THE JAPAN SOCIETY
2016
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
TRUSTEE ELECTIONS

Notice of the 2016 Annual General Meetingat the Embassy of Japan, London on Wednesday 22 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 22 June
2016 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 2015 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 elect or re-elect Ordinary Trustees of the Japan Society to fill certain vacancies arising.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD___________________________H C POTTER
Chief Executive
Dated: 3 June 2016
Registered office: 13/14 Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 4QP
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 (www.japansociety.org.uk) or may be requested in hard copy from the registered office.
A list of candidates for election or re-election to the vacancies as Ordinary Trustees, together with biographicaldetails of the candidates, are also enclosed..
A member of the Company is entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of his or her rights to attend,
speak and vote at the meeting. A form of proxy is enclosed with this notice. The proxy must be a member of theCompany 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 your booking confirmation, together with some form ofphotographic ID with you to the meeting.

3Appendix
Election of Trustees
The Board of the Company currently consists of a Chairman, three Vice-Chairmen, three appointed Officers(Solicitor, Treasurer and Editor), two ex-officio Trustees (the deputy head of mission at the Japanese Embassy,
and a member of the Japanese Embassy, who is also an Ordinary Trustee) and twelve Ordinary Trustees.
As set out in the Articles of Association, the total number of Trustees on the Board should be no more thantwenty, and there should be no fewer than four Ordinary Trustees.
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 currently comprising David Warren (Chairman), Tom
Burn, Motohiko Kato (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; and it 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 five vacancies for Ordinary Trustees which may be filled at the annual general meeting (the “AGM”).
Two of the Ordinary Trustees, Lydia Gomersall and Tetsuro Hama, who will retire by rotation, have indicatedthat they are willing to stand for re-appointment. They are enthusiastic and valuable members of the Board,which warmly recommends their re-appointment.
There are three other people standing for election to the Board as Ordinary Trustees. Morihiko Okudaira,Sarah Parsons, and Yoji Saito; they share between them a varied experience and active involvement indeveloping links between Japanese and British communities which will be of great benefit to the Japan
Society. The Board proposes their election. Biographical details of all five Ordinary Trustee candidates are set
out in this Appendix.
There are five candidates for election to fill a possible five 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 Japan Society in different capacities, including
as committee members and as Trustees and are delighted that so many people are willing to volunteer theirskills to the Society. We encourage members to let us know at any time during the year if they would like to
be more involved. Suggestions of names of people to be considered for committees or for the Board should
be made to any member of the nominations committee or indeed any member of the Board.
Members may vote, as normal, in person at the AGM on 22 June 2016 or by proxy. A proxy form is enclosed
in this booklet for this purpose.

4

Biographical Details of the Candidates for Ordinary Trustees 2016
LYDIA GOMERSALL
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.§

TETSURO HAMA
Tetsuro Hama moved to the UK in 1973 after graduatingfrom Chuo University.
In September of that year, he established one of the firstJapanese restaurants in London. He continues to be activein the culinary world, opening So Restaurant in Piccadilly
in 2006. The restaurant came top in an Eat Japan pollof the most popular restaurants among the Japanesecommunity. In February 2013, he went on to establish
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 ex-patriates.

Jemca, a new company set up in May 1991, was the firstJapanese-owned Toyota Motor Dealer in London. In 1994,
Jemca became the largest volume dealer in the UK andkept 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 anactive member of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce &Industry, chairing the Locally Established business division
between 2010-2011, as well as of the Nippon Club andJapan Association.
He is on the executive committee of Japan Matsuri as well
as being a sponsor and co-ordinator of Hyper Japan.§

MORIHIKO OKUDAIRA
Morihiko Okudaira arrived in London in 2013 to serve as
Chief Regional Representative for the EMEA region at the
London Representative Office of Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd(JPB).
After graduating from the Faculty of Economics, Keio
University, he joined the Industrial Bank of Japan
Co., Ltd. (IBJ) in 1983. He was assigned to IBJ Houston
Representative Office in Texas in 1992 and transferred
to New York in 1995 where he was based until March
2002 when he assumed his position as Executive Vice
President at Mizuho Trust & Banking Co. (USA).
Here, he took up a leading role in the planning andimplementation of the consolidation project of the four
legacy banks: Fuji Trust, Dai-ichi Kangyo Trust, Yasuda
Trust and IBJ Trust. This was to form part of the Mizuho
Financial Group (MHFG) consolidation project.
Moving back to Tokyo in 2002 in a Deputy General
Manager role in charge of strategic planning, he similarly
managed the consolidation project of two Japanese
MHFG “Trust & Banking” companies. He returned toMizuho Trust & Banking Co. (USA) as President & CEO in2007, steering the company through the many and varied
challenges amid the turbulent years of the Lehman crisisand global financial meltdown. He remained with MHFG
until joining JPB in April 2013.
Morihiko Okudaira is a chartered member of the Security
Analysts Association of Japan. He loves reading books
and has a passion for travel. He lives with his wife, Kazuko,
in central London.§5

