japan society · carol gluck motokazu yoshida investment committee james s. mcdonald, chair henry...

J A P A N S O C I E T YA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 5 – 0 6

Founded in 1907, Japan Society is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization

that brings the people of Japan and the United States closer together

through understanding, appreciation and cooperation. Society programs

in the arts, business, education and public policy offer opportunities to

experience Japanese culture; to foster sustained and open dialogue on

issues important to the U.S., Japan and East Asia; and to improve access

to information on Japan.

Front and back cover: Time’s Arrow, 1987. HiroshiSugimoto. (Seascape, 1980/reliquary fragment, Kamakuraperiod, 13th century). Gelatin silver print, gildedbronze. Image courtesy ofHiroshi Sugimoto.

CO N T E N T S Directors & Officers 2

Letter from the President 3

Committees 4

Special Events 5

Global Affairs

Corporate & Policy Programs 9

Policy Projects 14

Fellowships & Exchanges 17

Arts & Culture

Gallery 20

Performing Arts Program 22

Film Program 27

Lecture Programs 30

Education

Education Programs 33

Toyota Language Center & C.V. Starr Library 37

Administration

Financial Statement 40

Japan Society Donors 42

Staff 49

Summary in Japanese 51

J A PA N S O C I E T Y A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 0 5 – 0 6

D I R E C T O R S

Gregory A. BoykoChairman and CEO, Hartford Life International, Ltd.

Henry CornellManaging Director, Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Michael E. Daniels*Senior Vice President, Global TechnologyServices, IBM Corporation

Susan DentzerHealth Correspondent and Head of the HealthPolicy Unit, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

Robert E. FallonChairman, Korea Exchange Bank

Carol Gluck*George Sansom Professor of History, ColumbiaUniversity

Maurice R. GreenbergChairman, The Starr Foundation

David W. HeleniakVice Chairman, Morgan Stanley

Merit E. JanowProfessor, International Economic Law &International Affairs, Columbia University

Susumu KatoPresident and CEO, Sumitomo Corporation ofAmerica

Richard S. Lanier*Chairman, Japan Society Executive CommitteePresident, Asian Cultural Council

John LipskyVice Chairman, Investment Bank, JPMorganChase & Co.

Stephen H. LongPresident, International Operations, Citigroup Inc.

Jun MakiharaChairman, Neoteny Co., Ltd.

Deryck C. MaughanManaging Director & Chairman, Kohlberg KravisRoberts Asia

James S. McDonaldChairman, Japan SocietyPresident and CEO, Rockefeller & Co., Inc.

Henry A. McKinnell, Jr.**Chairman of the Board and CEO, Pfizer Inc

Masato MoriPresident and CEO, Nippon Steel U.S.A., Inc.

Jiro Murase**Managing Partner, Bingham McCutchen Murase

Satoru MurasePartner, Bingham McCutchen Murase

Kyota OmoriManaging Executive Officer and CEO for theAmericas, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd.

William G. ParrettChief Executive Officer, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

Peter G. Peterson**Senior Chairman, The Blackstone Group

Wilbur L. Ross, Jr.Chairman and CEO, WL Ross & Co. LLC

Robert G. ScottAdvisory Director, Morgan Stanley

Joshua N. SolomonConsultant, New Visions for Public Schools

Michael I. Sovern**Honorary Chairman, Japan SocietyPresident Emeritus and Chancellor Kent Professorof Law, Columbia University

Howard StringerChairman and CEO, Sony Corporation

Hideyuki TakahashiVice Chairman, Japan SocietyPresident and CEO, Nomura Holding America, Inc.

Paul A. Volcker**Former Chairman of the Board of Governors,Federal Reserve System

Ryoichi UedaPresident and CEO, Mitsubishi InternationalCorporation

Motokazu Yoshida*President and CEO, Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.

D I R E C TO R S & O F F I C E R S

O F F I C E R S

Michael I. SovernHonorary Chairman

James S. McDonaldChairman

Hideyuki TakahashiVice Chairman

Richard J. WoodPresident

Kendall HubertExecutive Vice President

Raymond M. CochranInterim Vice President of Finance andAdministration and Treasurer

Daniel A. RosenblumVice President, Global AffairsDirector, Corporate & Policy Programs

Susan J. OnumaSecretary

H O N O R A R Y P AT R O N S

H.E. Ryozo KatoAmbassador of Japan to the United States ofAmerica

H.E. Kenzo OshimaAmbassador, Permanent Representative of Japanto the United Nations

H.E. Motoatsu SakuraiAmbassador, Consul General of Japan in New York

H O N O R A R Y D I R E C T O R S

Mary Griggs Burke

Tatsuro Goto

Robert S. Ingersoll

William W. Scranton

Edgar B. Young


* Member of the Executive Committee ** Life Director

As of June 30, 2006

L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T

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T H E R E I S M U C H T O C E L E B R AT E in the year covered in this annual report—anaward-winning exhibition of the art of Hiroshi Sugimoto and an extremely popularexhibition of recent video art; well-regarded lectures by Sadakazu Tanigaki, Ministerof Finance of Japan, and corporate CEOs, including John Thain (New York StockExchange), Fumiko Hayashi (Daiei), Kunihiko Yogo (Kanebo) and David Rubenstein(Founding Partner and Managing Director, The Carlyle Group); the U.S.-Japan InnovatorsProject’s first retreat in San Francisco; and outstanding performances from TessenkaiNoh and Pappa Tarahumara in their long-awaited New York debut, as well as projectsby Ko Murobushi, Miyako Itchu, Agatsuma and Seinendan Theater Co. that wetoured throughout the United States.

It was also a year of transition, marked especially by the departure of PresidentFrank Ellsworth in the spring, which led to my being called out of retirement to serveas president. The staff and the directors of Japan Society have been remarkably supportive and resourceful in supporting me in this role.

Japan Society is moving ahead quickly to create an outstanding year of events tocelebrate its centennial in 2007–08, strengthen its membership and endowment,and plan important new programs into the 101st year and beyond. Our CentennialGala will be held on May 9, 2007, and I am happy to announce that DavidRockefeller and Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda have agreed to be Honorary Co-Chairs for Japan Society’s Centennial.

All of the centennial events and programs—and planning for the years to follow—are guided by staff and the Board of Directors’ commitment to the core mission ofJapan Society, i.e., building better understanding and cooperation between the U.S.and Japan. Japan Society is the major single producer of high-quality content onJapan for the U.S., and we continue to increase our endeavors beyond our landmarkbase of operations at 333 East 47th Street. Wherever possible, as you will see in thepages that follow, our exhibitions and performances travel widely in North America.One of our goals for the immediate future is to enhance Japan Society’s ability toshare its programs electronically, for the benefit of other Japan-America societies,schools and colleges. This year we are inaugurating a new partnership with KeioUniversity in Tokyo to enable high-definition video broadcasting. We will be seekingcorporate support for streaming video, podcasting and webcasting, and we’ll be creating new on-line communities interested in Japan, especially through our U.S.-Japan Innovators Project.

The work of Japan Society matters because the relationship between Japan and theU.S. matters. It matters in all of its cultural, economic, educational and politicalcomplexity—which also makes it endlessly fascinating. The mutual understandingJapan Society fosters is a continuing project of great importance.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Wood

E X E C U T I V E C O M M I T T E E

Richard Lanier, Chair

Michael E. Daniels

Carol Gluck

Motokazu Yoshida

I N V E S T M E N T C O M M I T T E E

James S. McDonald, Chair

Henry Cornell

F I N A N C E C O M M I T T E E

John Lipsky, Chair

Robert G. Scott

N O M I N AT I N G A N D

C O R P O R AT E G O V E R N A N C E

C O M M I T T E E

David W. Heleniak, Chair

Robert E. Fallon

Kyota Omori

Howard Stringer

A U D I T C O M M I T T E E

Satoru Murase, Chair

Stephen H. Long

Masato Mori

William G. Parrett

J A PA N A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

Shoichiro Toyoda, Chair

Kensuke Hotta

Kazuo Inamori

Yotaro Kobayashi

Minoru Makihara

Fujio Mitarai

Yoshihiko Miyauchi

Yuzaburo Mogi

Minoru Mori

Moriyuki Motono

Minoru Murofushi

Yoshio Nakamura

Naotaka Obata

Takeo Shiina

Shinjiro Shimizu

Toshiaki Taguchi

Seiji Tsutsumi

Jiro Ushio

Goro Watanabe

Koji Watanabe

A R T A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

Samuel Sachs, II, Chair

Sondra Castile

Michael Cunningham

Anne d’Harnoncourt

Margot Paul Ernst

Barbara B. Ford

Richard S. Lanier

Sherman E. Lee

Thomas Lentz

Stephen L. Little

Anne N. Morse

Amy G. Poster

Julian Raby

John Rosenfield

Emily J. Sano

Yoshiaki Shimizu

Jeremy Strick

C O R P O R AT E C O U N C I L

Susumu Awanohara

Philip M. Berkowitz

William W. Ferguson

Lisa Finstrom

Paul B. Ford

Eric Golberg

Kay Ikawa

Michael Kalish

Richard Katz

Roger M. Kubarych

Edward Lincoln

Naomi Moriyama

Satoru Murase

Toby S. Myerson

Ernest Napier

Alicia Ogawa

Alan Okada

James G. Reed

Ann E. Rutledge

David Schlesinger

Richard Scott

George P. Warnock

F I L M A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

Donald Richie, Chair

Mary Lea Bandy

Celeste Bartos

Robert Gottlieb

Junji Kitadai

Akira Koike

Keiko I. McDonald

Masayo Okada

Nagisa Oshima

Richard Pena

Daniel Talbot

P E R F O R M I N G A R T S

A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

Laurence Kominz, Chair

Philip Bither

Karen W. Brazell

John Gillespie

Stephen Greco

Margaret Lawrence

Judy Mitoma

J. Thomas Rimer

Ralph Samuelson

John W. Weidman

U . S . - J A P A N I N N O VAT O R S

P R O J E C T B O A R D O F A D V I S O R S

Susan Dentzer

Glen Fukushima

Glenn Hubbard

Kakutaro Kitashiro

Joseph Melillo

Fujio Mitarai

Wilbur L. Ross

Shinjiro Shimizu

Mitsuko Shimomura

Hirotaka Takeuchi

Hiroshi Tsukamoto

Yoshinori Yamaoka

Masakazu Yamazaki


P R O J E C T B U S I N E S S A D V I S O R Y

C O M M I T T E E

Jack D. Cogen

Aron Cramer

Michael E. Daniels

Robert E. Fallon

Yoshito Hori

Joichi Ito

Shuhei Kishimoto

Michael Kobori

Terrie Lloyd

Oki Matsumoto

Alicia Ogawa

Debra van Opstal

Thierry Porte

James G. Reed

Ann Rutledge

Hiroaki Saito

Ken Shibusawa

Hirotaka Takeuchi

Alan Webber

Keith Yamashita


P R O J E C T S O C I A L A D V I S O R Y

C O M M I T T E E

Ayako Fujii

Rosanne Haggerty

Keiko Kiyama

Megumu Mizuta

Zenko Oda

Kensuke Onishi

Michael Reich

Yoshinori Yamaoka


P R O J E C T C U LT U R A L A D V I S O R Y

C O M M I T T E E

David d’Heilly

David Elliot

Thelma Golden

Yasuki Hamano

Yuko Hasegawa

Minoru Iki

Taneo Kato

Douglas McGray

Dominic Molon

Taeko Nagai

Fumio Nanjo

Shigeaki Saegusa

Ralph Samuelson

Emily Sano

Hiroshi Yanai

U N I T E D S TAT E S - J A P A N

M E D I A F E L L O W S P R O G R A M

S E L E C T I O N C O M M I T T E E

Jonathan Alter

Tom Bettag

Charles Lane

Jonathan Rauch

CO M M I T T E E S

4 J A PA N S O C I E T Y A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 0 5 – 0 6

1 Hiromitsu Agatsuma, tsugaru-shamisen artist, is joined by mem-bers of Japan Society’s 333 Club for a post-performance “Meet theArtist” reception. Left to right: Michael Cunningham, Japan SocietyPerforming Arts Director Yoko Shioya, Hiromitsu Agatsuma, JuliaBergman, Chris Dina and Japan Society Membership DirectorMichelle Andrews. Back: William Laurent. Photo © Mie Igarashi.

