Featured Post from Japan Society

Crossing Space and Time at Japan Society's 2021 Annual Dinner

Jul 9, 2021

3 min

Joshua W. Walker, PhD



On June 22, Japan Society celebrated its 2021 Annual Dinner, raising over $1.3 million to take us into the next year and beyond. It was—literally and virtually—a star-studded evening at the intersection of science, art, culture, business, and the U.S.-Japan alliance.


After a special message from Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the program included a conversation between former JAXA astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, the second Japanese woman to fly in space, and Ambassador Caroline Kennedy—marking the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy's Moonshot Address, followed by a performance from Japan's Ryoma Quartet. The keynote Fireside Chat brought together two titans of industry, our very own Chairman Joseph Perella, Chairman Emeritus, Perella Weinberg Partners and private equity pioneer Henry Kravis, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of KKR—also the recipient of this year's Japan Society Award.


Mr. Kravis underscored the value of investing in long-term relationships throughout his talk with Mr. Perella, noting, "You have to be patient. You have to set your mission. You have to have a focus on ESG (environmental, social, and governance). Any company today that is not focusing on their ESG and on diversity of their workforce is not going to have much of a future. Today, it's not all about making money. That's a part of it. But it's also very important to ask, 'What are you doing for society, what are you doing to help your country?'"


In her conversation with astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy cited her father's famous Moonshot Address at Rice University in 1962: "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." Yamazaki, who is working to inspire the next generation in aerospace, among other initiatives, is "thrilled to be able to witness the Artemis Program, which is sending the first woman and the first person of color to the moon, with international cooperation. Japan is in charge of the cargo transfer to the Lunar Gateway, the station [that will orbit the moon], and also Toyota and JAXA are developing a pressurized lunar rover to explore the surface of the moon."


For Japan Society, the next 50 years will be our own Moonshot, as we move forward into a new post-pandemic inflection point—a significant reopening full of energy and excitement this fall that embodies the best of American and Japanese spirit. It's time to reach beyond the physical space of our landmarked building, which opened to the public 50 years ago in September 1971, re-imagining our enduring mission of connecting American and Japanese people, cultures, and societies across time and space for the next half century.


Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy's Moonshot Address inspired a generation of Americans to look to the moon in the spirit of adventure, patriotism, and freedom. Today, under new leadership in the United States and Japan, Japan Society starts a new chapter in building our kizuna, our forward-facing energy and deeply interwoven connections, between New York and Japan – and beyond. How do we continue to inspire the next generation of leaders in U.S.-Japan relations? As we think about the next 50 years at Japan Society, much has changed, yet many of the foundations remain the same from our starting point 114 years ago.


There's a lot to look forward to as we celebrate significant milestones in 2021-22 and beyond. As Mr. Kravis said, in order to grow and to survive, "You have to keep innovating, you have to keep moving." Japan Society is a convener for the future. With your support, we, too, will overcome the tough challenges facing this world and the U.S.-Japan alliance, together. See you at Japan House and on the far side of the moon!


If you missed out on our 2020-21 season, below are some of the highlights. Stay tuned for more exciting events coming this summer and fall, in person and online!



Published on June 22, 2021 on Japan Society’s new Watch & Read page.

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Joshua W. Walker, PhD

Joshua W. Walker, PhD

President & CEO

Walker leads Japan Society to create deep bonds between the US & Japan through programs in culture, education, business, policy & technology

