A Message from Japan Society President Motoatsu Sakurai

Dear friends,

This is my first letter as president of Japan Society, and I am delighted to be writing to you. I feel honored and privileged to be the new president of this remarkable, contemporary organization and believe that Americans and Japanese can deeply enrich each other’s cultures and societies.

Since 1907, Japan Society has been a place of friendship, sharing, and understanding. Today, our accomplished staff—highly engaged individuals from the worlds of the arts, business, policy, media, technology, and education—present daring visual art and performances; convene exclusive, high-level discussions of vital importance to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia; and immerse children and adults in traditional Japanese customs. They have steadily evolved Japan Society into a hub of dynamic, diverse, and innovative thoughts and encounters. I am pleased to be working alongside these extremely talented people.

This is an extraordinary time for Japan Society. In April and May alone, there is much to enjoy and do at our landmark Junzo Yoshimura building (as an aside, our "Japan House," in 1971, was the first building of contemporary Japanese design to be constructed in New York):

—Displayed in a series of enveloping spaces designed to evoke Tokyo’s clamorous cityscape, KRAZY! continues to draw record crowds as New York City’s first major museum show dedicated to the Japanese phenomena of anime, manga, and video games.

—In a rare appearance this month, Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa addresses the current global economic crisis and lessons from Japan’s recent experiences.

—Former Japan Society leadership fellow and current U.S.-Japan Innovators Network participant Alan Webber offers career-spanning rules of thumb about what makes for a life well-lived and work well-done in turbulent times.

—Minimal and radical choreographer and solo artist Hiroaki Umeda premieres new work in May within an environment of sparse lights, cyber-imagery, and digital soundscapes.

—Further ahead, save the date for our Annual Dinner on June 15th with keynote speaker Fujio Mitarai, Chairman, Nippon Keidanren and Chairman & CEO, Canon Inc., and Japan Society Award recipient The Honorable Peter G. Peterson; as well as our annual summer festival of new Japanese films, June 30 through July 12.

Experiencing surprising, cutting-edge art; imagining entrepreneurial approaches to improve quality of life; debating the realities facing Japanese and U.S. investors; expanding educational resources; delighting in the Japanese language; escaping in a screening of a Tokyo art house film—in our gallery, our state-of-the-art 262-seat auditorium, our classrooms, and through our influential touring premieres, Japan Society offers diplomats, executives, artists, scholars, students, and anyone interested in Japanese culture and society and U.S.-Japan relations, a world-class, multi-disciplinary experience.

As the new Japan Society president, I am thrilled to share with you that more than a hundred years after our founding, the desire to foster a constructive, resonant and dynamic relationship between the people of the U.S. and Japan remains our goal.

I hope you will join us.

Motoatsu Sakurai

President, Japan Society