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| Annual JAA Scholarship Dinner of 46th Scholarship Awards and 10th Honjo Scholarship Awards
 The 46th JAA Scholarship Awards Dinner was held at the Harvard Club on June 9, 2016. Consul General and Madame Reiichiro Takahashi; Mr. Yasushi Takahashi, President and CEO of Mitsui Co. (U.S.A.); Mr. Kanetsugu Mike, Executive Chairman, MUFG Union Bank; Mr. Jason Stevens, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Int’l Corp; Mr. Hideki Kunugi, Senior Vice President of ANA; Mr. Yosuke Honjo, President and CEO of ITO EN (North America); and Mr. Motohiro Satoh, Vice President of JCCI headed the guest list of 130 donors, awardees, their families and JAA members. A total of $46,500 was awarded to eleven high school recipients, along with three round-trip air tickets by ANA and Delta Air Lines. Five graduate school students received a total of $30,000 from the Honjo International Foundation. Mr. Koji Sato, co-chair of the Scholarship Committee, greeted the guests as MC. Remarks came from JAA President Ms. Susan J. Onuma, who talked about JAA founder Dr. Toyohiko Takami, and Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi, the Consul General of Japan in New York, provided a thoughtful greeting. To conclude the ceremony, Ms. Julie Azuma, co-chair of Scholarship Committee thanked the donors and guests. 46th JAA Scholarship (1) JAA Murase Scholarship (2) Delta Air Lines Scholarship (3) MUFG Scholarship ($5,000) (4) Dr. Soji Tomikawa Scholarship ($5,000) (5) Dr. Soji Tomikawa Scholarship ($5,000) (6) Orient Corp. of America Scholarship ($3,500) (7) Toyota Scholarship ($3,000) (8) TV Japan Scholarship ($3,000) (9) Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya Scholarship ($3,000) (10) Hartman-Sakazume Scholarship ($3,000) (11) ANA Japan Travel Scholarship 10th JAA Honjo Scholarships Awardees Attending Columbia University Law School and Columbia University Business School (joint program) with a focus on comparative legal and economic studies between the US and Japan. Attending Columbia University doctoral program in history at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, his dissertation focuses on Taiwanese settlers and the making of Japanese Empire in South China and Southeast Asia. Attending Columbia University doctoral program in Art History and Archaeology with a particular focus on Japanese video production from the late 1960s through the early 1980s. Attending Columbia University doctoral program in Earth and Environmental Engineering, his research focuses on how companies (in particular in Japan and the U.S.) respond to natural disasters. Attending New York University doctoral program at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in sociology, she is focusing on welfare states that developed during a period of racial authoritarianism and total war and how that relates to right wing movements of today. 2016 Annual JAA Scholarship Dinner Benefactors JAA General Scholarship committee: Julie Azuma and Koji Sato (co-chairs), Yuki Kaneshige, Frederick Katayama, Satoru Murase, Susan J. Onuma, Masaki Shimomura and Nozomi Terao Professor Gerald L. Curtis |
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Kyushu Earthquake Relief Fund
Our hearts and prayers go to those suffering from the latest series of earthquakes in Kyushu. JAA has been collecting funds to distribute directly to local NPOs in Japan since April 20th. The funds will be used to assist those in the Kyushu region who were hardest hit as a result of the April 14 and 16 earthquakes and aftershocks. On May 15, 2016, JAA co-sponsored a fundraising event with several kenjin-kais of Kyushu. Mr. Yoroku Adachi, CEO of Canon USA, served as chair of the newly formed Kyushu-kai. We had two programs, at noon and 4pm with more than 100 participants at each event, which featured music and traditional food from Kyushu. We are grateful to Ms. Mina Kondo, who led a team of hardworking volunteers. Many thanks to the following artists who donated their time and wonderful talent to this event: Singer AK, Pianist Gohei Nishikawa, Soprano Manami Hattori, Jazz pianist Migiwa Miyajim, and pianist Marina Iwao. We also thank the many donors of silent auction and raffle items, including top prizes of airline tickets from Delta and ANA. The event was a huge success with more than $50,000 raised by compassionate supporters from corporations to individuals. So far, $80,000 has been raised for our Kyushu Earthquake Relief Fund. We will continue to accept donations throughout the summer. Our focus will be on the current and long-term needs of those affected, supporting sustainable programs for the future. 100% of donations raised by JAA will be used for these purposes. Please go to www.jaany.org for updated information. |
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| 12th JAA Sakura Matsuri
