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2020 ANNUAL REPORT Design provided by Movéo Cover photo: Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan with reflection of the Chicago skyline 2 Our mission is to create and promote Japanese and American friendships. We do this through business, social, educational, and cultural activities. We are the only organization in Chicago that touches all of these areas in American and Japanese relationships. The Japan America Society of Chicago is a non-profit association made up of individuals and corporations interested in United States-Japan business, cultural, political, and social relations. Founded in 1930 to foster mutual goodwill and friendship between the people of Japan and the United States, the Society enjoys a total membership of over 150 American and Japanese corporations and over 600 individuals throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest. The Society sponsors over 50 public affairs and cultural programs annually, including business luncheons, evening lectures, cultural events and social/networking opportunities. All members receive discounts on program registration and invitations to special member-only events. The Society also has a Young Professionals Committee that organizes various evening lectures and social outings throughout the year for members in their twenties and thirties. In addition, the Society offers over six levels of Japanese and English language courses. For membership information and other inquiries visit jaschicago.org or contact the Society office. 3 LETTER FROM THE HONORARY CHAIRMAN November 2020 Dear friends, One year ago, I arrived in Chicago to begin my term as Consul-General of Japan in Chicago. During this time, I have been so encouraged by the warmth and friendship between Chicago and Japan. It is clear to me that this would not be possible without the great contributions of the Japan America Society of Chicago, which has been instrumental in deepening and promoting our relationship. I wish to convey my most heartfelt congratulations to the Japan America Society of Chicago for celebrating its 90th Anniversary this year. Throughout these many decades, this organization has continuously played an important role in furthering cultural, social, and economic relationships. Even during the difficult circumstances created by the pandemic, this organization is moving as strongly and innovatively as ever by making the most effective use of the current situation. During my year in Chicago, it has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside each one of you at the Japan America Society of Chicago. I especially wish to thank Chairman Stephen Potter, President Dave Johnson, and Executive Director Mitsukuni Baba for all of your special friendship and hard work within the organization. We at the Consulate are all very grateful for your amazing leadership. We are grateful for all of our partners and close friends, and there are those who merit special recognition. Mr. Jim McClung has been a long-serving board member for many years and has been a key partner in strengthening Japan-Chicago relations. On April 29th, the Japanese government awarded him with the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, for his outstanding contribution to the Japan-U.S. relationship. Distinguished individuals such as Mr. McClung are essential to the growth and prosperity of the extraordinary partnership between Japan and the U.S. The Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago is planning to broadcast the Conferment Ceremony during JASC bonenkai in December. I am greatly looking forward to the day we can resume business as usual. We have had to delay so many celebrations, but I am hopeful that soon enough we can join together for them. In 2021, the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be in Tokyo and next October we will celebrate the JASC’s 90th Anniversary Gala. Until then, I am encouraged to know that we will come out of the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than we were before, because we are in it together. As we gradually pick things back up, I will be delighted to join with you as we continue on 90 years of historic, phenomenal work. Sincerely, Kenichi Okada Consul-General of Japan in Chicago 4 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN November 2020 Dear Society members, What a year this has been. My first full year as your Chairman has certainly turned out to be a bit different than expected – for all of us. Let me start by saying that I hope each and every one of you and your family members have been safe and healthy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Please continue to take good care of yourselves as we continue to experience the impacts of the coronavirus on our business and personal lives. Despite the challenges, the Japan America Society of Chicago has continued to operate and provide services, albeit on a virtual basis. Our 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner was postponed twice in 2020 and is now rescheduled for October 21, 2021. Just like the Tokyo Olympics, we have pushed it out a full year in the hope that we will finally be able to celebrate 90 years of friendship and understanding between our two countries in a manner befitting the great history of our Society. We are pleased to report that our membership has continued to be strong throughout 2020 and we want to express our sincere gratitude to our corporate and individual members who are essential to our success. We are thankful for the generosity of our many company and individual sponsors, whose support has enabled us to carry on in these difficult times. We are especially appreciative of our 90th Anniversary Sponsors who have funded the activities of our anniversary celebrations during this year and now into next year. The board of directors is strongly committed to our mission and I thank them for their many contributions to our Society. I also welcome our new class of incoming directors and thank them for their willingness to serve and share their time and talents in pursuit of our goals. The Society remains committed to providing our members and the general public with a wide variety of programs and events. With a dedicated and energized board, sound finances, loyal members, an excellent staff and continued support of the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago, as well as others, we are pleased to embark on the coming year with renewed optimism. Thank you to our members and donors for your generous support and to our directors and governors for your valuable service. The Society’s future is bright, and I look forward to working with all of you in the year ahead. Sincerely, Stephen N. Potter Chairman 5 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT November 2020 Dear Society members, Happy 90th Anniversary to all of our Japan America Society of Chicago members and friends. Our Society was founded in 1930 and we are ever so proud to honor the history and legacy of this outstanding organization. Our keystone event, the 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner, has been postponed to October 21, 2021 due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t take away from the importance of this year in the life of our Society. We continue to support our mission of friendship between Japan and the United States, even as we are unable to meet one another face to face. Our Society staff, Mitsukuni Baba, Erika Kono and Yuki Wiesner have done an outstanding job working from home throughout the year to support Society activities and convert much of our programming to virtual events. Thank you to our staff for their steadfast commitment. We also want to thank you and all the friends of the Society for the incredible support we received this past year. Our membership has remained remarkably consistent during these difficult times and we have received encouraging comments from many of you to help us persevere. Throughout the year, our business, public affairs, social, educational and cultural programming has continued to contribute to Japanese-American understanding and friendship. Your support of the Society furthers this important mission. Programming is at the core of our activities in pursuit of our mission. We had a challenging, but productive year of interesting programs, events and classes. Prior to the shelter-in-place order, we sponsored “From Heisei to Reiwa: The Peoples Emperor” presented by Ken Ruoff, Director of Center of Japanese Studies at Portland State University, “Japan & the US: Geostrategic Challenges in Asia” presented by Dr. Richard J. Samuels, Professor at M.I.T. and Dr. Narushige Michishita, Vice President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, and of course our annual Illinois Japan Bowl held at North Central College where we sponsor over 200 high school students studying the Japanese language to test their skills as part of a national competition. Then through the generous sponsorship of our long-time member, Joyce Chelberg, we took a group of 70 members to Madama Butterfly at the Lyric Opera, a special event for our 90th Anniversary year. Our Japanese and English language classes switched to online learning shortly after the pandemic hit and have continued with strong participation all year. In July we began experimenting with Zoom programming and discovered to our delight that our membership was very eager to attend and then accelerated our virtual programming throughout the rest of the year. We held three different events on the impact of COVID-19, in the U.S. and in Japan. We partnered with the Japan America Society of Dallas to present “Baseball in Japan and the U.S. during COVID-19” with Jason Coskrey, sports writer at the Japan Times, Matt Murton, baseball operations for the Cubs and Bobby Valentine, former player and manager. One of our board members, Brad Hamm, professor at Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, presented “Media Trends Japan vs.