PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Sada Masashi, Singer & Songwriter
12:00-13:30 Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.
Born in Nagasaki in 1952, Sada Masashi is one of Japan's most beloved and prolific musicians, with a catalog of roughly 650 self-penned songs and a career spanning five decades. He scored his first No. 1 hit in 1977 with "Amayadori," or "Taking Shelter From the Rain."
That song kicked off a golden run that continued into the early 1980s. Tracks such as "Kanpaku Sengen" ("Declaration of the Master of the House") are so ubiquitous that most Japanese people of a certain age can recite their lyrics. Now 74, Sada still tours tirelessly and this year completed another album of new material, "Kamisama no Iutori" ("As the Gods Say").
"Even when I take time off, I don't just sit around doing nothing. I end up doing something," he recently told The Japan Times. "I wonder what it is -- this restlessness of mine."
Sada has generously agreed to come to the FCCJ and discuss his remarkable career, his childhood growing up in Nagasaki, his long relationship with the United States and his appreciation to the artists in America and Japan who inspired him. He may even sing a little.
How to attend the event in person:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. The lunch charge for members is 2,500 yen and for non-members, 3,000 yen, including tax. Reservation/cancellation deadline is noon on Monday, September 14 (1日前). Reservations and cancellations are not complete without confirmation. Please note lunch will not be served after the speech begins. Working journalists and student members can attend the event after the meal service for free.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/qBWRVqS4cs7FzzTj6
TV crews: Please reserve at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.
Professional Activities Committee