JAA members and friends enjoyed our 12th Sakura Matsuri held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, April 23rd with beautiful cherry blossoms. Guests included Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi, Consul-General of Japan in NY, and Ms. Dorothy Lewandowski, Administrator for Flushing Meadows Corona Park. More than 500 people attended, including JAA President Susan J. Onuma and Mrs. Chieko Inagaki, a generous benefactor of the annual event. We were treated to wonderful entertainment by our guest performers: Soh Daiko, traditional Japanese Taiko; the JAA Chorus led by Ms. Mari Takagi; NY Okinawa Club, Okinawan Dance and Sanshin; and the Japanese Folk Dance Institute. A tea ceremony was held on the lawn. A tree was planted in appreciation of Ms. Suki Terada Ports for her dedicated work for the community. 300 lunch boxes were donated by Mrs. Inagaki and catered by BentOn. We greatly appreciate the donation of $5,400 from Mrs. Inagaki, $1,000 from Ms. Hiroko Onoyama, as well as teas from ITO EN (North America). The Sakura Committee Co-Chairs were Susan Hamaker, Hiroko Onoyama and Suki Terada Ports, and the volunteers were Julie Azuma, Masao Katagami, Jasmine Wilson, Yuki Kaneshige, Fumihito Shinohara, Kaori Eda, Shuji Kato, Kyoko Hunter, Keiko Nakanishi, Michiyo Noda, Mike Aida and the Japanese American Lions Club. |
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The 8th Sakura Health Fair
The 8th Sakura Health Fair at JAA was co-sponsored by JAA and JAMSNET and supported by the Consulate General of Japan in New York. This event was held at JAA Hall from April 8 to May 1 with more than 50 program sessions covering a variety of topics from Yoga, Flower Arranging, Safety Measures in New York by the Consulate General, Child Education, and Senior Living. It was for all ages with more than 1700 participants. It was deemed a huge success by those who attended. Many thanks to all the volunteers and speakers who provided informative and expert advice. Photos in Japanese section. |
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| Exhibition of Japanese and Japanese American Artists in New York 2016
The opening reception was MC’d by Mrs. Eiko Aono followed by greetings from Deputy Consul Koji Abe and JAA President Ms. Susan J. Onuma. Guests included the artists, JAA members and more than 200 people. Everyone enjoyed the exhibition of international art. Refreshments were served by JAA Keirokai volunteers. On this occasion, JAA presented JAA Spirit Awards to artists who have supported this art exhibition since 1966. They are Kunio Iizuka, Hiromitsu Morimoto, Masaaki Noda, Shunji Sakuyama, Kenjiro Sasaki, Masaaki Sato, Mizue Sawano, Ushio Shinohara, Noriko Shinohara, Junko Yoda and Toshihisa Yoda. JAA greatly appreciates those who bought art, as a portion of the proceeds were donated to JAA. Thank you to Mr. Hajime Nanahara, Mrs. Machiko Sanada, Mrs. Shizuko Kato, Ms. Susan J. Onuma, Mrs. Chizuko Korn, Ms. Reiko Osumi and Mrs. Yoko Sasaki. Art Show Co-chairs: George Hirose and Yoko Sasaki. Members: Eiko Aono, Chizuko Korn and Shizuko Kato. |
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The 31th JAA Foreign Minister’s Baseball Tournament
The tournament began on May 1, 2016 with 17 teams at Randall’s Island and Central Park North Meadow. The six weeks of preliminaries on early Sunday mornings have always been very competitive. The Canadian Japanese All-Star team will be here on July 3rd (Sun.) for a friendly battle with the JAA NY team. |
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Memorial Day Ceremony Memorial Day Services (Bosankai) were held on May 30, 2016 at the Japanese Cemetery at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens. The event, sponsored by JAA with the support of the New York Buddhist Church and the Japanese American United Church (JAUC), was conducted by Mr. Katsuo Takeda, Vice President of JAA. The ceremony began with Rev. Earl Ikeda from the Buddhist Church, who read from the Sutra. Participants offered incense and flowers to the pioneers who had contributed so much to the Japanese and Japanese American Community. Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi expressed his appreciation to the Japanese pioneers who had promoted good relations between the U.S. and Japan. Ms. Fukuko Fujimoto, Principal of the Greenwich Japanese School of NY, spoke of her hope that students from their respective schools will become leaders for a peaceful future. Mr. Toru Okamoto, Principal of the Japanese Children’s Society; Mr. Masaaki Yamagishi, president of Japanese American Lions Club; and Rev. Akimitsu Nishikawa gave heartfelt speeches. MIS member Mr. Kaz Yamaguchi and Vietnam veteran Mr. Stanley Kanzaki were among the 150 people in attendance. We appreciate the students of Japanese Children’s Society for their display of Japanese and American flags. Thank you to members of JAA and Japanese Lions Club for the cleanup of the cemetery on the days before and after the event. Wreaths were offered by the Consulate General of Japan in New York, Nippon Club, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New York, Japanese Lions Club, Japanese Medical Society of America/JAMSNET, Japanese American United Church, the New York Buddhist Church, and JAA. |
