| Newsletter
No.52 |
|
July
2003
|
ESUJ Fifth Annual General Meeting
The ESUJ's Fifth Annual General Meeting was held starting
on Friday, June 20 at the International House of Japan,
with 39 members present as of the beginning of the meeting
and 145 proxies. Chairman Hanabusa presided over the meeting.
Following a report of activities for 2002, the statement
of accounts for 2002 and changes in officers due to completion
of terms of directors and auditors were unanimously approved.
The Chairman expressed anticipation of an enjoyable program
of planned activities this year, along with the hope that
all members would cooperate in helping find new sources
of additional funding.
Directors' Meeting
Following the AGM, the Directors Meeting was convened
by the new directors and auditors, also at International
House. A new slate of councilors was presented, according
to the rules of the ESUJ constitution, accompanying a mutual
vote of the managing officers.
ESUJ Lecture
by Mr. Sam Jameson: The Third Japan
Following AGM on June 20, veteran journalist Sam Jameson
spoke to an audience of around 100, drawing on his more
than forty years' experience in Japan.
Mr. Jameson first came to Japan in 1960, when Japan was
still poor and only 1.8% of all households owned a car.
At that time most Japanese didn't expect to own their own
car during their lifetimes. People did not have refrigerators,
phones or baths and often pressed their trousers by putting
them under the futons and sleeping on them at night to save
money. This was the middle of the era Jameson refers to
as the Second Japan. He referred to the period from the
opening of Japan in 1868 to the nation's defeat in World
War II as the First Japan of the modern era. From 1945 until
the burst of the bubble on the first day of trading on the
Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1990 is the era of the Second Japan.
From that day to the present encompasses the Third Japan.
The Second Japan was different in many ways from the First
Japan, which was seeking to become a rich country with a
strong army. These differences included the spread of higher
education, leftist leanings, neutralism, loss of national
pride to the point of scorning one's own culture, and economic
growth. At the end of this era Japan found herself banker
to the world, and the largest foreign aid donor. Then the
bubble burst. Japan had entered a third period in which
its doctrinaire one-nation pacifism began to crumble, but
it lost economic vitality. However, the fundamentals are
still strong in Japan, including the nation's work ethic.
There will be big changes occurring yet again in the Third
Japan. The first will be the aging and the decrease of population.
Japan lost three million people in World War II, but after
the war, six million people repatriated to Japan. There
was no employment for them-every available job was split
between two or three people. A completely opposite phenomenon
will occur in the Third Japan. Each worker will have to
perform two or three jobs. The decline in population will
force Japan to carry out social changes such as employment
of the elderly and increasing power for women. Japan will
gradually move from its current left-leaning mentality to
the right of the middle, a normal position for the country.
The Security Treaty will change fundamentally with progress
in technology. Due to the rapid growth of China, Japan will
no longer be the only economic power in Asia, and Japan's
diplomatic efforts centered on Asia will become more and
more important. Japan, "the dog that never barks" could
end up losing influence in the world.
Mr. Jameson charmed the audience with various episodes
while providing an extremely detailed survey of his topic,
drawing upon his wealth of experience and deep insight.
During the Q&A session discussion was lively. Topics included
Japan's media problems and recent banking troubles.
Congratulations, English Club, on the 50th meeting!
Mr. Masumi Muramatsu (MM) hosted his English
Club on Tuesday, June 17 in Room G405 of the Tokyo International
Forum. This marked the 50th time English Club has met. Since
its inaugural meeting with 35 participants in March 1999,
in a room kindly offered by TV Tokyo, the monthly gathering
has continued for 4 years and 3 months. It is the most continuously
visible face of ESUJ's activities, providing an excellent
forum for members with a keen interest in communicating
in English. English Club's charm point, obviously, is MM's
personality and his wealth of topics. ESUJ is grateful to
Mr. Muramatsu for continuously hosting these most interesting
and enlightening meetings.
At the meeting, a chronological list of the 50 English
Club meetings was distributed to those attending. MM showed
a portion of the movie Analyze This and explained the psychiatrist
jokes. English Club will next meet Tuesday, July 15, 18:30-20:30,
in Room G502 of the Tokyo International Forum. The Tokyo
American Center's director, Mr. Ken Moskowitz, will speak
about the contemporary American social and cultural scene.
MM will report on the International Society for Humor Studies
conference.
Ambassador's Lecture Series:
Tuesday September 9, 18:30 - 20:00
Mr. Ingimundur Sigfusson, The Iceland Ambassador
Japan National Press Club, 9th floor Conference Room
Topic: "Iceland, Country of Fire and Ice"
