FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Japan Society Joins a Shortlist of Great American Organizations When it Celebrates its 100th Anniversary
January 2007 - May 2008

Download this Press Release as a PDF.

Brooklyn Museum (1823)• New York Philharmonic (1842) • Brooklyn Academy of Music (1861) • American Museum of Natural History (1869) • The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1870) •  The Metropolitan Opera (1883) • The New York Public Library (1895) • The New York Botanical Garden (1891) • The Jewish Museum (1904) •
The Juilliard School (1905) • Japan Society (1907)

New York, NY — Founded in 1907, Japan Society joins a shortlist of venerable NY-based American institutions when it celebrates the 100th Anniversary of its founding from January 2007 through May 2008. Presenting over a year of special programming in the areas of arts and culture, business, education, and public policy, events will occur throughout New York City and in Japan with further national and international exposure through traveling exhibitions, performing arts tours, fellowships and exchanges.

In addition to its regularly high caliber programming, Japan Society's centennial highlights include the Centennial Speakers Series, featuring discussions by some of the top business leaders and policymakers in Japan and the U.S. (Jan. 2007-May 2008); Big Dance Theater’s The Other Here, a world premiere commissioned by Japan Society (Feb. 7-10, 2007); Awakenings: Zen Figure Painting in Medieval Japan, the first major exhibition of its kind in more than 30 years (March 28-June 17, 2007); the Centennial Gala, a veritable red carpet birthday bash honoring luminaries in U.S.-Japan relations with centennial honorary committee co-chairs David Rockefeller and Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda (May 9, 2007); Tech Epoch, an 11-day summit with interactive demonstrations, cutting-edge robotics, and multimedia performances (May 31-June 10, 2007); JAPAN CUTS, Japan Society’s first large-scale film festival of contemporary film, presenting premiere features, documentaries and shorts (July 5-15, 2007); Noh and Kyogen in the Park, al fresco performances of ancient plays performed by the most distinguished artists from Japan (July 19-21, 2007); the 100th Anniversary Alumni Reception for Educators, festivities for 100+ teachers who have participated in Japan Society's Educators Study Tours (Aug. 24, 2007); Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York, a homegrown exhibition showcasing an array of contemporary artists from Japan who live and work in NYC (Oct. 5, 2007-Jan. 13, 2008); Turning Japanese, a city-wide performing arts collaboration (Fall 2007); and high-profile events in Japan such as the U.S.-Japan Innovators Project symposium Partners in Change: The Future of U.S.-Japan Collaboration in Tokyo (November 2007), and the Centennial Reception in Japan, a culminating reception hosted by influential Japanese and U.S. VIPs (Spring 2008).

About Japan Society
Japan Society has evolved over 100 years into an internationally recognized nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that offers opportunities to experience Japanese culture; fosters sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia; and improves access to information on Japan. Currently Japan Society presents over 100 events annually, engaging and informing executives, civic leaders, artists, educators, students, and a broad audience of global cultural consumers. Since 1907 the Society has produced thousands of conferences, exhibitions, performances, screenings, tastings, symposia, lectures, seminars, classes, workshops and exchanges.

As announced on the front of page The New York Times the following day, Japan Society was founded on May 19, 1907, by a group of prominent New York City business people and philanthropists. Most of the original members remained active in the Society for many years, shaping the policies of exchange and collaboration that guided it through the 1930s until the outbreak of World War II. After the war, activities slowly resumed, and the stewardship of John D. Rockefeller 3rd from 1952–78 led to a unified vision and a firm financial foundation with the revitalized mission "to bring the people of the United States and of Japan closer together in their appreciation and understanding of each other" (Rockefeller, 1952).

Built on land donated by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Japan Society's landmark building, Japan House, was designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura. Opened in 1971, it was the first contemporary Japanese building in New York. Located near the United Nations on 47th Street and First Avenue, activities at Japan Society are set against a stunning backdrop of indoor gardens, a reflecting pool and a waterfall. Furnished with a superb collection of tables, chairs, and benches designed by master woodworker George Nakashima, the facilities include a 278-seat theater, art gallery, language center, library, conference facilities and over three floors of administrative space. The classic elegance and simplicity of Yoshimura's original vision has been preserved even as the building has been enhanced by a substantial renovation completed in 1998.

About Japan Society Programs, Projects and Resources
Since its inception in 1907, Japan Society's activities within the international business community have evolved into the Corporate & Policy Program, which engages more than 2,500 executives annually. Recent high-profile discussions have included Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (2002); Nissan Motor Company President & CEO Carlos Ghosn (2004); Ben S. Bernanke, Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (2004); Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki (2006); and Timothy Geithner, President, New York Federal Reserve (2006).