2 Ann Yonemura, Senior Associate Curator of Japanese Art, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery; artist HiroshiSugimoto; and John Lipsky, Vice Chairman, Investment Bank,JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Director, Japan Society, at the openingreception for Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History. Photo © GeorgeHirose.

3 Japan Society Chairman James S. McDonald and his wife KarenMcDonald are joined by Yoshiye Murase (left) and Hiroko Murase(right) at the Society’s New Year’s party. Photo © Kayoko Akabori.

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4 Circle of Friends members at the annual New Year’s party. Left to right: guests Karen Skurka, Guy Mitchell and GailHashimoto. Photo © Kayoko Akabori.

5 Guests at a dinner in honor of The Honorable J. ThomasSchieffer, U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Clockwise from upper left:The Honorable J. Thomas Schieffer; Mrs. Schieffer; Ronald J.Anderson; Gregory A. Boyko, Chairman and CEO, Hartford LifeInternational, Ltd.; Mrs. Boyko; and Mrs. Kenzo Oshima, wife ofUN Ambassador Kenzo Oshima. Photo © Mie Igarashi.

J A PA N S O C I E T Y 2 0 0 6 A N N UA L D I N N E R

More than 600 guests gathered at the Hilton New York on June 7 for Japan Society’s 2006 Annual Dinner.Robert MacNeil, formerly of The MacNeil/LehrerNewsHour and a former Japan Society Director, servedas Master of Ceremonies. The Honorable Mark R.Warner, former Governor of Virginia, delivered a timelyand compelling keynote address after being introducedby Justin A. Rockefeller, Co-Founder and NationalProgram Director, GenerationEngage. Following a spirit-ed performance by jazz pianist Hiromi, His ExcellencyMotoatsu Sakurai, Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in New York, introduced noted Japan scholarProfessor Donald Keene as the recipient of the 2006Japan Society Award. The evening concluded with amoving speech by Professor Keene.

Serving as Co-Chairs for the evening were YukitoshiFuno, President and CEO, Toyota Motor North America,Inc.; David W. Heleniak, Vice Chairman, MorganStanley; Stephen H. Long, President, InternationalOperations, Citigroup Inc.; Martin J. Sullivan, Presidentand CEO, American International Group, Inc.; HideyukiTakahashi, President and CEO, Nomura HoldingAmerica, Inc.; Ryoichi Ueda, President and CEO,Mitsubishi International Corporation; and MotokazuYoshida, President and CEO, Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.


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1 The Honorable Mark R. Warner, former Governor of Virginia and 2006 Annual Dinner keynote speaker, with (left to right) His Excellency Motoatsu Sakurai, Ambassador and Consul Generalof Japan in New York; Mrs. Sakurai; and James S. McDonald,President and CEO, Rockefeller & Co. and Chairman, Japan Society.Photo © George Hirose.

2 The Honorable Mark R. Warner delivers the keynote speech.Photo © George Hirose.

3 Guests enjoy dinner and conversation. Photo © George Hirose.

4 Jazz pianist Hiromi charms the audience with an energetic performance. Photo © George Hirose.

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5 Left to right: Richard J. Wood, President, Japan Society; HisExcellency Motoatsu Sakurai, Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in New York; The Honorable Mark R. Warner, formerGovernor of Virginia; Professor Donald Keene; Justin A. Rockefeller,Co-Founder and National Program Director, GenerationEngage;James S. McDonald, President and CEO, Rockefeller & Co. andChairman, Japan Society; and Master of Ceremonies RobertMacNeil. Photo © George Hirose.

6 The Honorable Paul A. Volcker (left) and Dr. Henry A. McKinnell,Jr., Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer Inc(right), both Japan Society Life Directors, with The Honorable MarkR. Warner (center). Photo © George Hirose.

7 Left to right: Richard J. Wood, President, Japan Society; Justin A. Rockefeller, Co-Founder and National Program Director,GenerationEngage; Charles P. Rockefeller, Private Client Manager,Sotheby’s; Mari Eijima, Advisor, Japan Society; and ColumbiaUniversity Professor Donald Keene. Photo © George Hirose.

8 Sir Deryck Maughan, Managing Director and Chairman,Kohlberg Kravis Roberts Asia and Japan Society Director (left), and Richard S. Lanier, President, Asian Cultural Council andChairman, Japan Society Executive Committee (right). Photo © George Hirose.

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G LO B A L A F FA I R S

1 Right to left: At a luncheon reception, AIG President, CEO andDirector Martin Sullivan shares a laugh with Hideyuki Takahashi,President and Chief Executive Officer, Nomura Holding America,Inc.; Vice Chairman, Japan Society and James McDonald,President and CEO, Rockefeller & Co., Inc.; Chairman, JapanSociety. Photo © Ken Levinson.

2 Cameron Sinclair, Founder, Architecture for Humanity, speakingat the U.S.-Japan Innovators Project retreat, “INSPIRE: ConnectingCommunities.” Photo © Geoff Ellis.

3 Professor Hugh Patrick, Director, Center on Japanese Economyand Business, Columbia University Business School (right)engages SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. Chairman Tomoyo Nonaka andBank of Japan General Manager for the Americas Tadashi Nunami.Photo © Ken Levinson.

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A s the Corporate & Policy Programs season gotunderway in September 2005, Japanese Prime

Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s administration pushedthrough a series of reform measures aimed at disman-tling structural impediments to growth. In a snap elec-tion called that month, Koizumi was rewarded with alandslide electoral victory and a mandate to carry outfurther reforms, a signal to all concerned that Japanwas well on its way to economic recovery after some15 years of stagnation.

During the season, we highlighted a number of indi-viduals who rode the wave of Japan’s economic recov-ery and took their own bold initiatives to reform andrestructure their firms. These included Kunihiko Yogo,Industrial Revitalization Corporation Japan ManagingDirector and Chairman and CEO, Kanebo Cosmetics,Inc. and Fumiko Hayashi, Chairman and CEO, Daiei,Inc., who represents a model of success to many femaleJapanese executives. Foreign and domestic privateequity firms, too, were active in Japan, purchasing and restructuring ailing businesses, and are creditedby many with fueling Japan’s economic recovery.2005–06 saw a marked increase in Japanese privateequity activity and the Corporate Program was proudto host some of the biggest players in this field, includ-ing David Rubenstein, Founding Partner and ManagingDirector, The Carlyle Group and Richard Folsom,Representative Partner, Advantage Partners, LLP. Ascorporate Japan’s coffers filled in 2005–06, there wasa noticeable upturn in Japanese consumer spending. A half-day conference in conjunction with JapanExternal Trade Organization highlighted opportunitiesfor foreign direct investment in Japan’s newly resur-gent retail sector. Speakers included Victor M. Luis,President and CEO, Baccarat Inc. and Debbie Howard,President, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan;President, Japan Market Resource Network.

Corporate & Policy Programs

Throughout the year, prominent corporate executivesoffered their views on a wide range of global businessissues. John Thain, Chief Executive Officer, New YorkStock Exchange, discussed NYSE’s leadership in globalcapital markets and Martin Sullivan, American Inter-national Group, Inc.’s newly appointed President, CEOand Director, dissected strategies to mitigate risk andmeet the challenges facing the global insurance industry.

While economic conditions in the U.S. and Japan haveimproved recently, future growth in both countrieshinges on the ability to educate and inspire the nextgeneration of creative, innovative workers. In earlyMarch, the Society had the pleasure of co-organizing a luncheon panel with the Institute for InternationalSocio-Economic Studies to examine how both countrieswill tackle this challenge. Two months later, we hostedIwao Matsuda, Japan’s Minister of State for Scienceand Technology Policy and for Information Technology,who laid out Japan’s strategy for stimulating creativityand made the case that, like the U.S., Japan, too, shouldbe a destination for foreign researchers searching for a supportive environment.

In 2005–06, top-tier policy makers from Japan andthe United States were showcased in a series of programs that looked at issues ranging from the privatization of Japan Post, to the enforcement meas-ures at the disposal of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and the geopolitical andeconomic issues at stake in the relations among Asia’s economic powerhouses. Programs included adiscussion of the state of Japan’s economic recoveryby Japan’s Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and aconference featuring former U.S. Deputy Secretary ofState Richard Armitage that offered in-depth analysisof the economic and political interdependence amongthe U.S., Japan and China.

conferences, panel discussions,

seminars & symposia

Postal Privatization—Japan’s Next Big Bang? •

1 1 O C TO B E R • With Mark Scher, Director, PostalFinancial Services Development. Panel: NaoyukiYoshino, Professor of Economics, Keio University;Kobo Inamura, former Executive Vice Presidentand Managing Executive Officer, Japan Post;Patricia Kuwayama, Vice President, EconomicResearch, JP Morgan Chase & Co.; and NaoyukiYoshino, Professor of Economics, Keio University.Mark Scher, Director, Postal Financial Services,moderating.

JETRO Symposium on Business Alliances/Investment in Japan: Market Brainstorms: CanJapan’s Changing Consumer Market Redesignthe Service & Retail Sectors? • 1 N OV E M B E R •

Organized by JETRO (Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry of Japan; United States Departmentof State). • With Victor M. Luis, President andCEO, Baccarat Inc.; former President and CEO,Givenchy Japan, Inc., Moet-Hennessy LouisVuitton (LVMH) Group. Opening remarks:Lawrence Greenwood, Deputy AssistantSecretary, U.S. Department of State and HiroshiTsukamoto, President, JETRO (Japan Export Trade Organization). Presenters: Debbie Howard,President, American Chamber of Commerce inJapan and President, Japan Market ResourceNetwork; Masaaki Kaji, Chief Representative,Development Bank of Japan, New YorkRepresentative Office; and Akira Miwa, DeputyDirector General, Trade Policy Bureau, METI.Panelists: Michael Shindler, Senior Vice President,Acquisitions and Development, Hyatt HotelsCorporation; Leslie T. Chao, President, ChelseaProperty Group, Inc. and Chairman, Chelsea Japan Co., Ltd.; Bernard Platt, Senior VicePresident, Franchising, Au Bon Pain; and Patrick A. Roney, President and Chief Executive Officer,Dean & DeLuca, Inc. Chester C. Dawson III, Editor, Business Week, moderating. MasahikoHosokawa, President, JETRO New York, presiding.

