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2001-2002
Board of Directors and Professional Staff Message from the Chair Corporate Membership 2001-2002 Year in Review The Japan-America Society of the State of Washington is a private, nonprofit, statewide organization founded in 1923. For more than 78 years, the Society has played a pivotal role in improving relationships between the United States and Japan and in helping the people of Japan and the U.S. better understand and appreciate one another and their respective cultures. The Society's American and Japanese corporate and individual members throughout Washington State support a diverse range of business and trade, public affairs, cultural, and educational projects to fulfill the Society's mission. The Japan-America Society of the State of Washington is a non-profit organization with IRS classification 501(c)3 (EIN 23-7282194). The Society is also registered as a Charitable Organization (JAA-M95-024) with the Office of the Secretary of State, State of Washington. Mission Statement of the Society The mission of the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington is to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of Japan and Washington state by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. Goals of the Society The goals of the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington are the following: 1. Provide leadership to increase understanding between the peoples of Japan and the State of Washington 2001-2002 Board of Directors and Professional Staff Note: During the 2001-2002 year, the Board of Directors voted to change Society By-Laws referring to organizational titles. Thus, the Board President became Board Chair, Board President-Elect became Board Chair-Elect, and Board Vice Presidents became Board Vice-Chairs. In addition, the Board voted to change the title of the Executive Director to President. Chair Mic Dinsmore, CEO, Port of SeattleChair-Elect Sara Sandford, Garvey, Schubert & BarerPast Chair Roger Williams, MithunVice Chairs Daisuke Hashimoto, Marubeni America CorporationHonorary Vice Chairs The Honorable Gary Locke, Governor, State of WashingtonSecretary John G. Gissberg, J.D., Ph.D., Pacific Northwest AdvisorsTreasurer Paul Rollins, Bank of AmericaAt-Large Member Jody Chafee, Jr., Riddell Williams P.S. Robert C. Anderson, Individual MemberClass of 2003 Kirsten Aoyama, CIBER-University of WashingtonClass of 2004 Thomas Andersen, KeyBank Jeff Demetrescu, President Message from the Chair Mic Dinsmore, Chair, 2001-2002 It's in challenging times that we learn who our true friends are. The year 2001 certainly qualified as challenging, and the value of the friendship between the United States and Japan was never more evident. Japan remained a steadfast ally of the United States in the wake of the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and America is grateful for that. We also faced many challenges on the business front, but Japan remains this region's most important trading partner. As the Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Seattle, I'm acutely aware of Japan's role in our economy; and I am dedicated to ensuring that Japan continues to play a key part in our Port's business. I'm pleased to say that in the face of economic and political adversity, the Society has done quite well. We continued to offer a wide range of valuable programs for members and succeeded in furthering the crucial business and personal relationships connecting Japan and our region, building on a solid foundation that goes back many years. A good example was the request from Japan's largest and most influential business organization, the Keidanren, to organize and host its Information Technology (IT) mission to Seattle, which took place in late June of last year. Our chapter accepted the challenge and provided 25 members of Keidanren with a first-rate experience in Seattle. The opportunity to host Keidanren was an outgrowth of the Society's annual IT mission to Japan each May, and it is a symbol of our success and the reputation we've developed on both sides of the Pacific. Another recent honor bestowed upon the Society was the presence of Ambassador Ryozo Kato as Keynote Speaker at our annual meeting. Ambassador Kato's trip to Seattle was his first official visit outside of Washington, D.C. or New York since coming to the United States, and we are happy to welcome him to our city. In addition to reaching out to key constituencies and bringing top business and government leaders to Seattle, we worked on the chapter's own structure in 2001. We reviewed the duties and responsibilities of both the staff and board members, and in recognition gave Jeff Demetrescu the title of President, and the head of the board the title of Chair. No summary would be complete without acknowledging the many dedicated, hardworking people who made 2001 a success. In particular, our staff, led by Jeff Demetrescu, has done a great job of meeting the high expectations set by our members. Over the last 12 months, Demetrescu and his staff have executed 42 top-notch programs and events that covered a wide range of issues. Each of these occasions offered our members valuable information and gave them the opportunity to network with their peers. I want to offer my thanks and congratulations to Jeff, Project Coordinator Williams Barnes, Finance/Membership Director Toshie Ando, and Japan in the Schools Coordinator Nami Nakamura. I also want to thank the Board of Directors for its support. Special thanks go to my Executive Committee for its steadiness