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In Japan: Eisaku Sato is Prime Minister; the U.S. and Japan sign an accord to return Okinawa to Japan; NHK TV implements colorization of all programs; Kamen Rider TV series begins broadcasting; the 48th reigning Sumo champion Yokozuna Taihō announces his retirement; McDonald's opens its first store in Ginza, Tokyo; Nissin creates the first "cup noodle." Japan House Meanwhile in New York City, Japan Society had occupied eight different locations since its founding in 1907, and by the mid-1960s, a dedicated building had become necessary to house the Society's rapidly expanding initiatives. Japan Society President John D. Rockefeller 3rd made a very generous pledge by donating the land for the building site and Japanese modernist architect Junzo Yoshimura was confirmed to design the building. On September 16, 1969, John D. Rockefeller 3rd and Japanese Foreign Minister Kiichi Aichi broke ground at a formal ceremony. Construction proceeded on schedule and staff moved in during the spring of 1971, with Executive Director Douglas Overton noting, "Each day we have found some new and delightful feature which has come off the drawing board as an unexpectedly brilliant success. Japan House will be a national important building worthy of its high purposes." Opening Week—five star-studded days of celebratory events—began on September 13, 1971 with Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi at the ceremonies. The Prince brought Japan's best wishes to the Society "for a new chapter, both rich in content and wide in scope." The Gallery opened its first exhibition, Rimpa: Masterworks of the Japanese Decorative School and the Tokyo String Quartet performed in the new auditorium. Junzo Yoshimura wrote about Japan House, "People the world over used to build their houses with local and traditional materials. Today, however, contemporary buildings all over the world use the same basic materials—concrete, steel and glass—yet different characters and nationalities can still be perceived among them. In designing Japan House I have tried to express in contemporary architecture the spirit of Japan." With the formal opening of the Society's headquarters a new era had begun. Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi and Japan Society chairman John D. Rockefeller 3rd view the first Japan Society Gallery exhibition Rimpa: Masterworks of the Japanese Decorative School. Photo © Thomas Haar. The next 50 years Fifty years later, we are at another inflection point. The novel coronavirus pandemic has taught us just how interconnected we are as a global community while placing new importance on our homes and transforming the nature of work. This unprecedented global crisis has also illuminated the strengths and weaknesses of our organization, providing new opportunities for envisioning the future. Just as the opening of Japan House shaped the Society's last 50 years, today we are reimagining how we use our space, from the physical to the digital, forging broader connections or kizuna for U.S.-Japan and for the world. We embrace our mission for the years to come, reaching out far beyond our building, to our city, country, and world as we seek to connect American and Japanese people, cultures, and societies through a global lens. Like a hike up Mt. Fuji, Japan Society’s nearly 115-year-long journey itself defines us far more than our current destination. Beginning in 1907, the first iteration of Japan Society focused on business relations between the U.S. and Japan. For its 1952 post-Occupation reconstitution under the leadership of John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the Society dedicated itself to arts, culture, and education, with an emphasis on supporting Japanese students in New York as well as spreading the word about Japan through significant cultural milestones such as partnerships with The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center, with traveling exhibitions and outreach on both sides of the Pacific. With the opening of Japan House in 1971, politics was reintroduced into the mix, the business and policy communities energized, and Japanese popular culture landed large—nearly 50,000 people came to the Grand Sumo Tournament at Madison Square Garden co-sponsored by Japan Society and the Asia Society in 1985! Today at Japan House we present Japan and U.S.-Japan as a way to engage with history and tradition, on the one hand, and innovation and the future on the other. As in 1971, the time to act is now and our opportunities are as great as the challenges of 2021. It's up to us to work together on new, critical connections to take us through the next 50 years. I'll be there with you. Joshua Walker (@drjwalk) is president and CEO of Japan Society. Follow Japan Society on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

5 min

New York and Tokyo: Global Cities as Essential Hubs for Our Collective Future

Throughout, cities have faced repeated pronouncements of their demise. Yet, as centers of soft power, cities adapt, persevere, and ultimately, reinvent themselves to thrive. Photo: Orbon Alija / Getty Images On August 24, 2020, in the dog days of the New York summer and at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, comedian Jerry Seinfeld wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled "So You Think New York Is 'Dead' (It's not.)" The king is dead, long live the king! "Real, live, inspiring human energy exists when we coagulate together in crazy places like New York City," wrote Seinfeld. Cities change, "They mutate. They re-form. Because greatness is rare. And the true greatness that is New York City is beyond rare." In fact, megacities around the world have been experiencing similar trends related not just to the novel coronavirus--climate change, natural disasters, population shifts, and transformations in business, infrastructure, and transportation will all shape the contours of the 21st century. New York City's own history--when and why it has been pronounced "dead" during the last century--is instructive in and of itself. Other megacities of consequence should take note and take heart, especially Tokyo, which will be under the microscope in a new way as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in today's unprecedented environment. History repeats itself In the tensions of living in the present time, it's easy to forget New York City's long history of disaster, recovery, growth, and innovation--the 1918-19 influenza epidemic, the seasonal threat of polio, the scourge of HIV-AIDS, and the current pandemic, all define the city's history. 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As a 2004 Foreign Affairs review of Nye's book, Soft Power; The Means to Success in World Politics noted: "Nye argues that successful states need both hard and soft power--the ability to coerce others as well as the ability to shape their long-term attitudes and preferences... But overall, Nye's message is that U.S. security hinges as much on winning hearts and minds as it does on winning wars." Almost two decades later, soft power--the cultural, intellectual, and social bonds that bring diverse countries and societies together for mutual understanding--has become a critical component of American foreign policy. This is especially important for the U.S.-Japan alliance, as most recently evidenced by Hideki Matsuyama's thrilling Masters Tournament win and President Biden hosting Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as the first head of state to visit the White House during his tenure. 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4 min

