President's Message

Dear members

I write shortly after our Extraordinary General Membership Meeting at the end of January, when we welcomed new board member Khaldon Azhari and passed changes to our dues structure to further stabilize our financial foundations. I thank you for your participation in the election, and for actually attending the meeting.

We will have a regular GMM in March, when we will vote on the next year’s budget proposal from our Finance Committee. I hope to see you then, if not sooner.

Dear members,

On behalf of everyone at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, I would like to wish you and your families a very happy new year. We had a historic anniversary last year, and I hope that 2026 will bring even more prosperity and greater FCCJ experiences. Stay tuned for more, including a long-form A+E video on the Club’s 80th.

Dear members,

September was a hot and hectic month at the club, with the announcement of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s intention to resign, followed by the start of the campaign to succeed him as president of the Liberal Democratic Party. We hosted a number of political speakers in the runup to the vote on October 4, as well as several panel discussions, including one on the future of journalism education in Japan.

Dear members,

It was a somewhat quiet August with events to commemorate the end of War II, but there were PAC events with Rep. Taro Kono as well as the latest from Gaza, and a sneak preview of A Pale View of Hills. Your new Board of Directors and Committee chairs are working on an ambitious agenda for the following year, which will be a special one for the Club. Allow me to share some early details.

Dear members,

It took some time, but a full Board of Directors now represents the FCCJ and held its first meeting on July 15. I am serving as president, Randy Schmidt as First Vice President, Avi Gokool as Second Vice President, Anthony Rowley as Treasurer, and Kathleen Benoza as Secretary.

Other directors are Michiyo Nakamoto, Masayuki Watanabe, Michael King, and Taeko Nagayama, as well as Martin Fackler and Simon Farrell as our Kanjis. David Umeda will serve as Reserve Director.

Dear members

It has been my honor, after a near two-decade hiatus, to serve as president of our organization again. This was my third time in the role, and please know that despite our considerable challenges, we continue to have the greatest Press Club in the world, as well as a tremendous group of volunteers and staff dedicated to its success. Over the last 11 months, the Board of Directors has done its best to ensure that the FCCJ has greater value for you, and to secure its future in public and Club service.