Nominated and seconded by:
Masuhiko Hirobuchi; Fred Varcoe

Like Good Wine, Older Is Often Better
Many of you know me. Yet I suspect that many of you, including some of my closest friends, really don’t know me.

So let me reintroduce myself:
I am Haruko Watanabe, a proud mother and grandmother. I joined the FCCJ in 1981 and have served on four Boards, including three times as 2nd Vice President in charge of personnel matters. I also have served regularly on many committees, including the Library, Professional Activities, Special Projects and Election committees (I have chaired the latter committee four times).

I have worked as a journalist for more than 40 years, including 12 years as a media consultant for UNESCO, on whose behalf I helped foster and train female journalists in China, Africa and other emerging regions.

For my UNESCO work and the video-TV documentaries I produced, I received the East-West Center’s International Outstanding Achievement Award in Journalism in 1991.
Between 1987 and 2000, I served as Tokyo Bureau Chief for the Press Foundation of Asia and for the past eight years I have been Japan correspondent for the Media Report to Women. I have also written two columns in local magazines since 1999.

I hold a Master’s Degree in Journalism with Kappa Tau Alpha honors from the University of Missouri Journalism School, where in 1964 I became the first Japanese to receive a graduate degree.

You might ask why a proud grandmother would seek the office of 1st Vice President in this year’s FCCJ election?
The reason, frankly, is that in my nearly 30 years as an FCCJ member I have never seen the Club more divided and, frankly, mean-spirited. We have always had serious disagreements. But never before has there been such intolerance.

And never in 64 years since the FCCJ’s foundation have our employees, in many ways the heart and soul of the Club, been pushed to the brink of having to walk out or strike because, as a Board member stated at the June General Meeting, “Our Board didn’t listen to them.”

I believe that my opponent is substantially responsible for the breakdown in trust and good will with our employees.
And while I have never conducted a negative campaign, I also believe Board officers should run on their records. So I will limit my critical comments to my opponent’s record and then move on to my agenda when elected 1st Vice President:
Prior to running for 2nd Vice President last June, my opponent voted against a plan that would have brought FCCJ labor practices into compliance with Japanese labor laws and standards. He didn’t organize a committee and, in violation of Club bylaws and possibly Japanese labor laws, interrogated an employee who blew the whistle on management for unauthorized spending, with no one from management present.

At the recent June General Meeting, he didn’t give a complete report about possible financial liabilities for the GM not paying legal overtime to as many as 15 employees. He also did not present a detailed report on the GM’s unauthorized expenditures, as the membership was promised at our meeting in March.

Now, my priorities:
When elected, since the 1st Vice President is in charge of house and properties, I will not support the current 1st Vice President’s plan to spend ¥300 million on renovating the Club. The Club can’t afford it.

I will prioritize:
– Fixing all IT-related infrastructure problems. I will bring a top-ranked IT expert.
– Protecting the Club’s library and research budget as much as possible in these difficult times. Do we need cookies at the front desk for our stomachs or books and magazines for our brains?
– Expanding offsite reporting trips via the Special Projects Committee to places like Iwo Jima and the Chiba whaling village. Whatever additional services we offer ultimately create feature-writing opportunities for members.
– Adopting an aggressive marketing plan, including possibly lowering dues, to attract journalists from emerging countries.

In closing, I promise to work toward restoring decency, fairness, civility and transparency. Serving on our Board is a privilege. It gives me no special right. All of us are answerable to the General Membership.
Your “one vote” makes a difference.
Please vote for Haruko Watanabe.