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About
Us
As the
nation’s capital, Washington has been at the center of the
US-Japan relationship for over 150 years. 
But it was only in 1957 that a group of US State Department officers
got together privately with friends at the Japanese Embassy and
established the Japan-America Society of Washington. Their goal was to
add a personal face to Washington’s official relationship
with
Japan and create a people-to-people organization.
The new Society’s first official act was to host the new
Prime Minister of Japan, Nobusuke Kishi, on June 22, 1957 (photo).  Stressing
the importance of people-to-people ties, Prime Minister Kishi said,
“You will agree with me that government-to-government
relations
are only one side of the picture. Equally, if not more important in
tying our countries closely together, are the relations at private
levels in the economic, cultural, and other fields.”
Despite its historic ties to official Washington, the Society has never
forgotten its purpose—to be a non-partisan educational
organization dedicated to promoting friendship and understanding
between Japan and the six million people of the greater Washington DC
area.
The Society pursues its mission in many ways.
Public Affairs.
Because we are in Washington DC, the Society has
hosted many senior officials of the US and Japanese Governments,
business leaders, and members of the Japanese Imperial Family. Many of
Japan’s former Prime Ministers have spoken at our programs,
as
well as famed Japanese business leaders such as Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda of
Toyota and Sony’s founder Akio Morita. Almost every US
Ambassador
to Japan in the postwar era has spoken before the Society —
indeed, many of them have served as our President or Chairman.
Cultural Affairs.
The Society has introduced all forms of
Japanese culture to Washington DC audiences. This includes traditional
performing arts such as Kabuki, Noh, and Bunraku and Japanese
traditions such as otsukimi (moon viewing) and haiku. More recently we
have introduced Japanese popular culture—anime, manga, and
J-Pop
music. We have organized classes in ikebana, tea ceremony, and
sushi-making and held sake tastings. We also run the area’s
oldest and largest Japanese language school for adults.
Sakura
Matsuri. This Japanese
Street Festival began just four years after the Society’s
founding as a small “friends and family” bazaar.
Today it
is the largest one-day display of Japanese culture in the nation. Held
each April as the climax of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, it
stretches for six blocks through downtown Washington
Educational
Outreach. One of the Society’s
most vital tasks is to reach out to the next generation of Americans
and introduce them to Japan and the world beyond our shores. Society
volunteers go to local schools and libraries to introduce elementary
students to children’s life in Japan through our Japan-in-a-Suitcase
and Visit Japan at the Library programs.
Japan
Bowl®. This is an
academic competition that tests the achievements of high school
students throughout the country who are studying the Japanese language,
including their knowledge of traditional and modern Japanese culture.
First held in 1993 as a contest for high school students in the greater
Washington, DC area, it now attracts students from across the nation,
including from Guam and Hawaii.
The relationship
between the United States and Japan has
undergone many changes in the past 50 years, but the Japan-America
Society’s mission has not changed. We will continue to reach
out
at the people-to-people level to promote greater understanding of Japan
and its culture, society and economy and to strengthen the relationship
between the Japanese and American peoples.
Trustees and
Officers of the Society
Staff and Staff
Bios (PDF)
Last Update: October 13, 2009
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The Japan-America Society of Washington, Inc.
1819 L Street NW, Level 1B, Washington DC 20036
(T) 202-833-2210 (F) 202-833-2456 Email: jaswdc@us-japan.org
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