How the BRAND Works in the Cross-CulturalMarketplace • 1 8 N OV E M B E R • Sponsored and co-organized by Nihon Keizai Shimbun America, Inc.Media supporter: The Journal of FinancialAdvertising and Marketing. • With Gregory A. Boyko,Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hartford Life International, Ltd. Panel: Gregory A. Boyko,Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, HartfordLife International, Ltd.; Johny K. Johansson,Professor, McCrane/Shaker Professor of InternationalBusiness and Marketing, Georgetown UniversityMcDonough School of Business; and Phil Sievers,Director of Business Development, Masius. BillWreaks, Publisher and Chief Analyst, The Journalof Financial Advertising and Marketing, moderating.

Risks & Opportunities in the Emerging EmissionsTrading Market • 1 4 F E B R UA RY • Supportingorganization: Energistics LLC. • First panel: KevinButt, General Manager and Chief EnvironmentalOfficer, Toyota Motor Manufacturing NorthAmerica, Inc.; John D’Aloia, Power SystemOperations Specialist, New York State PublicService Commission; Edwin L. Mongan III,Director, Energy and Environment, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. Joshua Giordano, President,Energistics LLC, moderating. Second panel: YoshikiIinuma, President, Washington Office, JapanElectric Power Information Center; Paula DiPerna,Executive Vice President, Corporate Recruitment& Public Policy, Chicago Climate Exchange; andHoward Margulis, Partner, Troutman Sanders, LLP.David Oppenheimer, Senior Vice President,Natsource, moderating.

Toward a Knowledge Society: U.S. & JapanPerspectives • 1 M A R C H • Sponsored by Institutefor International Socio-Economic Studies. •

With Ian Condry, Assistant Professor of JapaneseCultural Studies, MIT; Douglas McGray, freelancewriter; Kostas Terzidis, Associate Professor,Graduate School of Design, Harvard University;and Motohiro Tsuchiya, Associate Professor,Graduate School of Media and Governance, KeioUniversity. Ken Belson, Business Reporter, TheNew York Times, moderating.

Asia’s Shifting Balance of Power: China’s Impacton Japan’s Economic Future • 1 3 J U N E •

Sponsored by Nomura Holding America, Inc. •

With Richard L. Armitage, President, ArmitageInternational and former Deputy Secretary ofState; Michael J. Green, Senior Advisor and JapanChair, CSIS, Associate Professor, GeorgetownUniversity and Former Special Assistant to thePresident and Senior Director for Asia; RichardKoo, Chief Economist, Nomura Research Institute;and C.H. Kwan, Senior Fellow, Nomura Institute ofCapital Markets. Frederick H. Katayama, Anchor,Reuters America, Inc., moderating.

Strategies for Business Portfolio Diversificationin Asia: Japanese Economic Resurgence, IndianOpportunities Breaking U.S reliance on China •

2 7 J U N E • Co-organized by Nihon Keizai ShimbunAmerica, Inc. Sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc.,Daiwa Securities America Inc., Nippon LifeInsurance Company of America, and Toyota MotorNorth America, Inc. Corporate supporter: AllNippon Airways Co., Ltd. Media supporter: TheWall Street Journal. • With Kent Calder, Director,Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies,SAIS/Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C.Panel: Kent Calder, Director, Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, SAIS/Johns HopkinsUniversity, Washington, D.C.; John Bussey, Editor,

2 0 0 5 – 0 6 P R O G R A M H I G H L I G H T S


The Wall Street Journal Asia and Deputy ManagingDirector, The Wall Street Journal; and TakehikoNakao, Minister (Finance), Embassy of Japan,Washington, D.C. Tetsuya Jitsu, Chief Editor,Washington, D.C. Bureau, Nihon Keizai Shimbun,Inc., moderating.

corporate luncheons

Meeting the Challenge of Leadership in GlobalCapital Markets • 2 7 S E P T E M B E R • With JohnThain, Chief Executive Officer, New York StockExchange. James S. McDonald, President andCEO, Rockefeller & Co., Inc.; Chairman, JapanSociety, presiding.

Sometimes Dreams Turn into Nightmares: ThePerfect Pension Fund Storm • 2 8 S E P T E M B E R •

With William Lerach, Partner, Lerach CoughlinStoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP. Bill Alpert,Senior Editor, Barron’s, presiding.

Securities Law Enforcement: Sanctions &Remedies • 9 N OV E M B E R • With Linda ChatmanThomsen, Director, Division of Enforcement, UnitedStates Securities and Exchange Commission. MeritE. Janow, Professor, Columbia University School ofInternational and Public Affairs and Columbia LawSchool; Director, Japan Society, presiding.

Growing Private Equity Markets in Japan •

1 D E C E M B E R • With David Rubenstein, FoundingPartner and Managing Director, The CarlyleGroup. Masatsugu Nagato, Managing ExecutiveOfficer and Head of the Americas, MizuhoCorporate Bank, Ltd.; Director, Japan Society, presiding.

Finance Minister Tanigaki on Japan’s EconomicRecovery: Challenges & the Road Ahead •

9 JA N UA RY • With Sadakazu Tanigaki, Minister ofFinance of Japan. James S. McDonald, Presidentand CEO, Rockefeller & Co., Inc.; Chairman, JapanSociety, presiding.

AIG’s Martin Sullivan on Challenges Facing GlobalInsurance • 1 0 JA N UA RY • With Martin Sullivan,President, CEO and Director, AmericanInternational Group, Inc. Hideyuki Takahashi,President and Chief Executive Officer, NomuraHolding America, Inc.; Vice Chairman, JapanSociety, presiding.

New York Federal Reserve President TimothyGeithner on U.S. Deficits & the Global Economy • 9 M A R C H • With Timothy Geithner,President and Chief Executive Officer, FederalReserve Bank of New York. John Lipsky, ViceChairman, Investment Bank, JPMorgan Chase &Co.; Director, Japan Society, presiding.

1 Speakers and moderator gather during anintermission at the Nomura Holding America-sponsored conference on United States, Japan,and China economic and political relations. From left to right are speakers Richard Koo, Chief Economist, Nomura Research Institute;C.H. Kwan, Senior Fellow, Nomura Institute of Capital Markets; Michael J. Green, SeniorAdvisor and Japan Chair, CSIS; AssociateProfessor, Georgetown University; former Special Assistant to the President and SeniorDirector for Asia; moderator Frederick H.Katayama, Anchor, Reuters America, Inc.; and speaker Richard L. Armitage, President,Armitage International; former Deputy Secretary of State. Photo © Ken Levinson.

2 New York Stock Exchange CEO John Thain(left) considers comments from MasatsuguNagato, Managing Executive Officer & Head of the Americas, Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd.;Director, Japan Society at a corporate luncheonon leadership in global capital markets. Photo © Ken Levinson.

3 Linda Chatman Thomsen, Director, Division of Enforcement, United States Securities andExchange Commission (left), exchanges viewswith David Heleniak, Vice Chairman, MorganStanley; Director, Japan Society and Merit E.Janow, Professor, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and ColumbiaLaw School; Director, Japan Society. Photo © Ken Levinson.

4 Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigakifields questions from reporters following his speech on Japan’s economic recovery. Photo © Ken Levinson.

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Roles of Private Equity Investment in the GrowingJapanese Economy • 1 4 A P R I L • With John Ehara,Partner and Co-Founder, Unison Capital, Inc.Alicia Ogawa, Associate Director, Center onJapanese Economy & Business, ColumbiaUniversity, presiding.

The Evolving U.S.-Japan Alliance • 2 7 A P R I L •

With J. Thomas Schieffer, U.S. Ambassador toJapan. Mark Halperin, Political Director andCorrespondent, ABC News, presiding.

Innovator Japan—Japan’s New Science &Technology Strategy • 5 M AY • Sponsored by theConsulate General of Japan in New York. • WithIwao Matsuda, Japanese Minister of State forScience and Technology Policy; Minister of Statefor Information Technology; Member of the Houseof Councilors. David Heleniak, Vice Chairman,Morgan Stanley; Director, Japan Society, presiding.

Buy-Out Firms: Japan’s Engine for Recovery •

1 J U N E • With Richard Folsom, RepresentativePartner, Advantage Partners, LLP. Jun Makihara,Chairman, Neoteny Co., Ltd.; Director, JapanSociety, presiding.

innovators series

Cultural Arbitrage: One Key to “Outsider”Success in Japan’s Trillion Dollar ServicesMarket • 3 O C TO B E R • With Tim Clark, entrepre-neur and non-resident Senior Fellow, SunBridgeVenture Capital. J. Christopher Flowers, Chairman,J.C. Flowers & Co., LLC, presiding.

Kanebo Cosmetics CEO Kunihiko Yogo onJapanese Corporate Restructuring • 26 JANUARY •

Additional support provided by Astellas USAFoundation. • With Kunihiko Yogo, Chairman andCEO, Kanebo Cosmetics, Inc. Wilbur L. Ross,Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, WL Ross &Co. LLC; Director, Japan Society, presiding.

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Sanyo’s Challenge for the 21st Century • 1 M AY •

Additional support provided by Astellas USAFoundation. Supporting organizations: AsianWomen in Business; Women’s Foreign PolicyGroup. • With Tomoyo Nonaka, Chairman, SANYOElectric Co., Ltd. Naomi Moriyama, President, TheMoriyama Group, presiding.

Daiei’s New Approach to Distribution:Renaissance Through Premium CustomerService • 9 J U N E • Additional support provided byAstellas USA Foundation. Supporting organization:Asian Women in Business. • With Fumiko Hayashi,Chairman and CEO, Daiei, Inc. Satoru Murase,Partner, Bingham McCutchen Murase; Director,Japan Society, presiding.

Japan Society wishes to thank the following cor-porations for their generous support of GlobalAffairs Corporate & Policy Programs:

Global Leaders: American International Group,Inc., Citigroup Inc., Continental Airlines, Deloitte& Touche, LLP, Mizuho Securities USA, ToyotaMotor North America, Inc.

Corporate Partners: Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.,WL Ross & Co. LLC

Additional support: Asian Women in Business,Astellas USA Foundation, All Nippon AirwaysCo., LTD. (ANA), Canon USA, Consulate Generalof Japan in New York, Daiwa Securities AmericaInc., Energistics LLC, Institute for InternationalSocio-Economic Studies, JETRO, The Journal ofFinancial Advertising and Marketing, Ministry ofFinance of Japan, Nihon Keizai Shimbun America,Inc., Nippon Life Insurance Company of America,Nomura Holding America, Inc., The Wall StreetJournal, Women’s Foreign Policy Group

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1 Carlyle Group Founding Partner and ManagingDirector David Rubenstein (left) and MorganStanley Vice Chairman and Japan SocietyDirector David Heleniak consult prior to Mr.Rubenstein’s discussion of Japan’s private equity marketplace. Photo © Ken Levinson.

2 Federal Reserve Bank of New York Presidentand CEO Timothy Geithner (right) and presiderJohn Lipsky, JP Morgan Investment Bank ViceChairman; Japan Society Director, enjoy ahumorous moment in an otherwise serious dis-cussion of trade and current account deficits.Photo © Ken Levinson.

3 Iwao Matsuda, Japanese Minister of State forScience and Technology Policy; Minister of Statefor Information Technology; Member of theHouse of Councilors (right) greets ResearchAssociate Rachel Sinden and Professor MotoakiIbano, both of the New York Office of KeioUniversity. Photo © Ken Levinson.

