THE JAPAN SOCIETY
2013
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
TRUSTEE ELECTIONS

Notice of the 2013 Annual General Meetingat the Embassy of Japan, London on Thursday 27 June

THE JAPAN SOCIETY (THE “COMPANY”)

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGNOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Company will be held on 27 June2013 at 6.00pm at the Embassy of Japan, 101-104 Piccadilly, London W1J 7JT. The business of the meetingshall be to record thanks to Sponsors and Benefactors and to consider, and if thought fit, pass the following
resolutions:
1. To receive and adopt the audited annual accounts of the Company for the financial year ended 31
December 2012 and the Trustees’ Report.
2. To reappoint Richard Place Dobson as auditors and to authorise the Board to approve theirremuneration as thought fit.
3. To re-appoint David Cairns as an ordinary member of the board of the Japan Society.
4. To re-appoint Pauline Chakmakjian as an ordinary member of the board of the Japan Society.
5. To re-appoint Lydia Gomersall as an ordinary member of the board of the Japan Society.
6. To elect Masaaki Goto as an ordinary member of the board of the Japan Society.
7. To elect Tetsuro Hama as an ordinary member of the board of the Japan Society.
8. To re-appoint Hiroshi Hattori as an ordinary member of the board of the Japan Society.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD___________________________H C POTTER
Chief Executive
Dated: 12 June 2013
Registered office: Swire House, 59 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AJ
NOTES
1
2
3	

4

5

A summary of the annual accounts is enclosed with this notice. The full accounts may be seen on the Company’s
website or may be requested in hard copy from the registered office.
A list of candidates for election as Ordinary Members of the Board, together with biographical details of thecandidates, are also enclosed.
A member of the Company is entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of his rights to attend, speak andvote at the meeting. A form of proxy is enclosed with this notice. The proxy must be a member of the Company
or, in the case of a corporate member, its authorised representative.
To be effective, the instrument appointing a proxy and any authority under which it is executed (or a certified
copy of such authority) must be deposited at the registered office of the Company not less than 48 hours before
the time for holding the meeting. Completion and return of the form of proxy will not preclude members from
attending and voting in person at the meeting. If you have appointed a proxy and attend the meeting in person,
your proxy appointment will automatically be terminated.
To comply with security policy at the Embassy of Japan, members are asked to notify the Society in advance of
their intention to attend the AGM. Please bring a copy of this Notice, together with some form of photographic ID
with you.

Appendix
Election of Trustees
The Board of the Company consists of a Chairman, two Vice-Chairmen, up to four appointed Officers (Solicitor,
Treasurer, Librarian and Editor), two ex officio Trustees (one additional Vice-Chairman, the deputy head of
mission at the Japanese Embassy, and one Ordinary Trustee, a member of the Japanese Embassy) and up
to 14 Ordinary Trustees. The total number of Trustees should be not more than twenty. The number ofOrdinary Trustees should be no fewer than four.
One-third of the Ordinary Trustees is required to retire by rotation each year. Those who have retired byrotation may stand for re-election but no one may serve for longer than six consecutive years as a memberof the Board.
The Board has appointed a nominations committee comprising David Warren (Chairman), David Cairns(Vice-Chairman), Hiroshi Hattori, Hitoshi Noda (ex-officio Trustee) and Heidi Potter (Chief Executive). This
committee reviews the skills that are required on the Board from time to time and the succession policy; andit makes recommendations to the Board on possible future appointments.
This year it is expected that, as a result of the requirement to retire by rotation and some resignations, there
will be six vacancies for Ordinary Trustees which may be filled at the annual general meeting (the “AGM”).
David Cairns, Pauline Chakmakjian, Lydia Gomersall and Hiroshi Hattori, Ordinary Trustees who will retireby rotation, have all indicated that they are willing to stand for re-election. All are enthusiastic and valuable
members of the board, which warmly recommends their re-appointment.
There are two people standing for election to the Board as Ordinary Trustees for the first time. Masaaki Goto
and Tetsuro Hama; their varied experience and active involvement in developing links between Japaneseand British communities will be of great benefit to the Company. The Board proposes both candidate’s
election. Biographical details of all six Ordinary Trustee candidates are set out in this Appendix.
There are six candidates for election to fill a possible six Ordinary Trustee vacancies on the Board. Members
are therefore asked at the AGM to cast their votes “For” or “Against” each candidate. Members may also
select the “vote withheld” option if they do not wish to vote for or against any particular candidate, althougha vote withheld in this way is not a “vote” by law and will not be counted in the calculation of the proportionof votes “For” and “Against” a candidate.
We are always looking for new people to be involved with the Company in different capacities, including ascommittee members and as Trustees. We encourage members to let us know at any time during the year ifthey would like to be more involved. Suggestions of names of people to be considered for committees orfor the Board should be made to any member of the nominations committee or indeed any member of theBoard.
Members may vote, as normal, in person at the AGM on 27 June 2013 or by proxy. A proxy form is enclosed
in this booklet for this purpose.

