Japan-America
Society of Indiana
2005 Programs

The Japan-America Society of Indiana is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization ofbusinesses, educational institutions, individuals, and students. Its mission is to serve asa bridge of friendship and cooperation between the people of Indiana and Japan. The
Society is dedicated to strengthening public forum for cultural and educational exchange,strengthening ties, and fostering mutual understanding among Japanese and Hoosiers.

January 21

March 9th

April 17th

Indiana Japan Chamber Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Indiana Japan Chamberfeatured Indianapolis Symphony OrchestraConcertmaster Hidetaro Suzuki and Zeyda Ruga
Suzuki, pianist, arranged with support from theJapan-America Society of Indiana.

KODO at Clowes Memorial Hall,Butler University, Indianapolis“Celebrating Japanese Culture” Festival
JASI co-presented with the Children’s Museum ofIndianapolis a one-day festival featuring the arts,
music and culture of Japan. Hands-on activities
included kite-making, kimono-try-on, ikebana,calligraphy, sumo cut-out photos and an anime andmanga corner. The festival featured performancesby the Koto and Shakuhachi Ensemble comprisedof the families of Taisuke Toyono and Masafumi
Minami, as well as solo koto performances byChiharu Yarling. Adding to the entertainment were
the folk dances of the Indianapolis Minyo Dancers
and kendo demonstrations by Shunsuke Akagi. Aspecial highlight of the event was the artistry andhumor of strolling performer Masaji Terasawa, theCandyman from Epcot Center.

March 1
“Nobody Knows” Film Preview at theCastleton Arts Cinema

JASI members flocked to the exhilarating
performance of KODO, the world-renowned taiko
drum group. The JASI office arranged for a special
discounted seating block for members.

March 23JASI presented a special members’ screening of
the Japanese film, “Nobody Knows,” based on thetrue story of four siblings who were abandoned bytheir mother. Yuya Yagira won the Best Actor Awardat the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for his portrayalof 12-year old Akira. The film was the official
Japanese entry for the 2004 Academy Awards.

JETRO/Deloitte and Touche Tax Seminar
The Japan-America Society of Indiana presented aseminar in Japanese on U.S. tax law in partnershipwith JETRO-Chicago and Deloitte and Touche.
The seminar was held at the Hyatt Regency, inIndianapolis, with over 60 Japanese executives inattendance.

March 12th -May 8th“Five Friends from Japan” Exhibit

Volunteers included: Ryan Bell, Kyoko Fillips,Kyoko Fujioka, Hisako Ishii, David Leszcynski, GregMoore, Masafumi Minami, Kinya Nagano, Ritsuko
Nagano, Tsuyako Noah, Yoshiko Osanai, Taeko
Peace, Shoko Schutte, Michiko Sese, Keiko Sese,
Keiko Shima, Mayumi Takizawa, Chiharu Yarling,
Tim Yarling.

May 11
Buffalo Trace Council Boy Scouts ofAmerica, Evansville
JASI provided support to the 2005 DistinguishedCitizen Award Banquet honoring Seizo Okamoto,President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana.

March 5May 7

Tsunami Benefit Concert
JASI joined forces with a consortium of performing
arts groups led by Indianapolis SymphonyOrchestra Concertmaster Hidetaro Suzuki inorganizing the “Tsunami Benefit Concert” at theHilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis. In the wake ofthe catastrophic tragedy resulting from the tsunamithat flooded Southeast Asia, Hidetaro Suzuki called
together arts and international organizationsin the community to create the charity concert.
The moving event featured performances by theIndianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis
Children’s Choir, Dance Kaleidoscope and vocalists
Brenda Williams and Shannon Forsell.

The Heart of Gold Ball and the AmericanHeart AssociationThe JASI Staff provided cultural consultationand promotional support to the American Heart
Association’s annual fundraiser which featured thetheme of “Japan.”March 8Hospitality Dinner with Representatives ofthe Japan-U.S. Midwest Association
Directors of the JASI Board joined withIndiana Secretary of Commerce Pat Miller
and representatives of the Indiana Economic
Development Corporation in hosting former
Ambassador Yoshio Karita, Consul General of Japan
Yutaka Yoshizawa, and representatives of Kikkoman
Corporation, Japan, at the Columbia Club to initiate
the planning for the 38th Annual Japan-US Midwest
Conference to be hosted in Indiana in 2006.

The JASI staff provided cultural consultation andprogram development to the Children’s Museumof Indianapolis for the touring exhibit of “FiveFriends from Japan.” The exhibit provided a viewof contemporary Japanese life through the eyes offive children by exploring a Japanese elementary
school classroom, a typical child’s bedroom, livingroom, tatami room, tofu shop and farmyard. The
exhibit helped communicate that the personalities
of Japanese children are diverse and contemporary,
and that they live in a country where traditional
values coexist with an appreciation for modern
international culture.