4 United States Ambassador to Japan J. ThomasSchieffer (left) confers with Richard J. Wood,President, Japan Society, prior to the ambassador’sdiscussion of the state of the U.S.-Japan alliance.Photo © Ken Levinson.

5 Kunihiko Yogo, Chairman and CEO, KaneboCosmetics, Inc., remarks on the spin-off andrestructuring of Japan’s number three cosmeticsmanufacturer. Photo © Ken Levinson.

6 Daiei, Inc. Chairman and CEO Fumiko Hayashi(left) fields questions during a Q&A session,presided over by Satoru Murase, Partner,Bingham McCutchen Murase; Director, JapanSociety. Photo © Elsa Ruiz.


Policy Projects

J apan Society has a long tradition of bringingAmericans and Japanese together through

exchanges, retreats and public programs for dialogueand problem-solving on a range of topics. Over theyears, these leaders in business, government, the nonprofit world, the media, and arts and culture havehelped form the Society’s intellectual capital base.

The Society’s current initiative in this important area,the U.S.-Japan Innovators Project, now in its secondyear, builds on this tradition by bringing togetherAmerican and Japanese innovation leaders in busi-ness, culture and civil society, to explore challengesfacing both countries in the 21st century.

In the fall of 2005, six Japanese innovators traveled to the United States to meet with their Americancounterparts to explore issues and challenges of com-mon concern. Yoshito Hori, Chairman and CEO ofGLOBIS Corporation, met with entrepreneurs in theSan Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley to discuss how venture capitalists in Japan and the U.S. mightlearn from each other. Hiroshi Tasaka, President ofSophiaBank, a cutting-edge Japanese think tank, traversed both coasts discussing social entrepreneur-ship with his American counterparts.

On the civil society front, Yasushi Aoyama, formerVice Governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government,sat down with urban planners and housing organiza-tions on issues of social inclusion and providing support for minorities and the homeless. TomokoFujisaki, Founder of Health and Development Services(HANDS), focused on ways to strengthen theJapanese NPO/NGO sector.

Cultural critic and philosopher Hiroki Azuma met withwriters and scholars to discuss society and the Internet.On the creative side, Dai Sato, screenwriter andExecutive Director of Frognation, met with writers andproduction executives in the television and film indus-try to discuss protecting intellectual property rights.Capping off the exchange, Hiroki Azuma and Dai Satotook part in a lecture program at the Society entitled“Otaku Unmasked: The Life, Death & Rebirth ofJapan’s Pop Culture,” moderated by journalist andProject participant Douglas McGray.

In the spring of 2006, the U.S.-Japan Innovators Projectbrought 22 Japanese and Americans social entrepre-neurs, architects, business innovators and artiststogether in San Francisco at the offices of StoneYamashita Partners for a two-and-a-half day retreat.Called “(IN)SPIRE: Connecting Communities,” theretreat gave Japanese and American thought leadersthe opportunity to engage in multidisciplinary, bilateraldialogue on the challenges facing communities and toidentify areas of potential U.S.-Japan collaboration inseeking real solutions.

Before the San Francisco retreat, some of the Japaneseparticipants spent two days in New York City, wherethey explored different aspects of community building,including visits to Ground Zero, the High Line andCommon Ground Community. Yoshiharu Tsukamoto,architect, Atelier Bow-Wow, and Limbon, a Professorof Urban Planning at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto,took part in “Small Spaces + Big Imagination = Life inthe Modern City,” a panel discussion at the Societymoderated by Clifford Pearson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief,Architectural Record, on how space is utilized and maximized in Japan.

u.s.-japan innovators project

The U.S.-Japan Innovators Project is generouslyfunded by The Japan Foundation Center for GlobalPartnership, the co-organizer of the project.International transportation supported by Conti-nental Airlines and All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

Innovator Trip to the United States •

24 –2 6 O C TO B E R • Yoshito Hori, Chairman andCEO, Globis Group.


2 9 O C TO B E R – 6 N OV E M B E R • Hiroshi Tasaka,President, SophiaBank.


3 1 O C TO B E R – 9 N OV E M B E R • Yasushi Aoyama,former Vice Governor, Tokyo MetropolitanGovernment.


1 2 –2 2 N OV E M B E R • Tomoko Fujisaki, Founder,HANDS.


2 8 N OV E M B E R – 8 D E C E M B E R • Dai Sato, animescreenwriter.


2 8 N OV E M B E R – 8 D E C E M B E R • Hiroki Azuma,philosopher and social critic; Executive ResearchFellow and Professor, Center for GlobalCommunications.

Private Luncheon • 2 3 JA N UA RY • With YoshitoHori, Chairman and CEO, Globis Group.

(IN)SPIRE: Connecting Communities •

1 1 –1 7 J U N E • New York meetings and SanFrancisco retreat. With Marty Ashby, ExecutiveProducer, MCG Jazz; Cheryl Dorsey, President,Echoing Green; Debra Dunn, Board Member, Skoll

Foundation and Former Sr. VP, Corporate Affairs,Hewlett Packard; Tomoko Fujisaki, Founder, HANDS;Chikara Funabashi, President, WillSeed; RosanneHaggerty, Founder and President, Common GroundCommunity; Hideyuki Inoue, Representative, ETIC;Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, President, Production IG; JonIwata, Senior Vice President of Communications, IBMCorporation; Kaori Kuroda, Co-Director, CSONetwork Japan; Justin Leach, Animator, Lucasfilm;Limbon, architect and Professor of Urban Planning,Ritsumeikan University; Douglas McGray, writer andFellow, New America Foundation; Craig Newmark,Customer Service Representative and Founder,craigslist.org; Kohei Nishiyama, CEO and Founder,elephant design; Mitsuko Shimomura, Chairman andCEO, Center for Health Care & Public Concern;Cameron Sinclair, Founder, Architecture forHumanity; Megan Smith, Director, New BusinessDevelopment & Strategy, Google Inc.; Bill Strickland,President and CEO, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild(MCG); Hiroshi Tasaka, President, SophiaBank;Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, Architect, Atelier Bow Wow;Alan Webber, Founding Editor, Fast Company maga-zine; and Keith Yamashita, Founder & Chairman,Stone Yamashita Partners

innovators series public

programs

Otaku Unmasked: The Life, Death & Rebirth ofJapan’s Pop Culture • 3 0 N OV E M B E R • Supportprovided by Astellas USA Foundation and trans-portation support provided by Continental Airlines.• See p. 31 for complete program details.

Small Spaces + Big Imagination = Life in theModern City • 1 2 J U N E • Co-organized and gener-ously funded by The Japan Foundation Center forGlobal Partnership, additional support provided byAstellas USA Foundation, transportation assis-tance provided by All Nippon Airways. • See p. 31for complete program details.


1 “(IN)SPIRE: Connecting Communities” keynotespeaker Craig Newmark, Customer ServiceRepresentative and Founder, craiglist.org, in a con-versation with Alan Webber, Founding Editor, FastCompany magazine. Photo © Geoff Ellis.

2 Cheryl Dorsey, President, Echoing Green, during her presentation on “Entrepreneurial Communities”and Hideyuki Inoue (right), Representative, ETIC.Photo © Geoff Ellis.

3 Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, Architect, Atelier Bow Wow,presents his work on small spaces in Tokyo. Photo ©Geoff Ellis.

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4 Limbon, Architect & Professor of Urban Planning,Ritsumeikan University, in the session on“Communities & Place.” Photo © Geoff Ellis.

5 Bill Strickland, President and CEO, ManchesterCraftsmen’s Guild, discusses the work of the Guildduring the session on “Kids’ Communities.” Photo ©Geoff Ellis.

6 Jon Iwata, Senior Vice President of Communica-tions, IBM Corporation, speaks about the companiesbusiness model on innovation. Photo © Geoff Ellis.

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Fellowships & Exchanges

S ince the first Japan Society Fellowship in 1984, the Society has given a number of influential lead-

ers who help shape public opinion in the U.S. andJapan the opportunity to experience and learn firsthand about each other. The U.S.-Japan Media FellowsProgram has evolved into a tailored and in-depthexperience for American and Japanese journalists andnurtures a great appreciation and understanding of the U.S. and Japan.

Four American and two Japanese journalists wereselected as 2005 U.S.-Japan Media Fellows. MarkHalperin, Political Director at ABC News, focused onthe Japanese political system, and the emergingDemocratic Party of Japan in particular. Maggie Jones,currently a Contributing Writer for The New York TimesMagazine, wrote a lengthy piece on the hikikomori orshut-ins, the first in-depth story on these troubledyoung Japanese. David Samuels, Contributing Editor,Harper’s Magazine, and a frequent writer for theAtlantic Monthly, has a forthcoming piece on Internetsuicides in Japan. Madhulika Sikka, currently theSupervising Senior Producer, Morning Edition, NationalPublic Radio, researched current attitudes about Japan-China relations.

Kenichi Hanioka, Senior Writer, Nikkei Medical, exam-ined cancer care in the United States, in particular howhospital performance measurements are conductedand what criteria patients use in selecting a hospital.Takao Norikoshi, dance critic and writer, investigatedthe contemporary dance scene in the U.S. Both havepublished their findings in print and on the Internet.

In Tokyo on March 16, 2006, Japan Society co-sponsoreda unique symposium on support systems for thehomeless in New York, Seoul and Tokyo. Japan SocietyFellow Rosanne Haggerty, Founder and Director ofCommon Ground Community, was a keynote speaker.The session presider was Yasushi Aoyama, formerDeputy Governor of Tokyo. Both are participants in the Society’s U.S.-Japan Innovators Project.

fellowships

Fellowship Residency: 2005 United States-Japan Media Fellows Program • 2 J U LY–

3 1 A U G U S T • Madhulika Sikka, Senior Producer,ABC News/Nightline.

Fellowship Residency: 2005 United States-Japan Media Fellows Program • 1 2 J U LY–

1 4 S E P T E M B E R • Maggie Jones, freelance writer.

Fellowship Residency: 2005 United States-Japan Media Fellows Program • 1 S E P T E M B E R –

1 0 N OV E M B E R • Kenichi Hanioka, Senior Writer,Nikkei Medical.

Fellowship Residency: 2005 United States-Japan Media Fellows Program • 1 F E B R UA RY–

3 1 M A R C H • Takao Norikoshi, Freelance dancecritic and writer.

Selection of the 2006 United States-JapanMedia Fellows, United States • 2 M A R C H •

Daniel Pink, Contributing Editor, WIRED; JoshuaShenk, freelance writer and author; Brad Stone,Silicon Valley Correspondent, Newsweek; andMelanie Thernstrom, Contributing Writer, TheNew York Times Magazine.

Fellowship Residency: 2005 United States-Japan Media Fellows Program • 1 3 M A R C H –

1 2 M AY • David Samuels, Contributing Editor,Harper’s Magazine.

Fellows’ Orientation & Annual Meeting: UnitedStates-Japan Media Fellows Program; JapanSociety Local Government & Public PolicyFellows; U.S.-Japan Leadership Program •

9 –1 0 J U N E • A two-day meeting for newly select-ed Fellows to prepare for their Fellowship and forpast Fellows to renew ties and join in the discus-sions on U.S.-Japan relations. Panelists, speakers,presenters, moderators and special guests: Davidd’Heilly, CEO, 2dk; Mark Halperin, Political Director,ABC News; Maggie Jones, Contributing Writer,The New York Times Magazine; Peggy Orenstein,Contributing Writer, The New York TimesMagazine; Ambassador Motoatsu Sakurai, ConsulGeneral, Consulate General of Japan; DavidSamuels, Harper’s Magazine; Madhulika Sikka,Supervising Senior Producer, National PublicRadio; and Junichi Yano, Deputy Director, MediaRelations Division, Foreign Press Center Japan.

