President’s Letter
President’s Letter
Special Edition – November 2024
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I wanted to send a special newsletter for this month, not only because there’s so much going on in the world, but also to report on my very recent trip to Japan, which is part of the story.
First, the good news
There’s good news and there’s bad news. Let me start with the good news. Probably the best news in 2024 has been baseball. More Japanese watched this World Series than ever before. In fact, there were more Japanese watching the World Series than Americans, which is amazing! Baseball has connected our two countries for over 150 years, but this year in particular has truly stolen the show, with Shohei Ohtani’s unbelievable feats drawing in all sorts of new fans. It’s important to see how Ohtani did this in the context of what he’s building on. So, I went back to Japan Society’s 2022 Annual Dinner, where the Yankees’ great Joe Torre joined us to present Hideki Matsui with the Japan Society Award for being a true trailblazer in baseball and U.S.-Japan.
Matsui’s speech that night was the stuff of legend. Although this was one of the first times Matsui had made a public speech in English, his humor and humility made him a star all over again. It is role models like Matsui who have empowered Ohtani. It was therefore only fitting to watch Matsui throw out the first pitch on Game Five of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. After that, I knew that even if the Dodgers won, as they eventually did or maybe, more accurately, the Yankees lost, New York would be sad for a day but U.S.-Japan would ultimately be the biggest winner. I’m already looking forward to next year’s opening to the MLB season, which is actually going to be in Japan, with the Tokyo series opening at the Tokyo Dome, which is where Matsui—or Godzilla—dominated with his homerun feats and I had the chance to watch the Yokohama Baystars beat the Tokyo Giants on their own improbable run to Nippon Series champions. I can’t wait to see what Ohtani does in the stadium that Godzilla built as they take on the Cubs and their respective Japanese stars. That’s the best news in U.S.-Japan relations.
Japan Elections
Of course, there’s also bad news. The bad news is the elections. Let’s start with Japan. Last month’s election has really scared a lot of people. It’s not comfortable for Japan. The LDP lost control of the government for the first time since Prime Minister Abe and Aso. The bad news was really for the LDP and the Komeito, both of which lost their majorities in the government thereby weakening their leadership and losing the stability that made Japan so stable under Abe 2.0. All of this scrambles domestic politics and raises a lot of anxiety across Japan. But even with the Japanese elections there’s good news. Obviously the leaders of the CDP and DPP (Yoshihiko Noda and Yuichiro Tamaki, respectively) are looking to capitalize on the election for their own leadership roles. But in many ways, the very best news of the Japanese election was about Japanese democracy. There was no disinformation, the election results were counted and broadcast within six hours, and the candidates accepted the results. There was a collegial and consensus-driven conversation in a two-week campaign without violence or disruption, even to the stock market. This really shows the strength and resilience of Japanese democracy even as it has to deal with unprecedented political instability with a minority government.
U.S. Elections
In many ways this same strength and resilience of democracy was on full display in America, with a clear and decisive victory that came as a shock given that many had predicted it would be much closer. Unfortunately the U.S. elections are the bad news of 2024 because of the way in which they unfolded and the lack of unity that it brings, with Democrats now in the wilderness and Republicans plotting their complete domination of DC. My hope for 2025 is that President Trump and his administration will be able to rely on the same strength of U.S.-Japan relations even without Prime Minister Abe. Thankfully U.S.-Japan is much more than just politics—as baseball shows, there are so many areas where our societies overlap. So even as the election results unfold and political uncertainty takes hold in Tokyo, there’s a lot we can still learn from Japan, not only about baseball, but in terms of how elections are conducted. Both of our countries have domestic politics as all politics are local, but at the end of the day U.S.-Japan has come of age and it’s time to celebrate in a more meaningful and significant way than just between DC and Nagatacho. I’m looking forward to being a part of that, especially from New York which I believe is only going to be more important as a global stage on which our cultures, economies, and media shape the global state of affairs. We’ll be unpacking this further on November 20th at our 2024 Economics & Finance Forum: U.S. Presidential Election & Its Global Impact, featuring the likely Treasury Secretary of either administration and an all-star cast that only Japan Society could pull together, so I hope to see you in New York soon.
Report from Tokyo
My recent trip to Japan marks a historic moment—the first in-person Japan Society Board meeting held in Tokyo, with about the same number of Board Members present in-person as we usually have in New York, and a similar number joining online. Following the Board meeting we visited the Keidanren and the Keizai Doyukai and met with top leadership. Given that the Japanese elections had just taken place, we were not able to connect with national leaders. But we did meet with Tokyo Governor Koike, who has always wanted to stay engaged with New York. It was truly an amazing opportunity for everyone.
© Taishi Yokotsuka
On October 28th at I-House, we launched our inaugural panel Future Council, a new initiative to foster collaboration and dialogue between the U.S. and Japan on the frontiers of science and technology. “The US & Japan in Space” featured speakers were Chris Blackerby, Group COO, Astroscale; Hardy Kagimoto, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Healios K.K.; Yuko Kakazu, Astronomer, Subaru Telescope; Koichi Wakata, Astronaut and Chief Technology Officer, Axiom Space; and Naoko Yamazaki, Astronaut and Representative Director, Space Port Japan. You can watch the full program video here.
That same evening, we celebrated the 20th-anniversary year of our Artistic Director Yoko Shioya at a special dinner. Remarks by living legend of kyogen Mansai Nomura underscored the Nomura family’s rich and deep history with Japan Society, followed by a performance by shamisen star Hiromitsu Agatsuma, who also has strong connections to Japan Society’s Performing Arts Program. It was a magical evening, with astronauts, the Japanese National Security Advisor, ambassadors, cabinet secretaries, business leaders, and artists and influencers all mingling with our own program directors. Please enjoy the highlights video.
Living the mission
Having a Board meeting in Tokyo was a great unifying symbol and an opportunity for Japan Society to engage in a more serious way in Japan. The International House of Tokyo (I-House) graciously hosted many other meetings and gatherings for us, and it is empowering to experience our shared legacy—our connections with Japan Society President and Chairman John D. Rockefeller 3rd and I-House founder Shigeharu Matsumoto, as well as our similar missions and Junzo Yoshimura-designed buildings. In a moment of great uncertainty and anxiety, our two institutions and their missions of connecting American and Japanese people, culture, and societies have never been more relevant.
Finally, a private tour of teamLab’s Borderless exhibit at Azabudai Hills, which has quickly become Asia’s most popular museum, reminded me of how teamLab began their international journey outside of Japan just over a decade ago —in New York, at Japan Society! This is very humbling and gives us great aspirations to look beyond our storied past and aim far beyond the present moment—as visionaries for the future. That’s what I wish for Japan Society!
Thanks to all of your support, we are able to fulfill our mission and strengthen our programs and activities. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. Did you know that you can now make a donation to Japan Society from Japan?
Joshua W. Walker, Ph.D.
President and CEO, Japan Society