply about the I-House. They included Robert B. Oxnan, President, Asia Society; Porter McKeever; Richard Petree, President, U.S.-Japan Foundation; George Packard, Dean, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; John Wheeler, Vice President, Japan Society; Maximilian Kempner, Sherman and Sterling; and Joseph E. Slater, Chairman, John J. McCloy International Center.