The United States-Japan Media Fellows Program is generously supported by the UnitedStates-Japan Foundation. Assistance provided by the Foreign Press Center. Transportation for the Fellowship program is supported byJapan Airlines.


1 Madhulika Sikka, ABC News/Nightline, interviewedYotaro Kobayashi, Chairman of the Board and Director,Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. and Co-Chairman of the 21stCentury Committee for Japan-China Friendship, whilea 2005 United States-Japan Foundation Media Fellow.Photo © Mari Ikeda.

2 2005 United States-Japan Media Fellow MaggieJones, from The New York Times Magazine, interviewedTakeshi Watanabe, a counselor at the Tokyo MentalHealth Academy and an expert on hikikomori. Photo ©Mari Ikeda.

3 2006 U.S.-Japan Media Fellows (left to right): Brad Stone, Silicon Valley Correspondent, Newsweek;Joshua Wolf Shenk, freelance writer and author;Melanie Thernstrom, Contributing Writer, The NewYork Times Magazine; and Daniel Pink, ContributingEditor, Wired and author. Photo © Harper Alexander.

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A RT S & C U LT U R E

1 Tokyo Drifter, part of Hiroshi Sugimoto Film Series: The MovingImage of Modern Art. Photo © 1966 Nikkatsu.

2 Installation view, Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History. Foreground:Testament of a Penis, 2003. Background (left to right): Mirtoan Sea,Sounion, 1990; Tyrrhenian Sea, Scilla, 1993. Photo © Hiroshi Sugimoto.

3 Akemi Takeya in bodypoems_REFLECTION. Photo © William Irwin.

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Japan Society Gallery

A leading institution for the exhibition, researchand publication of Japanese art, Japan Society

Gallery presents two major exhibitions each year,working with an international roster of museums,curators, scholars and artists. Whether presentingancient painting and sculpture or contemporary media,the Gallery’s exhibitions continue to draw the highestcritical acclaim and enthusiastic public response.

The Gallery’s exhibitions for 2005–06 continued togarner critical praise from media and visitors. Curatedby internationally-acclaimed artist Hiroshi Sugimoto,the fall exhibition, Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History,was selected as “Best Museum Show” by New Yorkmagazine. New York Times art critic Grace Glueckcalled the exhibition “an engaging Wunderkammer”and a “very personal, whimsical exhibition.” History of History’s juxtaposition of Sugimoto’s photographs,natural history dioramas and wide-ranging collectionof artifacts highlighted the artist’s preoccupation with

the passage of time and how human appreciation oftime is inseparable from nature’s artful recording of its own changes. After Japan Society, the exhibitiontraveled to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington,D.C. It will travel to Toronto and San Francisco in2007. In the spring, Japan Society Gallery joined otherleading New York City galleries and museums to pres-ent the fourth annual Asian Contemporary Art Week(ACAW), with a special focus on Asian video art. Fast Futures: Asian Video Art, introduced single channelvideo works by leading and emerging Asian artists.The Society showcased exciting new works by BeaCamacho, Hiraki Sawa and Koki Tanaka. Exhibitionsfrom past years continued to be critically recognizedas well. The spring 2005 exhibition, Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture, curated by TakashiMurakami, won the award of “Best Thematic MuseumShow in New York City” by AICA (The InternationalAssociation of Art Critics, U.S. Chapter).

Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History

Co-organized by Japan Society and the Freer Galleryof Art & the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, SmithsonianInstitution. Support for this exhibition was providedby Toyota Motor North America, Inc., New YorkState Council for the Arts, Daniele AgostinoFoundation, Inc. and The Cowles Charitable Trust.Additional support was provided by the LeadershipCommittee for History of History. Transportationassistance was provided by Japan Airlines.Exhibitions at Japan Society Gallery are also madepossible in part by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s DigestEndowment Fund and the Japan Society’s Circle ofFriends gallery supporters. Installations at JapanSociety Gallery are supported by a generous giftfrom Henry Cornell.

Art World Preview • 2 2 S E P T E M B E R

Members Preview • 2 9 S E P T E M B E R

Exhibition • 2 3 S E P T E M B E R –1 9 F E B R UA RY

A precisely staged, richly evocative constructionof history in which history is a process thatunfolds through attentive experience, a continualdiscovery of the past in the present and the pres-ent in the past, Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of Historybrought together over 80 works chosen by inter-nationally acclaimed artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. Theexhibition offered a tour of history that includedprehistoric fossils, ritual objects from Japan’sJomon and Kofun periods (6th century BC to 7thcentury AD), religious reliquaries, textiles, man-dala, paintings, sutras and sculptures from the 8th through the 15th centuries, and a number ofrecent assemblages in which the Sugimoto com-bined ancient works or fragments with his ownphotographs and other contemporary objects.History of History offered an unusually direct andaccessible point of entry into the artist’s investiga-tions of time. The exhibition traveled to the ArthurM. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1 April–30 July. Additional showings are planned inToronto and San Francisco in 2007. Cataloguepublished by Rikuyosha Co. Ltd.

exhibition-related lecture

program

Inside the Studio: Hiroshi Sugimoto •

1 D E C E M B E R • See page 31 for complete programdetails.



1 Mississippian Sea Bottom. Onychocrinus Ulrichiand Cyathodrinites Lowensis periods. Fossil.Photo © Hiroshi Sugimoto.

2 Koki Tanaka. 123456, 2004. Video installation.Single channel video with sound, endless loop.Image courtesy of the artist.

3 Isamu Noguchi. Celebration (Holiday), 1953.Cast iron. Collection of Japan Society. Photo ©Steven Williams.

4 Eleanor Heartney and Michael Kimmelmanannounce the award of “Best Thematic MuseumShow in New York City” to Japan Society forLittle Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subcultureat the AICA awards ceremony. Photo © SuishoMoriguchi.

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Fast Futures: Asian Art VideoNew Works By Three Artists

Exhibitions at Japan Society Gallery are made pos-sible in part by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s DigestEndowment Fund and Japan Society’s Circle ofFriends gallery supporters. Installations at JapanSociety Gallery are supported by a generous giftfrom Henry Cornell.

Opening Preview • 2 3 M AY

Exhibition • 2 2 M AY–1 8 J U N E

Japan Society Gallery, along with other museumsand galleries in New York City belonging to theAsian Contemporary Art Consortium, took part inthe annual week-long, city-wide AsianContemporary Art Week. This year’s exhibition,Fast Futures: Asian Art Video, presented singlechannel video works by leading and emergingAsian artists. Japan Society presented new worksproduced by: Bea Camacho (The Philippines),Enclose; Hiraki Sawa (Japan), Trail; and severalworks by Koki Tanaka (Japan).

little boy wins aica award

The exhibition Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’sExploding Subculture, curated by Takashi Murakamiand presented by Japan Society in spring 2005,was awarded the “Best Thematic Museum Showin New York City” by AICA (The InternationalAssociation of Art Critics, U.S. Chapter). Theaward ceremony was held on 2 February at TheJewish Museum, New York.

japan society’s noguchi sculpture

in japan

Japan Society’s wall sculpture Celebration(Holiday) by Isamu Noguchi is part of a majorinternational loan exhibition traveling among threeJapanese museums. Celebration (Holiday) was created in Japan by Isamu Noguchi in 1953, andgiven to Japan Society by Mrs. John D. Rockefeller3rd in 1971.

Isamu Noguchi—Connecting the World Through Sculpture1 5 A P R I L–J U N E 2 5 • Yokohama Museum of Art8 J U LY–1 8 S E P T E M B E R • Yokohama Museum of Art2 9 S E P T E M B E R –1 2 N OV E M B E R • Takamatsu CityMuseum of Art

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Performing Arts Program

T he 2005–06 Performing Arts Season celebratedJapanese performance from its traditional roots to

the ground-breaking cutting edge. In conjunction withJapan Society Gallery’s exhibition Hiroshi Sugimoto:History of History, Performing Arts presented The HawkPrincess (Takahime), a modern noh play staged by thenoh group Tessen-kai, which was co-directed by Mr.Sugimoto and also featured a backdrop of a photo-graph from his Seascapes series.

The Society embarked on one of its most ambitioustouring seasons this year, with four touring programs:The five-city tour of Ko Murobushi & Edge Co.’s newwork Handsome Blue Sky, created in homage to butohfounder Tatsumi Hijikata; the four-city tour of MiyakoItchu, the Grand Master of the Itchu-bushi style ofshamisen music, with his ensemble of three shamisenplayers, four singers, four percussionists and a kabukidancer; the three-city tour of Hiromitsu Agatsumawith his band comprised of cello, piano and taikodrum; and a seven-city tour of Seinendan TheaterCompany’s double-bill of one-act comedies The YaltaConference and Ronin Office Ladies (OL Chushingura).

The year also saw the inaugural performances of twonew series: The Play Reading Series, dedicated to intro-ducing the canon of contemporary Japanese plays inEnglish translation to audiences and artists outside ofJapan, and the Tzadik Label Music Series, developed incollaboration with John Zorn’s nonprofit music label.Other programs in the year included Vienna-basedJapanese dancer/poet/performance artist AkemiTakeya in her eclectic bodypoems_REFLECTION; the 9th Annual Japanese Contemporary Dance Showcase;and the long-awaited New York debut of PappaTarahumara with their intimate duet Island.

A plethora of workshops accompanied this year’s pro-gramming, offering in-depth and hands-on opportuni-ties for students and general public to encounter avariety of performance styles, including a five-day tra-ditional dance intensive “From Edo & Kyoto toOkinawa,” led by master dancer Sachiyo Ito and otheron and off-site educational events with partneringorganizations, including the City University of NewYork and CAVE.

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performances

M O N DAY P L AY- R E A D I N G S E R I E S

The Monday Play Reading Series is supported, inpart, by the Kinokuniya Bookstore.In a new initiative to introduce the canon of con-temporary Japanese plays to audiences outside of Japan, these inaugural readings for the newannual Play Reading Series featured the mostprominent contemporary Japanese plays staged in English translation by emerging and establishedAmerican directors and actors.

Monday Play Reading SeriesThe Face of Jizo (Chichi to kuraseba), written byHisashi Inoue & directed by John Clinton Eisner1 2 S E P T E M B E R

Developed with the Lark Play Development Center.

Monday Play Reading SeriesFireflies (Kami wo kakiageru), written by ToshiroSuzue & directed by Jennifer Goodlander1 9 S E P T E M B E R

Developed with the Lincoln Center Directors Lab.

The Hawk Princess (Takahime)Co-directed by Kanze Tetsunojo & Hiroshi Sugimoto24 & 2 5 S E P T E M B E R

Supported by The Japan Foundation.Renowned art photographer Hiroshi Sugimotocreated a stunning backdrop with his highly


acclaimed Seascapes series for the set of The HawkPrincess (Takahime), a modern noh play written inthe 1960s by Mario Yokomichi, based on W.B.Yeats’ At the Hawk’s Well. Kanze Tetsunojo,Artistic Director of Tessen-kai noh theater group,led a stellar cast including kyogen master andfilm/TV star Nomura Mansai.