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10th Annual Japan Day @ Central Park Japan Day was held on Sunday, May 8, 2016 at the Band Shell area in Central Park. In spite of heavy rain in the morning, volunteers from the JAA calligraphy class demonstrated their beautiful and skillful brush work to more than 2,500 New Yorkers. The booth was so popular that they ran out of ink and paper! Our volunteers were Masako Gibeault, Yuri Ishizuka, Atsuko Imaizumi, Ayako Ishizuka, Tomoko Lee, Kanji Tomizawa, Eiko Tanaka, Rieko Uehara, Chiaki Nagasawa, Machiko Sanada, Mariko Narasaki, Namie Suzuki, Chizuko Yamaguchi, Shuji Kato, Michiyo Noda and students from La Guardia HS. |
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JAA is now accepting programs for the 10th Anniversary of Senior Month This year will be 10th year of this popular event, whose name has been changed from "Senior Week" to "Senior Month." JAA is accepting proposals for projects targeting not only seniors but also children and adults. |
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| SAVE THE DATE! ・ On August 6, Summer Flea Market at JAA Hall ・ On August 8, Reception for nursing students from Tohoku at Japan Society ・ On September 19, 23rd Annual JAA Charity Golf Tournament at Haworth Country Club ・ On December 2, 109th JAA Gala Dinner |
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| New JAA Honorary members
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 Congratulations!
Ms. Saori Kawano, Founder & President of Korin Japanese Trading Corp. and founder of the Gohan Society, was selected and honored as one of the "Outstanding 50 Asian-Americans in Business." |
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 JAA Business Women Committee
A meeting was held on May 11th at JAA Hall. Guest speaker Ms. Makiko Shibuya talked about her involvement in Broadway’s "Allegiance" and "Waitress" as a Stage Creator. |
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 JAA "Apple Kids"
"Parents & Kids: Brushing Teeth Together" was held under the guidance of Dr. Robert Limb at JAA Hall with 10 participating families. |
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| Volunteers at fuel Achilles partner athletes at the Hope & Possibility race! Reported by Ms. Yuki Kaneshige Bright and early morning on Sunday, June 26th in Central Park , your amazing, supportive energy helped fuel our Achilles partner athletes at the Hope & Possibility race! I hope their determination to finish fueled your spirits as well and that the experience was a joyful one. Thank you for being there to contribute your precious time (and wear-and-tear on the knees, Takeda-san!) and exceptional guiding abilities – especially longtime Achilles volunteers, Nancy and Grant, and Brian who’s fast becoming a regular! Joyce, Mari, Rakheem – and Sabrina in spirit! – thanks for joining our volunteer effort for the first time, and Gary, Takeda-san, Namie, Shinohara-san, Anna and Andy, for always being so enthusiastic about helping others. Much appreciation and very best wishes to our good-looking team in neon yellow! 😉 At fuel Achilles partner athletes at the Hope & Possibility race on Sunday Morning , June 26th in Central Park
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| Social Service Committee
Keirokai-Luncheon for Seniors
May 12 and 26, June 9 and 23:
On June 9,
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| Obituary
JAA member Chiyo Ota Sansone passed away on January 19, 2016 at Isabella House. Her 100th birthday was celebrated and awarded by Ambassador Sumio Kusaka in 2014 at JAA Hall. JAA member Kikue Valbuena passed away on May 7, 2016 at the age of 93. A memorial service was held on June 17 at Isabella House with many friends attending. |
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Michi Kobi Born Michiko Okamoto in Sacramento, California, on November 2, 1924, Michi Kobi passed away on March 1, 2016. She was the daughter of "Henry" Rikikazu Okamoto of Hiroshima, Japan, and Itoko (Ito) Kobinata. |
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The 21st JAA Annual Art Exhibition of Japanese and Japanese American Artists in New York was held from May 5 to May 14. Thirty-seven artists (including three new artists and three deceased artists) displayed their work at JAA Hall. New artists were Miki Nagano, Katsura Okada and Yasuaki Okamoto and deceased artists were Risaburo Kimura, Momoji Matsumoto, and Noriko Sakuyama. 
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