Issue:

I WOULD LIKE TO thank the FCCJ members for their active participation in the 2017 elections and their voting for continuity and stability as the Club is sailing through high waves.

The “old new” Board welcomes new board members from the Regular Member ranks, Yoichi Yabe and Greg Clark, and new and returning board members from the Associate ranks.

Yabe is a photojournalist. Greg Clark, who will serve as second vice president, almost needs no introduction, as he is a prolific writer and true Japan and Asia hand.

On the Associate side, we welcome Willem Kortekaas, a veteran financial expert to serve as treasurer, and Mary Corbett, who was reserve director on the previous board, to serve as secretary.

Returning board members will be Anthony Rowley and Peter Langan, two veteran correspondents. Anthony will serve as first vice president.

Bob Whiting, who served as FCCJ Treasurer for two years and was instrumental in his relentless efforts to fix the FCCJ financial situation especially related to the move project and led the negotiation to make the best deal with our outsourcing partners, will stay on board as a director. Milton Isa will also remain on board providing his outstanding expertise in business and management.

With a high sense of respect and appreciation I would like to thank the three departing board members, Todd Crowell, Said Carlson and Yuchi Otsuka.

Todd is a veteran journalist and expert writer on military affairs. Said helped the dinosaurs on the board, myself included, see our profession through a young journalist’s eyes as we move into new media and high technology. Otsuka helped with the management, especially in the HR Committee.

I would also like to thank David Satterwhite, the Club’s outgoing secretary, and hope that David will continue to serve the Club as chair of the scholarship committee.

And special thanks to our parliamentarian, Bradley Martin, who helped us navigate, in style and with a great performance, our way through Robert’s rules.

Ahead of us we face another challenging year to tackle issues including the move, the outsourcing, IT and publications, some structural reforms and the need to introduce more journalist members. The board needs your help.

And I assure you that we have an open door policy. Please contact any one of us if you have any issues you would like the FCCJ Board of Directors to address.

In the words of Thomas Babington Macaulay more than 150 years ago, we all want the FCCJ, with your support, to “remain the gallery in which the reporters sit and become a fourth estate of the realm.”


– Khaldon Azhari