Ko Murobushi and Edge Co. in Handsome Blue Sky6 – 8 O C TO B E R

The five-city North American tour of Ko Murobushi& Edge Co.’s Handsome Blue Sky was organizedand produced by Japan Society, and was supportedby the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan; and TheJapan Foundation through the Performing ArtsJAPAN program. Touring cities: Towson, MD;Vancouver, BC; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX.Ko Murobushi, one of the world’s best known andacclaimed butoh artists, performed his latest worktogether with three male dancers from his compa-ny Edge Co. Handsome Blue Sky is an homage tobutoh founder Tatsumi Hijikata, and takes its titlefrom one of Hijikata’s essays.

Akemi Takeya in bodypoems_REFLECTION4 & 5 N OV E M B E R

Special thanks to the Austrian Cultural Forum.Japanese dancer/poet/performance artist extraor-dinaire Akemi Takeya, a resident of Vienna since1991, combined five short vignettes into anevening of solo work, with live music performedby electronic musician and guitarist Marc Weiser.

1 Ko Murobushi (foreground) with Edge Co. in Handsome Blue Sky (Bibo no aozora). Photo © William Irwin.

2 Kyogen master Nomura Mansai (left) asKufurin (Cuchulain) and Kanze Testunojo (right)as the Old Man in Tessen-kai noh company’smodern noh production The Hawk Princess(Takahime), co-directed by Kanze Tetsunojo and Hiroshi Sugimoto. Photo © William Irwin.

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S H A M I S E N F E S T I VA L I

Miyako Itchu: Traditional Shamisen Ensemblewith Kabuki Dance8 & 9 D E C E M B E R

The four-city East Coast tour of Miyako Itchu:Traditional Shamisen Ensemble was organized andproduced by Japan Society, and was supported bythe Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan; and TheJapan Foundation. Touring cities: Middletown, CT;Boston, MA; Washington, DC.Miyako Itchu XII, the 11th successor and GrandMaster of the Itchu-bushi style shamisen music,presented this colorful and exquisite program ofboth Itchu-bushi and Tokiwazu-bushi, featuring alavish ensemble of three shamisen players, foursingers and a four-person percussion section.

9th Annual Japanese Contemporary DanceShowcase2 0 & 2 1 JA N UA RY

Supported by The Japan Foundation.Celebrating its ninth season, this showcase of themost riveting work in Japanese contemporarydance featured the three-woman group SHI-NONOME BUTOH; APE’s comic and expressivemovement collages; the bold, feminine work ofchoreographer Kaoru Uchida’s Roussewaltz; andtwo maverick soloists: Yukiko Amano, the leaddancer of the celebrated dance company Biwa-kei, and accomplished jazz dancer/choreographerand TV darling Youya Shinjo. Co-curated withMayumi Nagatoshi, President, AN Creative, Inc.Tokyo.

S H A M I S E N F E S T I VA L I I

Agatsuma: Contemporary Shamisen Fusion8 & 9 F E B R UA RY

Hiromitsu Agatsuma’s three-city North Americantour was organized and produced by Japan Societyand supported by The Japan Foundation. Touringcities: Philadelphia, PA; San Antonio, TX.Hailed as the “messiah” of Japanese traditionalinstruments, Agatsuma performed with a livelyband of traditional Japanese taiko drum, cello andpiano, in a vibrant acoustic set—a testament tohis constant exploration of the range of his instru-ment. Renowned American composer and gui-tarist Scott Johnson joined in for the world pre-miere of his new work, written especially forAgatsuma’s band.

1 Miyako Itchu (third from left) and his ensem-ble of traditional instrumentalists with nihon buyodancer Hanayagi Kiyohito. Photo © William Irwin.

2 Hiromitsu Agatsuma and his band. Photo © William Irwin.

3 SHINONOME BUTOH, part of the 9th AnnualJapanese Contemporary Dance Showcase. Photo© Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos.

4 Pappa TARAHUMARA in Island. Photo ©William Irwin.

5 Mike Patton (left) and Yamataka Eye (right) in “Tzadik Music Label Series: New Voices fromJapan.” Photo © William Irwin.

6 Seinendan Theater Company in The YaltaConference. Photo © William Irwin.

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Pappa Tarahumara in IslandThe tour of Pappa Tarahumara’s Island was supported by The Japan Foundation throughPerforming Arts JAPAN program.2 & 3 M A R C H

Island was the stunning New York debut of theinternationally acclaimed performance groupPappa Tarahumara, under the direction of itsfounder, Hiroshi Koike. Melding text, song anddance into a unique performance style, this tragicduet-piece was adapted from “A Very Old Manwith Enormous Wings,” a short story by GabrielGarcía Márquez.

Seinendan Theater Company in The YaltaConference & Ronin Office Ladies (OLChushingura)Written & directed by Oriza Hirata2 3 –2 5 M A R C H

The five-city North American tour of SeinendanTheater Company was produced and organized byJapan Society and supported by The SaisonFoundation for Japan Society’s Japanese TheaterNOW initiative, and the Agency for CulturalAffairs, Japan. Touring cities: Norman, OK;Houston, TX; Portland, OR; Victoria, BC; Urbana,IL; Hempstead, NY.The renowned contemporary theater companySeinendan presented two comic one-acts: TheYalta Conference, based on the infamous meetingof Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt during WorldWar II; and Ronin Office Ladies (OL Chushingura), in which a cast of disgruntled “office ladies” discuss the shifting personnel structure withintheir workplace—a spoof on the classic story“Chushingura,” about 47 samurai plottingvengeance in the name of loyalty.

T Z A D I K M U S I C L A B E L S E R I E S

New Voices from JapanCurated by John ZornFeaturing Haino Keiji, Makigami Koichi,Yamataka Eye1 2 & 1 3 M AY

Presented in association with Tzadik. Supportedby The Globus Family Charitable Trust.Developed through collaboration with Tzadik, thenonprofit record label founded by John Zorn, theinaugural performances of this series featured theboldest vocal works in Japan’s new music scene,including vocalist-composer and pioneer in avant-noise-music Makigami Koichi; disturbing icono-clast Yamataka Eye, the front man vocalist for theBoredoms; and underground noise guitar-heroHaino Keiji. Artists performed in solos, duos andtrios with U.S-based artists Mike Patton, JimO’Rourke, Ikue Mori and John Zorn himself.

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workshop series

Butoh Workshop: Hijikata’s Legacy with KoMurobushi8 O C TO B E R

Butoh Workshop with Yumiko Yoshioka1 7 O C TO B E R

Shamisen Workshop for Composers withMiyako Itchu1 0 D E C E M B E R

Shamisen Workshop for Music Lovers withMiyako Itchu1 0 D E C E M B E R

Performance Workshop with Hiroshi Koike4 M A R C H

Exploring Naturalism: Acting Workshop withOriza Hirata2 5 M A R C H

Traditional Dance Intensive with Sachiyo Ito3 1 M AY– 4 J U N E

national tours

Ko Murobushi & Edge Co.’s Handsome Blue Sky(Towson, MD; Vancouver, BC; Chicago, IL;Houston, TX)

Miyako Itchu: Traditional Shamisen Ensemble(Middletown, CT; Boston, MA; Washington, DC)

Hiromitsu Agatsuma (Philadelphia, PA; SanAntonio, TX)

Seinendan Theater Company (Norman, OK;Houston, TX; Portland, OR; Victoria, BC; Urbana,IL; Hempstead, NY)

related events

2nd CAVE New York Butoh Festival4 –2 6 O C TO B E R

Presented by CAVE in conjunction with JapanSociety’s presentation of Ko Murobushi & Edge Co.

An Evening with Oriza Hirata & Chuck Mee1 0 F E B R UA RY

Co-presented with Martin E. Segal Theatre Center;the Ph.D. Program in Theatre and ContinuingEducation, The Graduate Center, CUNY.Featuring an excerpted staged reading of TheYalta Conference, directed by Yehuda Duenyas.

Japan Society 2005–06 Performing ArtsPrograms were made possible in part by TheStarr Foundation; the Lila Wallace-Reader’sDigest Endowment Fund; the Doris DukeCharitable Foundation; and The Fan Fox andLeslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc. Programs alsomade possible with public funds from the NewYork State Council on the Arts, a State agency.Transportation supported by ANA, All NipponAirways. Plasma Display provided by PioneerElectronics (USA) Inc.

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Film Program

2005–06 was an ambitious season for the FilmProgram, with 44 screenings of prominent classic

and contemporary Japanese films, almost double thenumber from last year. With the mission to presentthe most vital and important aspects of Japanese cinema to American audiences, three major film seriesand several special screenings of critically acclaimedfilms drew in large numbers of new audience members.

The After War. . . film series and the Hiroshi SugimotoFilm Series: The Moving Image of Modern Art were presented back-to-back over four months fromSeptember to December. After War. . . commemoratedthe 60th anniversary of the end of World War II,examining how Japanese filmmakers have grappledwith Japan’s experience of the war and its conse-quences. The Hiroshi Sugimoto Film Series, held in con-junction with the Japan Society Gallery exhibitionHiroshi Sugimoto: History of History, offered films per-sonally selected by acclaimed fine art photographerHiroshi Sugimoto. In April, the Society presentedAgainst the Tide: Rebels & Mavericks in ContemporaryJapanese Film. This 11-day event featured 21 screeningsof 12 wildly varied films that celebrated the independ-ent spirit inspiring the new heroes of Japanese cinema.Special film screenings included Tony Takitani, Pulse,Original Child Bomb, Drawing Restraint 9 and Always—Sunset on Third Street.

This year the Film Program launched a new initiativecalled the J-Cinema campaign. At the center of thecampaign was the J-Cinema website as a comprehen-sive resource for Japanese cinema events throughoutthe New York City area. Screening venues includedJapan Society, the Museum of Modern Art, the FilmSociety of Lincoln Center, BAM and the Film Forum.Funding was provided by The Japan Foundation andthe Japan National Tourist Organization. Based on thesuccess of the J-Cinema campaign, a new, expandedwebsite is planned for the future.

Special screenings were a great success this season,with tremendous audience response completely fillingthe theater at every event. Each screening presented anew opportunity to collaborate with other organiza-tions. Partnership highlights included Strand Releasing(Tony Takitani), Magnolia Pictures (Pulse), IFC Films(Drawing Restraint 9) and the New York Asian FilmFestival by Subway Cinema (Always).

To nurture future audiences, the Film Program beganthe Student Sponsorship Program to attract new,younger viewers. Over 200 tickets for film students to attend Film Program screenings were generouslysponsored by The Globus Family Charitable Trust. The Criterion Collection also assisted with in-kinddonations to the program. In 2006–07, the StudentSponsorship Program will continue to help film studentsexperience and learn more about Japanese cinema.


film series

Made possible by The Japan Foundation, the NewYork State Council on the Arts, a State agency,and the Circle of Friends film supporters.

After War. . .2 7 S E P T E M B E R –2 3 O C TO B E R

A film series examining how Japanese filmmakershave grappled with World War II and its conse-quences since the war’s end 60 years ago.

