Bill Clark and Japan Society: A Remembrance

by John Wheeler, former Executive Vice President of Japan Society

William Clark Jr. became President of Japan Society in 1996 on the eve of its 90th anniversary. It was a moment for celebration, but even more for reflection and redefinition. The Society could justly extol its bridge-building role in the development of U.S.-Japan relations in the early years after 1907 and its important contributions to the healthy, productive postwar alliance and partnership forged between former enemies. But at a time of lingering U.S.-Japan trade conflict, severe economic malaise in Japan, increasing American frustration with Japan and rising interest in China, and pressing new security demands, there was clearly a need to reconsider the significance of the U.S.-Japan relationship and the Society’s role in fostering it.

Bill did just that, drawing on the extensive knowledge and experience he gained from long, intimate involvement with Japan. A Japanese language officer, 14 of his 35 years in the Foreign Service were spent in Japan during a distinguished career that included service as Deputy Chief of Mission in Tokyo under Ambassador Mike Mansfield, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to India. A savvy judge of people and good delegator, Bill led a team of capable professionals dedicated to heightening the Society’s relevance, reach and impact. Together they broadened and sharpened a multilateral, multicultural approach to conceptualizing Society programming. Business and policy programs were framed not merely in bilateral terms, but in the multilateral Asian regional and global contexts that increasingly defined the nature and dynamics of Japan’s role in the world and U.S.-Japan economic, political and security interaction. Such critical issues as international finance, technological innovation, mutual defense, media ethics, energy and the environment, aging and health care and corporate governance were addressed from multilateral perspectives, often in multilateral forums on both sides of the Pacific. A vivid example of the Society’s innovative, cutting-edge initiatives was the October 2000 conference in Tokyo that examined ways to strengthen U.S.-Japan cooperation on international terrorism—almost a full year before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.

Though an admitted policy wonk, Bill also brought to the Society a deep appreciation of Asian society and culture. Cultural programming flourished during his tenure with new creative energy and comparative relevance. Exhibitions, films, performances and lectures probed such rich and complex themes as the influences of both western and Asian artistic forms on Japan and the impact of Japanese and Asian art and theater on the West. Sumidagawa and Curlew River, a pairing of the 15th Century Noh play and the Benjamin Britten opera based on it; and the exhibitions Yes, Yoko Ono and Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan are only illustrative examples of seminal programs that generated large, enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim. Multi-media presentations on anime, architecture, design, food, and fashion spoke to Japan’s profound global influence on popular culture and life styles, and attracted new and younger audiences to the Society. Programs and exchanges for professional educators and students considered Japan in its East Asian cultural and historical context, including academic classes for secondary teachers cosponsored with China Institute and The Korea Society.

It was a fitting tribute to Bill’s Japan Society legacy that in his final year in office, 2003, all of the Society’s program departments joined to present an in-depth, three-month exploration of the Japan-Korea relationship, past, present and future--Bridging Change in Asia: New York Looks to Korea and Japan. Cosponsored with The Korea Society, it examined this long, dynamic, often challenging relationship from the earliest cultural transmissions to contemporary negotiations over the North Korean nuclear program. The centerpiece was a groundbreaking exhibition, Transmitting the Forms of Divinity: Early Buddhist Art from Korea and Japan. A complicated project involving deep historical sensitivities and threatened at the 11th hour by the imminent American invasion of Iraq, its realization required the full range of the diplomatic, political, and cross-cultural skills of Bill and his staff.

Another important part of Bill’s Society legacy, accomplished with energy and imagination, was the final planning and completion of the renovation and expansion of the Society’s headquarters building, begun under his predecessor Bill Gleysteen. The enlarged, improved space would prove indispensable to the Society’s ability to meet the programming needs of the 21st Century.

Bill Clark brought knowledge, intelligence, good humor and common sense to Japan Society. He had a ready smile, sparkling wit, and was eager to share his experience and know-how, not to mention his vast store of pithy, disarming jokes. His friendly, outgoing personality and signature sweeping handshake made friends both old and new feel welcome at 333 East 47th Street. Bill helped and inspired a broad range of individuals, over two generations in both government and the private sector, to better understand Japan and Asia and to pursue professional careers in the field. Among them are those of us fortunate to have worked closely with Bill at Japan Society. We share the view of Michael Green, one of the prominent members of the younger generation of Asia experts influenced by Bill and presently Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a position Bill once held: “he was approachable and easygoing, but deeply knowledgeable about Asia and American foreign policy. He made working on Asia feel both important and fun.”

A memorial tribute to Ambassador Clark will be held at Japan Society on Thursday, April 24 at 4:00 pm. Please contact the Special Events Office at (212) 715-1219 or specialevents@japansociety.org for further details or to RSVP.