Bridge-Building as a Career Path

Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum / Kengo Kuma & Associates. © Takumi Ota For my entire life I’ve imagined myself as a bridge between the U.S. and Japan. I grew up in Japan from ages one to eighteen — my parents are Southern Baptist missionaries who have lived in our heartland now for over 40 years. As an American growing up in Hokkaido, I often found myself in the position of explaining to Japanese why Americans do certain things and act certain ways, and then trying to tell Americans why Japanese or people outside of the U.S. saw the country in a particular way. This dialogue became an extension of who I am. Of course, like many children growing up, I wanted to be like my dad, who is a gifted pastor and long-term missionary. But, along the way, I realized that the role of a missionary is actually very much like that of being an ambassador or bridge-builder who represents their country, alliances, and traditions. As reinforced recently by Prime Minister Suga’s visit to the White House, the first of any international visitor for the Biden administration, the alliance with Japan is our single most strategic international relationship. Walter Russel Meade laid this out eloquently in the Wall Street Journal, “For the foreseeable future, the U.S.-Japan alliance is likely to remain the cornerstone of American foreign policy. Building the social and cultural ties that can support that relationship is an urgent task for both countries.” In my lifetime, and perhaps never before, has there been a moment like the present where the U.S. and Japan are mutually reliant to such a degree. Therefore, my personal commitment to being a bridge-builder, and our mission at Japan Society, have never been more critical. Finding my path After college I went to Turkey as a Fulbright Scholar, where I worked with the State Department through the Ambassador’s Office and the Embassy, enriching my understanding of foreign diplomacy. As I explored my interests in other parts of the world, I didn’t intend to pursue a career in U.S.-Japan relations. However, all that changed on March 11, 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster devastated the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. At that moment, I felt a deep personal mission to help bring people from around the world together and realized that I was uniquely situated to build bridges with Japan. I had the opportunity to serve three different times in the State Department along with the Defense Department and on various Commerce Department advisory boards as I completed my academic degrees culminating with a PhD from Princeton. My time in academia and government service taught me the important skill of storytelling. When I left the State Department, I joined the strategic communications company APCO Worldwide, where I helped establish their Japan office and became immersed in Japanese public relations. Next, I had the privilege of running the USA Pavilion at the World Expo in Kazakhstan in 2017, telling America’s story from the ground up. That led me to Eurasia Group, the foremost geopolitical risk consultancy group, where I led the largest geopolitical risk summit in Japan, the GZero Summit, taking my academic, government, and public relations experience and putting it into a practical context. Embracing my ikigai Today I’m the President and CEO of Japan Society, working to take the Society’s mission into its second century, to be the deep connection, or kizuna, that brings the United States and Japan together through its peoples, culture, businesses, and societies. One of the greatest things that I see these days is concepts from Japan that have been adapted into the English lexicon — like ikigai, the idea of life’s purpose, which has become a catchphrase in our pandemic world’s search for meaning. Ikigai resonates deeply with me, because it is about finding your reason for being, your passion and calling. For me, this means being dedicated to promoting global understanding and helping make the world a better place. I don’t think I would have told you two years ago that I would be the President and CEO of Japan Society. It is an opportunity that caught me by surprise in some ways. But in other ways, now that I am here, it feels like the most natural job I’ve ever done, and I cannot think of a better place I would rather be or a better way to live out my ikigai. At Japan Society’s founding luncheon on May 19, 1907, the guest of honor, General Baron Kuroki “wished the new organization a long and successful health.” As The New York Times reported, “The object of the new organization will be the promotion of friendly relations between the United States and Japan.” Now in its second century, our work of bridge-building continues today. Joshua Walker (@drjwalk) is president and CEO of Japan Society. Follow @japansociety. The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.

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