F I L M S

The Face of Jizo (Kazuo Kuroki); New York premiere; in conjunction with the Performing Arts Program’s staged reading of The Face of Jizo(part of the Monday Play Reading Series).Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (KinjiFukasaku); introduced by Kenta Fukasaku, thedirector’s son.Children of the Beehive (Hiroshi Shimizu)Out of This World (Junji Sakamoto); New Yorkpremiere; introduced by the director.Japanese Devils (Minoru Matsui)A Man’s Face is His Resume (Tai Kato)

Hiroshi Sugimoto Film Series: The Moving Image of Modern Art1 1 N OV E M B E R –1 1 D E C E M B E R

Acclaimed fine art photographer HiroshiSugimoto chose seven films emphasizing the artifice and myth-making ability of films for The Moving Image of Modern Art.

F I L M S

Tokyo Kid (Torajiro Saito); first screening withnew English subtitles.Tokyo Drifter (Seijun Suzuki)Blind Beast (Yasuzo Masumura)The Face of Another (Hiroshi Teshigahara)The Water Magician (Kenji Mizoguchi); with live narration by Hiroshi Sugimoto and music performed by Kenta Nagai.The World of Geisha (Tatsumi Kumashiro)Ten Dark Women (Kon Ichikawa)


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Against the Tide: Rebels and Mavericksin Contemporary Japanese Film6 –1 6 A P R I L

A film series that celebrated the independentspirit inspiring the new heroes of Japanese cinema,with 21 screenings presented in 11 consecutive days.

F I L M S

Maison de Himiko (Isshin Inudo); U.S. premiere;introduced by director Isshin Inudo and producerShinji Ogawa.Wild Berries (Miwa Nishikawa)Down the Drain (Shinobu Yaguchi)Kaza-hana (Shinji Somai); U.S. premiereCanary (Akihiko Shiota)Yakuza Graveyard (Kinji Fukasaku)Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinary (Hae-sung Song)The Owl (Kaneto Shindo); U.S. premiereBullet Ballet (Shinya Tsukamoto)Preparations for the Festival (Kazuo Kuroki)Knock Out (Junji Sakamoto)Believe (Ken’ichi Oguri); U.S. premiere

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1 Under the Flag of the Rising Sun, part of After War. . .film series. Photo © Home Vision Entertainment.

2 Blind Beast, part of Hiroshi Sugimoto Film Series: The Moving Image of Modern Art. Photo © 1969Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

3 The Water Magician, part of Hiroshi Sugimoto FilmSeries: The Moving Image of Modern Art. Photo cour-tesy of National Film Center, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.

4 Maison de Himiko (U.S. premiere), part of theAgainst the Tide film series. Photo © Asmik AceEntertainment, Inc.

5 Tony Takitani, a New York premiere screening presented with Strand Releasing. Photo © StrandReleasing.

6 Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (right), Eamonn Bowles(center), President, Magnolia Pictures and Mrs.Hiromi Kurosawa (left) at a post-screening receptionof the U.S. premiere of Pulse. Photo © Ryo Nagasawa

7 Matthew Barney’s Drawing Restraint 9, U.S. premierescreening presented with IFC Films. Photo © IFC Films.

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special screenings

Tony Takitani2 0 J U LY

Co-presented with Strand Releasing.New York premiere. This stylish reverie on loveand loneliness is based on a story by HarukiMurakami.

Pulse3 A U G U S T

Co-presented with Magnolia Pictures and BombMagazine.U.S. premiere. Celebrated at the Cannes Film festival as one of the scariest films ever made.Introduced by director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Original Child Bomb: Film Screening & PanelDiscussion for High School Students1 0 M A R C H

A powerful documentary about the legacy of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima andNagasaki. Presented in collaboration with theEducation Program, the screening hosted a selectgroup of New York City high school students for a special panel discussion with director Carey Schonegevel McKenzie and studentactivists Nicole Boyd and Edwin Figueroa. See also page 36.

Drawing Restraint 92 8 M A R C H

Co-presented with IFC Films, Agnes B., and Tokion.U.S. premiere. Director and visual artist MatthewBarney introduced his internationally acclaimedfilm, shot in Nagasaki Bay on board the Japanesewhaling ship Nisshin Maru. Film composer Björkattended the post-show reception.

Always—Sunset on Third Street1 4 J U N E

Co-presented with the New York Asian FilmFestival by Subway Cinema.North American premiere. Director TakashiYamazaki introduced his film, winner of 13Japanese Academy Awards in 2006, and attended the post-show reception.

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Lecture Programs

I n its fourth year as an independent department,Lecture Programs engaged the public in intercultural

dialogue through lectures and discussions rangingfrom the arts to urban planning. Highlights included a sold-out sake tasting, in which participants enjoyedsamples of some of the finest sake brewed in Japan as well as a dynamic lecture by sake expert JohnGauntner. The Inside the Studio series continued with a lecture by Hiroshi Sugimoto, in which he analyzedthe art presented in his self-curated exhibition, HiroshiSugimoto: History of History. Two programs were pre-sented in collaboration with the U.S.-Japan InnovatorsProject. In November, acclaimed philosopher and cultural critic Hiroki Azuma and screenwriter of Ghostin the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Dai Sato participatedin “Otaku Unmasked: The Life, Death & Rebirth ofJapan’s Pop Culture,” which drew a significant newand youthful audience to the Society. And in June, a provocative program entitled “Small Spaces + BigImagination = Life in the Modern City,” broughttogether Limbon, a Professor of Urban Planning atRitsumeikan University in Kyoto and Atelier Bow-Wowarchitect Yoshiharu Tsukamoto to explore the effectiveuse of limited spaces in Japanese architecture.


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innovators series public

programs

Otaku Unmasked: The Life, Death & Rebirth ofJapan’s Pop Culture3 0 N OV E M B E R

Support provided by Astellas USA Foundation andtransportation support provided by ContinentalAirlines.With philosopher and cultural critic HirokiAzuma; screenwriter Dai Sato of Ghost in theShell: Stand Alone Complex. Journalist DouglasMcGray moderating. (See also p. 15.)

Small Spaces + Big Imagination = Life in theModern City1 2 J U N E

Co-organized and generously funded by The JapanFoundation Center for Global Partnership, addi-tional support provided by Astellas USAFoundation, transportation assistance provided byAll Nippon Airways.With Tokyo-based architect Yoshiharu Tsukamotoof Atelier Bow-Wow and Limbon, Professor ofUrban Planning, Ritsumaikan University. CliffordPearson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, ArchitecturalRecord, moderating. (See also p. 15.)

inside the studio

Hiroshi Sugimoto1 D E C E M B E R

With artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and Japanese antiq-uities collector and Shakespearean scholar SylvanBarnet.

general lectures

Sake Brewing Now & Then: ComparingTraditional & Modern Techniques2 6 S E P T E M B E R

Co-sponsored by the Sake Export Association.With sake expert John Gauntner and members ofthe Sake Export Association.

1 Journalist Douglas McGray (left),philosopher and cultural critic HirokiAzuma, and Ghost in the Shell, StandAlone Complex screenwriter Dai Sato(right) discuss the future of Japanesepop culture in “Otaku Unmasked: TheLife, Death & Rebirth of Japan’s PopCulture,” part of the Innovators Series.Photo © Julie Lemberger.

2 Hiroshi Sugimoto (left), signs a bookfor Sylvan Barnet (middle), a majorJapanese antiquities collector, at the reception following his lecture in the Inside the Studio series. Photo © Julie Lemberger.

3 Clifford Pearson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Record (left),architect Yoshiharu Tsukamoto (mid-dle), and Limbon (right), Professor ofUrban Planning at RitsumaikanUniversity in Kyoto, answer questionsfrom the audience at “Small Spaces +Big Imagination = Life in the ModernCity.” Photo © Julie Lemberger.

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E D U C AT I O N

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1 A Japanese language teacher training student makes a presenta-tion in her class. Photo © Roy Mittelman.

2 Butoh dancer Takuya Muramatsu works with ProfessionalPerforming Arts School students during an eight-week intensivebutoh program. Photo © Kazuko Minamoto.

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Education Programs

E ducation Programs bring Japan to the classroomand to the children of the New York metropolitan

area. During 2005–06, teachers and students enhancedtheir knowledge about Japan through a variety of pro-grams, partnerships, events and the education web-site, Journey through Japan. We also initiated a popularnew series of weekend public programs for children tolearn about Japan in a fun and interactive setting.

Two 30-hour comprehensive professional develop-ment courses, focusing on Japanese festivals and religion and on Japanese performing arts, were offeredto educators, with additional one-day professionaldevelopment seminars on more specialized topics.These courses continue to be in high demand, andresult in the creation of many innovative and sophisti-cated lessons about Japan being taught in schoolsthroughout the New York metropolitan area. Through

our school partner alliance program, we continued towork with hundreds of students through a variety ofprograms on art, film and performing arts. Other pop-ular programs included student tours of Japan SocietyGallery exhibitions and a summer immersion programin which students created their own exhibition focus-ing on otaku culture.

This past year we were particularly pleased to inauguratea series of new and very popular public programs thatallow children to learn about and experience Japaneseculture. This opening season of family programs includeda celebration of Children’s Day in May, in which childrenwatched a kamishibai storytelling performance andenjoyed holiday-related, hands-on art activities. Anotherprogram introduced children to the tea ceremony andits broader context. Children participated in an actualceremony, and even made their own tea bowls.

programs for educators

3 0 - H O U R I N - H O U S E CO U R S E S F O R E D U C ATO R S

New York City public school teachers who com-pleted these courses were eligible for professionaldevelopment credit available through the NewYork City Department of Education by creating afinal project related to the course material.

Japanese Festivals & Religion8 –1 2 A U G U S T

In cooperation with the New York City Departmentof Education.Participants examined Japanese holidays and festivals, and their Shinto and Buddhist religiouscomponents. Stories, activities, rituals and foodsassociated with different times of year were discussed, as well as modern, secular and foreigninfluences on traditional Japanese celebrations.Lecturers: Michael Como, Professor of ReligiousStudies, Columbia University; MargaretEisenstadt, Kamishibai For Kids; Mary HammondBernson, Associate Director, East Asia ResourceCenter, University of Washington; Hiro Kurashima& Taiko Masala; and Tara McGowan, StorytellingArts, Inc.

Traditional to Contemporary: Performing Arts of Japan1 5 –1 9 A U G U S T

In cooperation with the New York City Departmentof Education.

Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustratorAllen Say discussed his recently-published children’s book Kamishibai Man, presenting itthrough kamishibai storytelling.

programs for students

S U M M E R I M M E R S I O N WO R K S H O P F O R H I G H

S C H O O L S T U D E N T S

Experience Otaku! Create an Exhibition: AnInteractive Exploration of Contemporary Art &Culture for High School Students5 – 8 & 1 1 –1 5 J U LY

Student participants considered the ways inwhich museum and gallery exhibitions open public dialogues on important social and culturalissues. The centerpiece of their study was theJapan Society Gallery exhibition Little Boy: TheArts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture, TakashiMurakami’s cutting-edge critique of contempo-rary Japanese culture. Their final project, a student-curated exhibition entitled Pop Bunmei Kaika,included artifacts that described the influence ofJapanese pop culture on American pop culture,particularly the impact of otaku culture onAmerican teen fandom. Lecturers: Eleni Corcoras,Exhibitions Manager, Japan Society; Kiyoshi Ike,Gallerist, Concepto Gallery; Lawrence Eng, Ph.D.Candidate, Renseelaer Polytechnic Institute; Celia Imrey, Principal Architect, Imrey Culbert Ltd; Dr. Amy Kurlander, freelance writer; SusanMcCullough, Director of School and Family

Participants looked at both traditional and contemporary theater performing arts in Japan,including noh, kyogen, kabuki and butoh. Theydiscussed how to integrate literary and historicalcomponents of theater into classroom teaching,and got a chance to practice many different typesof theatrical movements. Lecturers: Sarah Cusick,Columbia Preparatory School; Loren Edelson, PhDcandidate, CUNY Graduate Center; Teri Gindi,Professional Performing Arts School; Sachiyo Ito,Saichiyo Ito & Co.; Samuel Leiter, Brooklyn College,CUNY; and Garret Sokoloff, Fiorello H. LaGuardiaHigh School of Music & Performing Arts.