and willingness to take on tough issues. To Chair-Elect Sara Sandford, who ably filled in for me when I was away on Port business, thank you and good luck as you serve as Chair of this distinguished organization. Finally, I want to thank our members, both corporate and individual for their support and high level of involvement. Thank you. 2001-2002 Corporate Membership (as of April 23, 2002) Benefactor Boeing Commercial AirplanesPatron Bank of AmericaSustaining Achilles USA, Inc.Regular Acordia Northwest, Inc.Associate Academy of Languages Translation and Interpretation ServicesIndividual Members: 236 2001-2002 Year in Review April 2001: 1: Yokoso Ichiro! Welcome Program at Safeco Field for the Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki. 4: Dr. Tomohito Shinoda on The Role of the Prime Minster in Japan with commentary by Dr. T.J. Pempel and Craig Allen. 9: Living in the USA with Dr. Kumiko Nomoto, M.D., Group Health Cooperative, International Services on the U.S. Healthcare System. 11: Doing Business in Japan Program featuring five senior executives from Amazon.com on the Launch of Amazon.co.jp. 16: Wakabakai Dinner. 19: Annual Dinner Meeting with Keynote Speaker Robert F. Grondine, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. 23: Quarterly Business Briefing with Prof. Tom Roehl of Western Washington University. 25: Luncheon program wirh Taichi Sakaiya, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on The Revival of the Japanese Economy. 26: Reception for IT Mission from Japan. May 2001: 10: Services and Consulting JASIG with Bill Attridge, High Technology Management, Inc. on Building a Profitable Business in Japan. 13-16: IT Business Development Mission to Japan. 15: Wakabakai Vietnamese Dinner. 17: Trade JASIG with panel discussion on Update on Japanese Fisheries. 23: Travel and Tourism JASIG with Takumi Ono, Junglecity.com, on Promoting Seattle and Tourism to a Japanese-Speaking Audience through the Internet. June 2001: 6: Living in the USA with Sara Sandford, Garvey, Schubert and Barer, on Legal Issues on Labor and Employment in the U.S. 7: High Technology JASIG with Selected Participants on the 2001 IT Business Development Mission to Japan. 11: Medical and Health Services JASIG with Frank Ruffo, Sanyo Emeritus, and Roy Hori, Hori Nichibei Consulting, on Long-Term Care for the Elderly in Japan. 20: Financial Services JASIG with David Harvey, Asian Finance Group, on Mizuho: The New Japanese Mega-Merger Bank. 27: Japan Business Breakfast program with JETRO. 27: Wakabakai Hawaiian Summer Nights Dinner. 28: Andrew Horvat, Author of Japanese Beyond Words: How to Walk and Talk Like a Native Speaker. 29: Luncheon with Keidanren IT Study Mission to U.S. Summer 2001: 41st Annual Golf Tournament at Trophy Lake Golf and Casting in Port Orchard (August 21). September 2001: 6: Live Webcast in English and Japanese Building on the Legacy of 50 Years of Friendship: The Next Generation Looks Forward. 10: Change in Japan: Three Generations Look at the Future Luncheon program featuring Katsuhiro Fujiwara, Managing Director of the Keidanren. 15: Living in the USA with Hiromi Fujiwara Dipboye on Living Well in a Different Culture. 24: The Ichiro Effect with Michael "Spike” Birt. 28: New Economy Leaders program with Roger Boisvert, Chairman, CTR Ventures, Tokyo, on Japan's IT Future: Distinguishing Fads from Real Opportunities. October 2001: 10: High Tech JASIG with Dr. Yasuhisa Nakamura, Senior Vice President of NTT DoCoMo USA on The Latest Trends in Cellular Business and Technology. 16: Trade JASIG with Laura McCall, Senior International Trade Specialist at the U.S. Export Assistance Center, on Trade Resources. 23: Half-Day Seminar on Japan's Economy and Labor: A New Era Begins. 25: Quarterly Business Briefing with Karma G. Hadjimichalakis, Senior Lecturer at the U.W. School of Business. 29: Wakabakai Teppanyaki Dinner Party at Kaizuka Teppanyaki. November 2001: 1: Joint program with China Relations Council featuring Former Ambassador Thomas Pickering on Terrorism's Impact on U.S.-Asia Relations. 7: Living in the USA program on Immigration/Visa Issues featuring a panel of attorneys from JAS member law firms. December 2001: 6: Annual Holiday Celebration Dinner and Live and Silent Auctions at the Westin Hotel Grand Ballroom in downtown Seattle. January 2002: 17: Members Forum with Rochelle Kopp, Managing Principal, Japan Intercultural Consulting on Communicating Effectively with Your Japanese and American Colleagues. 22: Wakabakai New Year Dinner at En Restaurant in Belltown. February 2002: 11: High Tech JASIG with John Shay, President, MicroTether, on IPv6: Linchpin Technology of the Future. 21: Members Forum with Katsuya Hasegawa, Principal, Panasonic Digital Concepts Center, on Driving Tomorrow's Business: Venture Capital and Technology. 26: Quarterly Business Briefing with Dr. Kathryn Dewenter, U.W. Department of Finance. 28: Living in the USA with Satoko Valdes and Masanori Murakami, Tax Managers, Deloitte and Touche on Individual and Corporate Tax Issues. March 2002: 13: Panel and Reception on Mobile Life:The Future of Wireless with Akira Nishiumi, Director, KDDI; Matthew Feldman, Versaly Games Inc.; Scott Larson, InfoMove; Yasuhisa Nakamura, NTT DoCoMo USA; and moderated by David Keller, Japan-Western Americas Association, U.S. Secretariat. 20: Members Forum with Charlotte Kennedy-Takahashi, President, Oak Associates, on Recruitment in Japan: Restructuring Japan's Human Resource Practices to Meet Economic Realities. Last Year's Annual Report |
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