Dear members,

As summer winds down (although, unfortunately, not the temperatures), the new board has selected the club’s committees, launched Professional Activities Committee and Film Committee events and, on 23 August, met members and listened to their hopes about the FCCJ. 

September will be a historical month in Japan, with the appointment of a new prime minister and developments in Asia and across the globe sure to have a profound impact. As you know, there is no better front-row seat than the FCCJ to watch history being made. From the Egyptian foreign minister on August 23 to candidates for the upcoming LDP leadership election, as well as the September 2 return of PAC lunches with baseball trailblazer Masanori "Mashi" Murakami, 60 years after he became the first Japanese player to cross the Pacific, this is indeed where the news is made. 

Also on tap is a September 2 photo exhibition and talk show with Herbie Yamaguchi, hosted by Peter Barakan, on London’s punk music scene, a Book Break on September 26 with club legend Bob Whiting on his latest book Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies, and a documentary by Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Instruments of a Beating Heart, on Japanese elementary education on September 30.

The focus over the coming year will be increasing FCCJ value, which took a hit during the pandemic and has been challenged since moving to the Nijubashi Building. We are working on how to offer greater return on your time and financial investment, such as better speakers and events, pricing that considers our diverse membership and finances, and unique member-only opportunities. More is on the way.

In terms of committees, thanks to those who are volunteering their time and energy to make the FCCJ better; please see this link [https://www.fccj.or.jp/committees] for those brave souls who want to commit some of their time to our club. There remains an open Kanji position and to vote we must hold another General Membership Meeting; with the adoption of koeki shadan hojin status, GMMs have mainly been in March and June to ensure approval of the budget and new board. However, this will likely be in late September or early October. We will ensure this event demonstrates that all members are welcome and appreciated.

Finally, the FCCJ will hold a memorial on September 13 for some members who passed away recently. We wish to say farewell to those whose contributions over decades were truly outstanding, and without which the FCCJ would be weaker. It’s not a night of mourning, but one of thanks, memories, and laughs. I thank Bradley Martin, as well as the families and friends of those we’ve lost, for allowing us to pay tribute. See you then.

Dan Sloan
President, FCCJ