Japan/America News

プロフェッショナルバレエ団レキシントンバレエに、この夏より、７人のダンサーの一人として長谷部彩子さんが活躍しています。彼女とのインタビューをこちらからどうぞ。

Japanese folks move to Kentucky for a variety of reasons.  Ayako Hasebe, however, is the first to move here to be a professional ballet dancer.

The Lexington Ballet has a six-year grant to host seven professional dancers in Lexington.  In August of this year, Ms. Hasebe was selected as one of the new professional dancers to join the Lexington Ballet. 

JASK wanted to share some of Ms. Hasebe's story so we sat down with her to ask her more about her background in dance and her choice to move to Kentucky.  We learned that she has been dancing since she was 9 years old and that she will have solo performances in "The Nutcracker," on stage now in Lexington. 

Ms. Hasebe brings a gentle personality and the beauty of ballet dance with her from Japan to Kentucky.  We look forward to enjoying her work for years to come in Kentucky. Read the full text of our interview here.

  On November 13, President Obama arrived in Tokyo to meet for two days with Japanese leaders.  His Asia trip includes four days in China and two more in South Korea. 

In Japan, the new DPJ government has given the Japanese new hope.  A few DPJ promises, however, have chilled bilateral relations in recent days, such as Mr. Hatoyama's campaign promise to move the Futenma U.S. Base, which would violate a 2006 agreement.   

Beyond recent differences, most of the Japan/America relationship remains the same: cooperative and forward-thinking.  On Friday, the two leaders agreed on actions to deter nuclear proliferation, to develop new energy sources in earnest, and to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% before 2050. 

Our nations, the two largest economies in the world, have strengthened this partnership during President Obama's visit and we all look forward to shared success in the future. 

A few people each year receive an award from the Emperor of Japan - the "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star."  In 2009, Former Governor Martha Layne Collins, Honorary JASK Chair, has been selected to receive this award.  An invitation-only reception will be held on December 16 to confer the award. 

The "Order of the Rising Sun" award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to their nation's friendship with Japan.  Governor Collins has been leading Kentucky in friendship with Japan for over 25 years. 

Click here to read more about the award and why Governor Collins was selected. 

Got good news?  Want to share it with JASK members?  We now have space on our homepage for you to share corporate news with JASK.  Tell us about that major award, that upcoming seminar, that big promotion, merger, or other corporate news.  Just visit http://jask.org/membernews.  Check back often to read updates - the three most recent updates will always be on the homepage and the rest at http://jask.org/membernews. 

In just the past three months, 2,650 people have visited the JASK website.  Don't miss this audience!

Nearly 100 golfers competed for hundreds of prizes at the Golf Classic this year.  The tournament was held at the Cherry Blossom Golf Course on Saturday, October 10.  Rain Friday night let up just in time for our golfers' early start. 

Pictures and details about the event are available on our website. 

The JASK Board of Directors moved decisively to extend this honor to Governor Collins based on the remarkable contribution she has made to Japan and Kentucky.  During her years of service as Kentucky Governor she advocated for trade and friendship between Kentucky and Japan, famously attracting Toyota's Georgetown plant and its many suppliers. Since being Governor, she has continued to work for the success of both nations through her involvement in JASK, the Kentucky World Trade Center, and other organizations.    (Pictured: Toyota Groundbreaking, 1986)

Japan and Kentucky have shared a great relationship from the beginning.  The Japanese were always very hospitable, as you would expect.  When I took groups of Kentucky's leaders to Japan on numerous occasions things seemed to always go well.  There was a lot of relationship building that had to take place and we also had to help Kentuckians understand that global trade can be good for us.  

 

Today, we must still work to keep this relationship alive and exciting and healthy.  We have had many mutual successes but we cannot take anything for granted.  

 

It is an honor to be included in the continuation of the Japan/Kentucky friendship.  I want to work on this relationship.  I know how important it is for both sides.  Whatever I can contribute to the ongoing success of this relationship, I want to do it.

Some artists paint with oil, some acrylic, others watercolor. A handful of Japanese artists create their masterworks as hooked rugs.  Their work is on display now in Indiana, just across the river from Louisville, at the Carnegie Center for Art and History.  Japanese artists Fumi Igarashi, Setsuko Fukuda, and Keiko Nakayama have combined with American artists in the exhibit to compare and contrast the Japanese and American hooked rug styles. 

The exhibit is open until October 24.  JASK will join a panel at the Carnegie Center on September 30 to discuss current trends in Japanese culture and politics.  Click here to see samples of the art and learn more about the exhibit.

JASK is going to Bowling Green tomorrow to host a reception with the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce.  The event was previewed in the Daily Herald in Bowling Green.  Special Guest: Consul General Hiroshi Sato, will speak alongside local leaders, thanking Japanese businesses for their contribution to Kentucky. 

Read the full article here.  Register for the event here. 

For the first time since 1955, except for a brief hiccup in 1993, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will not run Japan.  The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), campaigning on change and a voice for the people, won 308 of 480 seats in the lower house of the Diet.  The LDP took just 119 seats.  Yukio Hatoyama will be named Prime Minister on September 16.  Mr. Hatoyama is a graduate of Tokyo University with a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University.  He is known for his free spirit; American and other foreign partners of Japan wonder what, precisely, may change.  Time only will tell.  What is clear is that citizens of Japan wanted a new... something - they have given power to a new party with hopes for a new day.  With national debt rising to nearly 200% of GDP and China on track to overtake Japan as the second largest economy in the world, the DPJ must deliver quickly. 

Relevant to JASK Members: Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, whose initiative for grassroots exchange led to the Manjiro/Whitfield Exchange Program that Kentucky hosted in 2008, has been named Secretary General of the DPJ.