O N E - DAY P R O G R A M S F O R E D U C ATO R S

Shinto in Annual Rituals8 O C TO B E R

A one-day workshop on the history, concepts and rituals of Shinto, Japan’s indigenous religion.In the morning session, educators learned howShinto is connected to annual festivities and rituals in Japan. In the afternoon, participantsobserved a Shichigosan ceremony for the growthand good health of children ages 3, 5 and 7, heldin the UNICEF building at the United Nations.Lecturer: Michael Como, Professor of ReligiousStudies, Columbia University.

Meet the Author of Kamishibai Man: An Eveningwith Allen Say2 7 O C TO B E R



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Programs, Department of Education, Museum ofModern Art; Roberta Smith, Art Critic, The NewYork Times; Gayle Snible, Press Officer, JapanSociety; and William Stover, Assistant Curator ofContemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Comparing Themes in Japanese Contemporary ArtD E C E M B E R –JA N UA RY

Japan Society and the Isamu Noguchi Museumpartnered to offer four third-grade classes fromP.S. 107 interactive tours with a focus on themescommon to exhibitions at both institutions ontime, nature, Shinto and Japanese aesthetics.Students first viewed the Japan Society exhibitionHiroshi Sugimoto: History of History and then visited the Noguchi Museum, concluding theirexperience with an art activity.

programs for families

Kamishibai Storytelling for Children: FeaturingJapanese Folktales & Ghost Stories2 9 O C TO B E R

With Nadine Grisar, storytelling specialist at P.S.217. Adults and children experienced Japanesefolktales and ghost stories through kamishibai,Japan’s traditional storytelling technique for youngviewers that uses large picture boards on a smallstage. Participants were introduced to Japanesefolktales and ghost stories, and also made masksof otherworldly creatures featured in the stories.

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Celebrating Japan’s Children’s Day throughKamishibai Storytelling6 M AY

With Tara McGowan and child storytellers fromKamishibai Kidz. Participants learned firsthandabout Tengo no sekku (Children’s Day), an annualevent for children, through kamishibai storytellingand craft activities. Kamishibai Kidz, a group ofchild storytellers (ages 6 to 11) presented theiroriginal stories associated with this festival.Children and accompanying adults made koino-bori (carp streamers), tachie puppets, and kabuto(samurai helmets), and enjoyed traditional kashi-wa mochi (bean-paste treats).

Art Cart: Chanoyu1 1 J U N E

With Tea Master Ashley Takayama, Director, New York Branch of the Mushakoji Senke TeaSchool; Suzanne de Vegh, Program Officer,Education & Public Programs, Arts & Culture,Japan Society; and Victoria Moller, EducationAssociate, Japan Society. Children and accompa-nying adults participated in a tea ceremony,exploring its rich cultural traditions by handlingceremonial utensils and creating their own claychawan (tea bowls).

1 Caldecott-Award-winning author Allen Say discusses his new book, Kamishibai Man, throughan evening of kamishibai storytelling. Photo ©Kazuko Minamoto.

2 Children show off the oni masks they made in“Kamishibai Storytelling for Children: FeaturingJapanese Folktales & Ghost Stories.” Photo ©Kazuko Minamoto.

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1 Butoh dancer Takuya Muramatsu works withProfessional Performing Arts School studentsduring an eight-week intensive butoh program. Photo © Kazuko Minamoto.

2 Teenage anti-nuclear activists Edwin Figueroaand Nicole Boyd (right) in a post-screening discussion of Original Child Bomb with directorCarey Schonegevel McKenzie (second from left)and Japan Society Senior Film Curator LindaHoaglund (far left). Photo © Kazuko Minamoto.

school partnership program

The school partnership program provides schoolswith the materials and pedagogical support nec-essary to encourage teaching and learning aboutJapan—its history, literature and arts. Participatingschools are offered a range of educational opportunities, including professional developmentfor teachers, and a variety of visual and perform-ing arts programs for students. The 2005–06season marked the third year of partnership withRichmond Hill High School (Queens) as well as continuing alliances with the ProfessionalPerforming Arts School (Manhattan) andColumbia Grammar and Preparatory School(Manhattan).

Perspectives in Science in Art: Looking atObjects in Context7 F E B R UA RY

With Suzanne de Vegh, Program Officer,Education & Public Programs, Arts & Culture.Students from Richmond Hill High School visitedthe American Museum of Natural History, Hall of Asian Peoples, Japan section and the HiroshiSugimoto: History of History exhibition at JapanSociety Gallery to critically view the ways inwhich Japanese artifacts and information aboutJapan are presented by different institutions.Students engaged in guided inquiry, working insmall teams to answer questions and discusstheir observations. The program concluded with a creative writing assignment.

Original Child Bomb: Film Screening & PanelDiscussion for High School Students1 0 M A R C H

In cooperation with the Japan Society FilmProgram.High school students from Columbia PreparatorySchool, Professional Performing Arts School,Richmond Hill High School and the UnitedNations International School attended a specialscreening of Original Child Bomb, followed by apanel discussion with director Carey SchonegevelMcKenzie and Nicole Boyd and Edwin Figueroa,two student anti-nuclear activists. LindaHoaglund, Senior Film Curator, Japan Society,moderating. (See also p. 29).

Play Reading: The Yalta Conference24 M A R C H

In cooperation with the Japan Society PerformingArts Program.Drama students from the Professional PerformingArts School participated in a workshop and spe-cial reading of The Yalta Conference with SeinendanTheatre Company director Oriza Hirata. See p. 25for performance details.

Butoh Workshop2 8 M A R C H –2 3 M AY

In cooperation with the Japan Society PerformingArts Program.During this eight-week intensive program, Japanesebutoh performer Takuya Muramatsu led studentsfrom the Professional Performing Arts School inboth improvisational and instructive sessions. Asa culminating activity, students worked with theartist to create a butoh dance performance.

gallery tours & gallery-related

programs for students

Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History1 8 N OV E M B E R –1 9 F E B R UA RY

In cooperation with the Japan Society Gallery.Over 300 students experienced interactive gallerylessons with Suzanne de Vegh, Program Officer,Education & Public Programs, Arts & Culture,Japan Society.

Fast Futures: Asian Video Art2 2 M AY–1 8 J U N E

In cooperation with the Japan Society Gallery.Over 100 students participated in interactivegallery lessons with Victoria Moller, EducationAssociate, Japan Society, during this short-termexhibition held in conjunction with the city-wideAsian Contemporary Art Week.

Education Programs are made possible with generous funding from The Freeman Foundation.

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Toyota Language Center

C.V. Starr Library

The C.V. Starr Library houses approximately 14,000volumes, in addition to a language library and an impressive rare book collection. Its holdings includea comprehensive collection of books (primarily inEnglish) on Japanese art, history, culture, society, politics, economics, religion and many other subjects.An ideal place for research on Japan and Japan-U.S.relations, the library has also become one of thefavorite attractions of Japan Society visitors.

T he Society’s Japanese language education program,which began in 1972 with just a single class, has

grown into one of the largest and most respected inthe nation. Today, the Toyota Language Center offers12 comprehensive levels of Japanese, as well as a variety of specialized courses and workshops includingshodo (Japanese calligraphy), ensuring that there is aclass for every level of student. In addition, the Centercaters to native Japanese speakers by providing four levels of English conversation (ESL) classes and a Japanese Language Teacher Training Program at the beginning and intermediate levels. This year, theToyota Language Center held its second Alumni event,featuring as a special guest Hideki Matsui of New YorkYankees, who shared his views of life in New York withlanguage students past and present.



Mini-Workshops: Learn to Read Hiragana & Katakana2 2 & 2 3 S E P T E M B E R

2 5 & 2 6 JA N UA RY

2 6 , 3 0 M AY

Enables beginning students to master efficientlythe reading of hiragana and katakana.

Japanese Language Courses2 6 S E P T E M B E R – 9 D E C E M B E R

3 0 JA N UA RY–1 0 A P R I L

3 1 M AY–1 1 A U G U S T

Twelve levels of Japanese, from beginning toadvanced.

English Conversation Courses3 O C TO B E R – 8 D E C E M B E R

6 F E B R UA RY–1 2 A P R I L

1 M AY–2 1 J U N E

1 0 J U LY–2 9 A U G U S T

Four levels of English as a Second Language (ESL) in 30- or 38-hour sessions.

Kanji I, II, III2 8 S E P T E M B E R – 9 D E C E M B E R

1 F E B R UA RY–7 A P R I L

3 1 M AY–1 1 A U G U S T

Designed to enable those proficient in Japaneseto read Japanese newspapers with ease.

Economics & Business: Advanced ReadingCourse I2 7 S E P T E M B E R – 6 D E C E M B E R

3 1 JA N UA RY– 4 A P R I L

6 J U N E – 8 A U G U S T

Guides advanced language students in readingthe Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the Japanese versions of Newsweek and Forbes, and also coversimportant business customs.

Intensive Japanese Weekend Courses1 2 , 1 3 , 1 9 & 2 0 N OV E M B E R

4 , 5 , 1 1 & 1 2 M A R C H

1 7, 1 8 , 24 & 2 5 J U N E

Total immersion for people who plan to travel ormove to Japan or for students unable to attendregular weekday classes.

Intensive Practical Japanese: Business & Culture2 6 A P R I L–2 5 M AY

Teaches essential classroom teaching skills tonative and fluent speakers of Japanese who havehad little or no formal training in the teaching ofJapanese as a second language.

Japanese Language Teacher Training Program2 5 A P R I L–2 5 M AY

Teaches essential classroom teaching skills tonative and fluent speakers of Japanese who havehad little or no formal training in the teaching ofJapanese as a second language.

Japanese Language Teacher Training Follow-Up Program4 O C TO B E R – 6 D E C E M B E R

A continuation of the teacher training program,providing the skills necessary to teach Japanese at the intermediate level.

The Japanese Language Proficiency TestPreparation Course (New Kanji III)2 J U N E –1 1 A U G U S T

The first course of an ongoing series, designed toprepare students to take the Japanese LanguageProficiency Test, Level 1.

Shodo Workshops I, II, III & Advanced course2 6 S E P T E M B E R – 9 D E C E M B E R

3 0 JA N UA RY–7 A P R I L

8 M AY–24 J U LY

A multi-level workshop series, from beginner toadvanced, on the techniques of shodo, Japanesecalligraphy.

1 Instructor Satomi Ochiai (right) jokes with herJapanese level I students. Photo © Roy Mittelman.

2 Language instructor Yuko Aizawa, guest speakerHideki Matsui of the New York Yankees and HughSelby, a student at Toyota Language Center, at theToyota Language Center Alumni Meeting. Photo ©Ken Levinson.

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