jcccnc / about / press / japan foreign ministry commendations

In commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the U.S.-Japan relationship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced March 26 that it has decided to present the Foreign Minister¹s Commendation to 97 individuals and 61 organizations, both Japanese and American, for their remarkable contribution to the promotion of the U.S.-Japan friendship.
Of the 158 commendation recipients, nine individuals and 12 organizations reside within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, including the Nichi Bei Times, the oldest Japanese American bilingual daily newspaper in Northern California. Commendations will be presented to awardees, either individually or jointly, at award ceremonies to be held on occasions suitable for each recipient. The following are the local honorees:

Individuals:

• Zenichiro Uchida, Zen Flower Garden owner
• Emily J. Sano, executive director of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco
• Kristi Yamaguchi, founder of the Always Dream Foundation
• Kent Nagano, conductor of the Berkeley Symphony
• Seiji Kobara, calligrapher
• George Tanimura, owner of Tanimura and Antle
• Daniel Okimoto, professor of political science at Stanford University
• June-Ko Nakagawa, president, San Francisco Radio Mainichi and producer of
  Japan Journal on KTSF
• Michiya Hanayagi, Michiya Hanayagi Dance Studio

Organizations:

• Jikei Kai (Japanese Benevolent Society of California)
• Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California
• Kikkoman International
• Theatre of Yugen
• Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)
• Nichi Bei Times
• Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program-West
• New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.
• Japan Society of Northern California
• Hokka Nichibei Kai
• Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
• Hokubei Mainichi