Biographical Details of the Ordinary Trustee Candidates 2013
DAVID CAIRNSPAULINE CHAKMAKJIANDavid Cairns has been Director of Estates and Security
for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since January
2012, having previously served as Director of Trade andInvestment at the British Embassy in Japan from 2006 to
2010.
David studied Japanese at Pembroke College, Oxford from1987-1992, including a one year internship at Barclays inTokyo, thanks to a grant from the Daiwa Anglo-JapaneseFoundation. He worked at Nomura International London
before joining the Foreign Office. He has subsequently
had two postings to the Embassy in Tokyo, as well as four
years at the UK delegation to the World Trade Organisation(WTO) in Geneva.
David has been on the Board of the Japan Society since2010, Vice Chairman since 2011, and was acting Chairman
in 2012. He sits on the nominations and business group
committees. His link with the Japan Society goes back to
1988, when he met his wife-to-be at a Japan Society eventat Oxford.

Pauline Chakmakjian is a specialist in Occidental andOriental Freemasonry. She mostly gives lectures on botheighteenth-century Freemasonry and contemporary
Freemasonry in Japan, but is also frequently invited togive lectures on Japanese history & culture in general andKyoto-related subjects in particular. Since 2006, Pauline
has been founder of The Japan Room, a salon within
the Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden to promote theculture of Japan through mainly arts-related events.

LYDIA GOMERSALLMASAAKI GOTO

Lydia Gomersall first went to Japan in 1970 to work at the
Osaka Expo, while still a student of Japanese studies at
Sheffield University. After graduating and a period working
for the director of JETRO in London she returned to Japan
in 1973 to help open the British Export Marketing Centre
in Tokyo.There she met her British diplomat husband andover the next three decades spent a total of 14 years inJapan, the final of their three postings being as British
Ambassador. Apart from their Japanese postings they also
served in Washington DC in the 1980s and at the United
Nations in New York in the 1990s.
Whenever possible Lydia has worked in media,
communications and public relations. She was Press
Coordinator for the Japan Festival 1991, working withthe media in the UK and on facility trips to Japan andsubsequently established, and was Executive Directorof, the Japan Festival Fund, which grew out of the 1991
Festival. During that time she also edited the Proceedingsof the Japan Society. For most of her four years in New
York she was Director of Promotion and Publications at
The Japan Society of New York, a highlight of her time
there being conceiving and staging the first Japan Society
Matsuri on East 47th Street.
More recently her professional interests have broadened
to include humanitarian aid and development issues, andfrom 2004-2008 she was Media and Communications
Officer at the International Rescue Committee UK.
Lydia is on the boards of The Royal Hospital for
Neurodisability, The Hattori Foundation and The Young
Person’s Concert Foundation and is a member of
the University College London (UCL) Research Ethics
Committee.
Since joining the board in 2011, Lydia has chaired thesmall grants and awards committees.

Since April 2012, Masaaki Goto has been Executive
Managing Director for the Europe and Middle East Regionof Daiwa Securities Group Inc. as well as Chairman of its
London subsidiary.
After graduating from Keio University with an Economics
degree in 1982, he joined Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd.,the second largest securities brokerage, trading andinvestment banking firm in Japan. He has been engaged
mainly in the international capital market financing andsecurities underwriting business and has served outside
Japan for more than 14 years, with two postings each in
London and New York.
He was a Chairman and CEO of the New York subsidiaryfor three years immediately before transferring to London.
He also acted as a chairman of two NYSE listed closed end
funds. He was a member of Board of Securities Industries
and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) in 2011/12.
In 2012 he returned to London to take up the role of
Chairman of Daiwa’s European operation facing thechallenges of the European Crisis and strengthening
regulation of the financial services industry. He is optimisticthat the UK/European operation is recovering from theworst and will be able to expand certain areas of thebusiness.
He enjoys London’s much improved restaurants and thevarious opportunities to enjoy historical arts including
paintings and music. He is Vice Chairman of the Nippon
Club. Daiwa Capital Markets is a Corporate Benefactor of
the Japan Society.
Masaaki was born in Akita, in North West Japan, famous for
its excellent sake, which he enjoys greatly. He is married
to Maki, who also enjoys being in London for the second
time. They have a grown up son and daughter in Japan.

Since becoming a member over ten years ago, Pauline
has organized many events on behalf of the Japan
Society. She is also a Governor of The English-Speaking
Union, a charity that promotes the use of the English
language worldwide as well as the art of public speaking.
Pauline holds a BA in English Language & Literature, aDiploma in Law (Inner Temple) and an MA in Modern
French Studies. She also received a merit scholarship infine art for drawing and painting during her BA.

