The Japan Society Annual General Meeting 2013
The Society’s 2013 AGM took place on 27 June 2013 at the Embassy of Japan. The membership was well
represented and we are grateful to all who attended and who took the time to vote by proxy. Following the formal
business of the AGM there was a drinks reception.
thMinutes of the 116 Annual General Meeting of The Japan Society
Held at the Embassy of Japan, 101-104 Piccadilly, London W1
at 6.00 p.m. on Thursday, 27 June 2013
Chairman’s Welcome
Sir David Warren, the chairman, opened the meeting by welcoming all those present; he gave a particularwelcome to the Society’s President, the Japanese Ambassador, Mr Keiichi Hayashi. This was the Ambassador’s
third AGM since his posting to the Embassy in early 2011. He invited the Ambassador Hayashi to make a few
comments.
Ambassador Hayashi
Despite the Japanese proverb ishi no ue ni mo sannen, Ambassador Hayashi’s three years in office had been far
from a gradually warming up process. Quite the contrary, it had almost felt as though he were hopping over hotstones, with the Tohoku earthquake, followed by the visit of the Emperor for the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics
and the G8 summit. Throughout this period the Japan Society had been an active support since his arrival, forwhich he thanked its members.
Ambassador Hayashi welcomed David Warren to his first AGM as chairman. Since taking up the post in January,
he had applied himself with gusto and the Japan Society would clearly continue to thrive under his leadership.
This continued to be a busy time for UK-Japan relations: last week Prime Minister Abe visited Northern Ireland for
the G8 summit, before which he held a valuable bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Cameron and which wasfollowed by a speech on his economic policy at the Guildhall in the heart of the City. This event was also
supported by the Japan Society so many members would no doubt have been there or have read the speech. It
was a very robust manifestation of the Japanese Prime Minister’s determination to pursue and bring to fruition aseries of major structural reforms in order to revitalise the Japanese economy.
2013 saw a series of events celebrating the longstanding friendship between our two countries. In July major
events would remember the arrival one hundred years ago of five future leaders from Choshu who came to study
this country’s advanced technology. This marked the start of academic exchange, which the Japan Society had
continued to promote in more recent times.
A series of events were also underway under the banner of Japan400, which marked the passage of exactly four
centuries since England and Japan embarked on a relationship of sorts following the arrival in Japan of an
English ship.

These initiatives testified to the long standing and forward looking friendship which our two countries enjoyedtoday. In this regard the Japan Society continued to play the vital role it had performed for over a century.
Ambassador Hayashi thanked everyone at the meeting for their efforts to maintain and build upon these links. He
hoped the Japan Society would continue to go from strength to strength under its new leadership.
David Warren
In describing his pleasure in assuming his role in January, the chairman wished first to put on record his gratitude
to Christopher Purvis.
Agenda Items
David Warren explained that there were eight ordinary resolutions to be considered and that a show of hands
instead of ballot papers would be used to pass them.
The following resolutions were passed:
1.
2.
3.

4.

To receive and adopt the audited annual accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2012 and theTrustees’ report.
To reappoint Richard Place Dobson as auditors and to authorize and the board to approve theirremuneration as thought fit.
To elect the following Ordinary Trustees of the Company:
1. Masaaki Goto
2. Tetsuro Hama
To re-elect the following Ordinary Trustees of the Company
1. David Cairns
2. Pauline Chakmakjian
3. Lydia Gomersall
4. Hiroshi HattoriDocuments
If you wish to receive a hard copy of the annual accounts and Council Members’ report, please contact us.