Japan Society’s Policy Projects include Redefining Japan & the U.S.-Japan Alliance, Bioterrorism & Consequence Management, and the U.S.-Japan Innovators Project, which brings emerging as well as established leaders in business, civil society and arts and culture together to explore new opportunities for bilateral collaboration in the 21st century.

While Japan Society produced its first exhibition in 1911, resulting in the Society's first major publication, Japanese Colour Prints by Frederick Gookin (1911), Japan Society Gallery did not open until 1972 after the completion of the building. The Gallery has since become one of the premier venues in the U.S. for the exhibition and publication of Japanese art. Recent acclaimed exhibitions include YES: Yoko Ono (2000), Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture curated by Takashi Murakami (2005), and Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History (2005), set to tour the U.S. and Canada in 2007.

Established in 1953, the Performing Arts Program has introduced American audiences to more than 500 programs of Japan's vibrant contemporary and revered traditional dance, music and theater. Highlights range from multiple premiere presentations of the Grand Kabuki to the wildly popular Contemporary Japanese Dance Showcase that "has served as an invaluable showcase for new Japanese dance in New York." (John Rockwell, The New York Times). Through commissions, exchanges, and workshops the Program also endeavors to inspire U.S.-based artists. A recent commission, the Bessie-Award winning Dogugaeshi by puppet master Basil Twist, tours Japan in 2008 as part of the Society's centennial celebration.

Japan Society is New York City's prime destination for cinematic retrospectives of seminal directors and actors, thematic film series and U.S. premieres of Japanese films of various genres, often accompanied by commentary and discussion by participating filmmakers. From its first film screening in 1922 (a four-reel film of the crown prince's 1921 visit to Europe) to the 2006 premiere screening of Drawing Restraint 9, hosted by visual artist Matthew Barney and collaborator Björk, Film Program highlights have also included, Kurosawa: A Retrospective (1981); A Tribute to Toshiro Mifune (1984); Anime: The History of Japanese Animated Films (1999); and Critic’s Choice: Susan Sontag on Japanese Film, Parts I & II (2003 and 2004).

Japan Society has created and facilitated many prestigious fellowships and exchanges, from Eleanor Roosevelt's 1953 participation in the Intellectual Interchange Program to the ongoing U.S.-Japan Media Fellows Program. The latter has resulted in articles from both eminent and up-and-coming newsmakers, which have appeared historically on ABC News and NPR and in publications including The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, The Atlantic Monthly, Business Week, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe among many others.

In 1928, Japan Society received and displayed Good Will Dolls sent to America by more than 2,500,000 school children in Japan. Today the Society's Education Program offers exceptional Japan-related curricula and programs for K-12 educators, students and schools in arts, history, literature and contemporary issues, as well as educators’ study tours to Japan. With a new emphasis on special events for children of all ages, the Program serves wider audiences and local communities with firsthand opportunities to learn and experience Japanese culture.

With an annual lecture series initiated in 1911, today’s Lectures Program continues to present public lectures, panel discussions, and symposia that activate intercultural dialogue with topics ranging from art, architecture, and fashion to social policy. In the past 15 years, speakers have included Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, acclaimed journalist Robert MacNeil, Director General of UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura, former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata, fashion designer Hanae Mori, architect Tadao Ando, composer Stephen Sondheim, multimedia artist Nam June Paik, and jewelry designer Elsa Peretti.

Beginning in 1972 with a single class, the Toyota Language Center has grown into one of the most respected learning resources in the nation for the study of Japanese language, offering comprehensive levels of Japanese as well as a variety of advanced and specialized courses, workshops and conversation classes. In 2005-2006 over 2,000 students were enrolled in 165 classes, and the Center hosted a year-end discussion for students and alumni with special guest Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees.

Japan Society's C.V. Starr Library is an ideal place for research on Japan and U.S.-Japan relations. Roughly 14,000 volumes (primarily in English) offer Society members a comprehensive resource for information on Japanese art, history, culture, society, politics, religion and many other subjects.

For more information about Japan Society and all Society programs and events, please visit www.japansociety.org or call 212-832-1155. Japan Society is located at 333 E. 47th Street (accessible by the 4/5/6 and 7 at Grand Central or the E and V subway at Lexington Ave.)

# # #

For further information, images and interview requests, please refer to:

Shannon Jowett
Japan Society
T: (212) 715-1205
F: (212) 715-1262
E: sjowett@japansociety.org

Aya Akeura
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1292
F: (212) 715-1262
E: aakeura@japansociety.org

Kellie Honeycutt
Blue Medium, Inc.
T: (212) 675-1800
F: (212) 675-1855
kellie@bluemedium.com