TETSURO HAMAHIROSHI HATTORI

Tetsuro Hama moved to the UK in 1973 after graduatingfrom Chuo University.
In September of that year, he established one of thefirst Japanese restaurants in London. He continues tobe active in the culinary world, opening So Restaurant
in Piccadilly in 2006. The restaurant came top in an Eat
Japan poll of the most popular restaurants among theJapanese community. In February 2013, he went on toestablish SOZAI, the first Japanese cooking school in
the UK.
In September 1979, Tetsuro started Japan & Europe
Motors (later JEM) to sell motor vehicles to Japanese expatriates. Jemca, a new company set up in May 1991,
was the first Japanese-owned Toyota Motor Dealer in
London. In 1994, Jemca became the largest volume
dealer in the UK and kept its position until the business
was sold to Toyota Tsusho in 2003
Since selling his main business, Tetsuro has become
increasingly involved in the Japanese community.
He is an active member of the Japanese Chamber ofCommerce & Industry, chairing the Locally Establishedbusiness division between 2000-2002, as well as of the
Nippon Club and Japan Association.
He is on the executive committee of Japan Matsuri
as well as being a sponsor and co-ordinator of HyperJapan.

Hiroshi Hattori is Managing Corporate Officer of Nippon
Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and President and Chief Executive Officer
of NYK Group Europe Ltd.
He joined NYK in 1976 after graduating from Keio University,where he studied Economics.
Hiroshi has considerable overseas experience with thecompany including USA, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia
and China. Before assuming his present position in London
in April 2010, he has served as Director and Managing
Corporate Officer of NYK overseeing Logistics and Harbour
related businesses. He was also appointed to C.I.O.
In addition to holding a directorship in the International
Chamber of Shipping, Hiroshi Hattori is the Chairman of the
Nippon Club and a Vice President of the Japanese Chamberof Commerce and Industry. He is also the Chairman of
The Japanese School in London and Trustee of Rikkyo
School in England, as well as being a board member of the
Buckinghamshire Golf Club. He sits on the Japan Society
nominations committee.
NYK is a Corporate Patron of the Japan Society and has
particularly supported the schools education and outreachprogramme (former Japan 21 activities).

please detach here and return to the Japan Society

THE JAPAN SOCIETY

PROXY FORM for the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2013
I/We, being a member of The Japan Society, hereby appoint the Chairman of the meeting (see note 3) /........................................................................................................ as my/our proxy to vote for me/us at the Annual General
Meeting of The Japan Society to be held on Thursday, 27 June 2013 and at every adjournment thereof.
Name (please print).......................................................................................................................

Category of membership

Individual

FamilyCorporate

Name of corporate
member (if applicable).......................................................................................................................

Signature.......................................................................................................................

Dated....................................................................................................................... 2013
Instructions to Proxy

Please indicate with an “X” in the boxes below how you wish the proxy to vote. The Proxy will vote orwithhold their vote, at his or her discretion, on (a) any resolution listed below if no instruction is given
regarding that resolution and (b) on any other business transacted at the meeting.
For

1

Receiving the Accounts and the Trustees’ Report2

Re-appointment of the Auditors

3

Re-appointment of David Cairns as Ordinary Trustee

4

Re-appointment of Pauline Chakmakjian as Ordinary Trustee

5

Re-appointment of Lydia Gomersall as Ordinary Trustee

6Election of Masaaki Goto as Ordinary Trustee

7

Election of Tetsuro Hama as Ordinary Trustee

8

Re-appointment of Hiroshi Hattori as Ordinary Trustee

AgainstVote
withheld1 A member of The Japan Society is entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of his or her rights toattend, speak and vote at a general meeting of The Japan Society.
2 Appointment of a proxy does not preclude you from attending the meeting and voting in person. If you
have appointed a proxy and attend the meeting in person, your proxy appointment will automaticallybe terminated.
3	 If you wish, you may delete the words “the Chairman of the meeting” and insert the name of a proxy of
your choice. The proxy must be a member of the Japan Society or, in the case of a member which is a
corporation, its authorised representative. Please initial any alteration. A proxy must attend the meeting
to represent you.
4 The completed and signed proxy form (and, if relevant, the power of attorney or other authority underwhich it is signed, or a certified copy of that power or authority) must be received at Swire House, 59
Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AJ not less than 48 hours before the meeting or the adjourned meetingor, in the case of a poll, not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for taking the poll.
5 To direct your proxy how to vote on the resolutions mark the appropriate box with an ‘X’. If no voting
indication is given, your proxy will vote or withhold their vote at his or her discretion. Your proxy will
vote (or withhold a vote) as he or she thinks fit in relation to any other matter which is put before themeeting.
6 The vote withheld option is provided to enable you to instruct the proxy not to vote on any particularresolution. However, it should be noted that a vote withheld in this way is not a “vote” by law and will not
be counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes “For” and “Against” a resolution.
7. Any power of attorney or any other authority under which this proxy form is signed (or a duly certified
copy of such power of authority) must be included with the proxy form.
8. If you submit more than one valid proxy appointment, the appointment received last before the latest
time for the receipt of proxies will take precedence.

please detach here and return to the Japan Society

Notes