President’s Note for January 2024

Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! 
I hope everybody had a wonderful お正月 (oshogatsu/New Year) and that 2024 is off to a great start. I’m reminded of the wonderful hatsumode tradition in Japan – the first visit to the shrine in the New Year when you give thanks for the previous year and ask for blessings for the coming year (and get your fortune). 

I’m very thankful for having had a busy and successful 2023 (maybe our busiest year ever?) thanks to your support. Looking forward, I am hoping that we will be able to continue our work to build strong connections between the US and Japan, and especially among our supporters. My specific wish is that you will be actively involved in Japan Society of Northern California programs and events. Please come attend our many events, suggest program ideas, or, better yet, volunteer with us!

As this is our first newsletter of 2024, I will also ask you to kindly consider becoming an individual or corporate member. We have a revitalized Leadership Circle agenda with regular VIP dinners and events featuring special guests, our Individual Membership program which entitles you to register for our Japanese Language classes, and our Corporate Membership program with benefit packages named after Sumo categories (although you do not have to wrestle!). I’m happy to have a follow up conversation if you have any questions.

Our three major events in 2024 will again be our Innovation Awards (July 18), our Award of Honor Gala (at the end of September or early October), and our Japan Healthcare Conference (the week of Nov. 11 in Japan). I hope that you will attend some or all of these events. Even better, if you are interested in helping to plan any of these events, please let us know.

Coming Attractions

In the more immediate future, we are planning several excellent programs, including:

• Japan Outlook 2024 (Online program 1/25 at 4 p.m.) – come hear two renowned Japan experts (Aklo Fujii, Chair of the Nikkei Editorial Board, and Tobias Harris, Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States) who will give us their forecast about the political and economic events that will likely have an impact on Japan in 2024. (This is one of our very popular annual programs, and registration is free)
• Japanese American Museum of San Jose (In-Person Tour on 1/28 at 10 a.m.) – join us on a private tour of this excellent museum. The tour will focus on the museum’s newest showcase exhibit – the Ono Letters Project that features letters written by Japanese people incarcerated in the internment camps during WWII. (Space is limited and advance registration is required)
• Biotech Workshop: From Lab to Market – Commercializing University Technologies (Online program – Feb. 8, 5 pm PT) – this is our third workshop focusing on Japanese biotech entrepreneurs. Speakers from Stanford, MIT and UC Irvine will discuss how university-developed technology goes from research to the commercial market. This program is financed by a grant from the US Embassy in Japan. (Registration is free)
• Japanese Houses: Stories of Remarkable Houses and the People Who Made Them (Online Program – Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. PT) – don’t miss this great conversation with Naomi Pollock and Yoko Kawai about Naomi’s recently published book, The Japanese House Since 1945, an in-depth look at 97 groundbreaking houses from Japan. This is part of our Traditional Arts in Modern Japan series of programs. (Online program)
• The Journey to LGBTQ Rights in Japan and the US (Hybrid Program to take place at the Salesforce Tower in SF on Feb. 26 from 3-5 pm PT) – this is a special program that will feature leaders in the LGBTQ communities in Japan and the US talking about recent legislative efforts and approaches to legalizing same sex marriage and affirming basic human rights in both countries. 

And this is just a taste of what we’re doing this year. Keep an eye out for upcoming events and activities in a variety of areas, including:

• Innovation/Entrepreneurship and Business
• Politics, Policy & Economics
• Food, PopCulture & Sports
• Healthcare
• Language
• Travel
• And Much More.

Recent Events:

More 300 people attended our annual Japan Night Networking reception. This event is intended to bring together start-ups, investors and corporations interested in the Healthcare sector – and Japan – at the time of the JP Morgan Healthcare conference in San Francisco. (A big thank you to our sponsors CMIC, DG17 and LINK-J!) Check out our photos from the evening. 

Thank you again for your interest and support, and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Steve