YOJI SAITO

Sarah Parsons has had close links with Japan since goingout on the JET Programme to Gunma prefecture in 1995.
Upon her return in 1998, she worked at the Japan Local
Government Centre, London. She is now the Founderand Managing Director of ‘Japan In Perspective’, aconsultancy business working with British companies thatwant to connect with Japan by supporting their businessdevelopment, and companies that have been acquired bya Japanese company by improving their understanding
and communications. Sarah has also worked with her
local UKTI office and Chambers of Commerce in the East
Midlands helping local companies work successfully withJapan as well as with Japanese companies in the UK offering
global communications development consultancy andother support packages.
On a part-time basis, she is an Associate Lecturer
at Nottingham Trent University in their School ofManagement teaching on the EPAS accredited BA and
MSc in International Business and sits on their course
enhancement board for the MsC in International Business.
She has also been out to Stockholm University to lectureon ‘Womenomics’ and is currently conducting research inthat area.
She is a regular contributor to the British Chamber ofCommerce and Industry Japan’s Acumen Magazine on
Japanese Investment in the UK and has written articles andreports for Export to Japan and the HR Agenda Magazine,
Japan.
In a voluntary capacity, Sarah is the Chair of JETAAUK
where she works to further Japan UK links. She has been
involved in organising many events with local Japan
related businesses in the East Midlands and London to
enable JETAA members to network professionally andcarry on their ties to Japan upon their return to the UK.§

Yoji Saito has spent much of his life abroad. Three years
in New York from the age of six, were followed by timein Bangkok, Singapore, Dusseldorf and London as wellas Japan. Having lived in London for over three years, heis particularly fond of this city.
He arrived in London in 2012 to take up the post of
Product Marketing Director,
Living Environment Systems at Mitsubishi Electric
Europe B.V. and in 2015 was appointed President & CEOof the company and regional CEO for EMEA.
After graduating in English from Sophia University,
Tokyo, he joined Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in
1983. After working in the Planning & Administration
Division, Living Environment Systems at the Tokyo Head
Office and in the Global Marketing Department at the
Shizuoka Works, he was transferred to Mitsubishi ElectricConsumer Products, Thailand in 2003 as Manager in theMarketing Division.
His time in Bangkok was followed by a posting in
Singapore, before a return to Head Office in 2006. In
2010, he was appointed General Manager, Planning &Administration Division, Living Environment Systems,
where he remained until his posting to London.
As well as loving county music, Yoji Saito is interested
in all sport, but tennis and golf in particular. His biggest
regret is not having enough time to play. His wife,
Noriko, is based in Tokyo, but enjoys spending time on
extended stays in London. They have three grown up
daughters, all living and working in Japan.§please detach here and return to the Japan Society

SARAH PARSONSTHE JAPAN SOCIETY

PROXY FORM for the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2016
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 Wednesday, 22 June 2016 and at every adjournment thereof.
Name (please print).......................................................................................................................

Category of membership

Individual

FamilyCorporate

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

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

Dated....................................................................................................................... 2016
Instructions to Proxy

Please indicate with an “X” in the boxes below and overleaf how you wish the proxy to vote. The Proxy will
vote or withhold 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 Lydia Gomersall as Ordinary Trustee

4

Re-appointment of Tetsuro Hama as Ordinary Trustee

5Election of Morihiko Okudaira as Ordinary Trustee

6Election of Sarah Parsons as Ordinary Trustee

7

Election of Yoji Saito as Ordinary Trustee

AgainstVote
withheldNotes
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 automatically beterminated.

6

Please return this form to the following address:
The Japan Society, 13/14 Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 4QP
or by email to: heidi.potter@japansociety.org.uk

please detach here and return to the Japan Society

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 13/14 Cornwall
Terrace, London NW1 4QP not less than 48 hours before the meeting or the adjourned meeting or, in thecase 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.