February 2024

Dear members,

Mindfulness is a necessity in the face of grinding layoffs and publication closures across the journalism industry. The words “stunned” and “historic” appeared in coverage of a slew of bad media news stories earlier this month, including the closure of Sports Illustrated magazine and the Los Angeles Times’ decision to lay off 20% of its workforce. Business Insider, Forbes and National Geographic have piled on the misery, shedding journalists and retrenching in recent weeks.

January 2024

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Dear members,

It’s natural for journalists to support freedom of the press. Many of their jobs depend on it. And citizens in a free state rely on the news media to safeguard democracy. But what about corporations and business leaders? What’s at stake for them?

December 2023

Dear members,

Apparently, no one is reading my columns to the end, where I’ve been pleading for members to step up and take on some committee assignments. So, this time, I am starting with the beg, then on to the column.

November 2023


Dear members,

Digital transformation has been a buzz phrase for a while now. But it’s a lifeline for the club. To stay relevant and make the club easier to use, we must rebuild its information technology base.

September 2023

Dear members,

Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray,’ centers on a man’s pursuit of eternal youth. It’s an intoxicating quest that ends horribly.

The FCCJ has come to covet youth as well. We’ve made it easier than ever for people under 40 to join and have held special events specifically aimed at recruiting them.

July 2023

Dear members,

Since it is the end of June, I was hoping I would be able to write you with news about the new board that will be taking over the FCCJ leadership. However, we were not able to elect a complete board and therefore we will have a runoff election later in July. More on this below.

June 2023

Dear members,

It surprises no one more than me that we are already closing in on a year since I become president of the FCCJ. We will hold an election in June and a new board and president will take over soon thereafter. First of all, thanks to each and every one of you for your support over the course of this year.

May 2023

Dear members,

As spring settles over Tokyo, we are heading toward our annual election at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan and a changing of the guard among our leaders. I'm writing today to ask each and every one of you to consider getting involved this year, either on the board of directors or on a committee. Your club needs you!