June 14th“Annual Gala” of the Japan-America
Society of Indiana

April 16thJennings County Foundation Annual
Dinner “Hanami”, North Vernon
JASI provided support to the Jennings County
Foundation in the planning of its annual dinnerfeaturing the country of Japan as its theme.
Entertainment was provided by the Indianapolis
Minyo Dancers, Inc., followed by a D.J. dance
in which the Minyo dancers also displayed theirversatility by dancing to old disco tunes.

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JASI’s 2005 “Annual Gala” featured the Governor ofthe State of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, Jr., Indianapolis
Colts President Bill Polian, Consul General of Japan
Yutaka Yoshizawa, and the Davis Taiko Ensemble
from Dublin, Ohio. The presenting sponsor of thegala was Eli Lilly and Company and it was attended
by over 400 members and guests. A special video
tribute was presented in honor of Mitchell E.
Daniels, Sr., the Governor’s father, who was thefounding executive director of the Japan-America

as a liaison in the planning of “Indiana Day” at theAiichi World Expo, with support from Toyota Motor
Manufacturing, Indiana.

Society of Indiana. The theme of the gala was“Samidare” recalling the rainy season in Japanin June, with Japanese traditional red umbrellashanging throughout the ballroom. The gala is thelargest and most prestigious event in Indiana forJapanese and American community and businessleaders.

July-AugustState of Indiana Mission to Japan

Prior to the state itinerary, Theresa Kulczak
joined the Honorable Nancy Michael, Mayorof Greencastle, along with representatives ofGreencastle/Putnam County Development Center,
Lafayette-West Lafayette Economic Development
Corporation, and Cinergy/PSI in visiting Ota City,
Gunma Prefecture and the headquarters of Fuji
Heavy Industries, Heartland Automotive, andChiyoda Manufacturing.

September 11 -13

for their investment in Indiana, and create newopportunities for Hoosier workers. The “Friendsof Indiana” reception in Tokyo was one of thelargest attended, with many Japanese companies
representatives who had lived in Indiana as well
as representatives of potential investor companies.
The Governor also established new business,
educational and cultural ties with Indiana’s sisterstate, Tochigi Prefecture. The timing of the visit
coincided with the pre-season exhibition game ofthe Indianapolis Colts at Tokyo Dome which theIndiana delegates enjoyed.

JASI Executive Director Theresa Kulczak playeda key role in advising the Indiana Economic
Development Corporation in the planning of themission and in providing protocol orientations
to the Governor and mission delegates. The JASI
office also assisted in the planning of the Tokyo
seminar, which many of the delegates said was thefinest presentation ever conducted on the benefitsof investing in Indiana. The seminar featured Seizo
Okamoto (Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana),
Mitsufumi Matsumoto (Mitsui & Co.), Yasuhiro
Kumaki (Nachi Fujikosho Corp.), and Hideyuki
Kawashima (MJ Insurance), who spoke about theirexperiences in Indiana and why Indiana was a goodplace to do business. The JASI office also served

From July 30 to August 7, Governor Daniels led
the largest overseas trade and investment missionin Indiana history. The Governor was joinedby 77 delegates from around the state, with 6
representatives from the state Legislature, 3university leaders, 7 mayors, 23 business leadersand 25 community leaders. The goals for themission were to strengthen the state’s relationshipwith Japanese partners, express appreciationbB

37th Annual Joint Meeting of the MidwestU.S. Japan Association and the Japan
Midwest Association, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Directors of the JASI Board and Executive Director
Theresa Kulczak joined Hoosier business andgovernment leaders, including Indiana Governor
Mitch Daniels and Secretary of State Pat Miller, at
the annual conference attended which was attended
by 350 business and government leaders fromJapan and the Midwest.

September 25
16th Annual Golf Classic presented by JASI
and the I JC at the Harrison Lake Country
Club, Columbus.

The title sponsors were Fifth Third Bank, Toyota
Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, and Northwest
Airlines, and over 150 golfers competed in thescramble tournament. With a heavy downfall ofrain the entire day, only two golfers were absent
and the players demonstrated their endurance andenthusiasm by completing an entire day of play inwhat most would have considered a rainout.

October 15
HealthNet “Grand Bazaar”
The Westin Hotel, Indianapolis, was transformed
into a Japanese celebration for the 14th annual
Grand Bazaar fund-raiser. The event was produced
to benefit HealthNet Community Health Centers,
Clarion Health Partners. HealthNet provides
affordable health care for 35,000 Indianapolis
residents each year who have little or no healthinsurance and limited means to pay for health care.
Deputy Consul General Hachiro Ishida and Mrs.
Ishida of the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago
were honored guests. Entertainment was provided
by the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko Drummers. JASI
dedicated over a year of staff and volunteer time tosupport the charity event.

October 20

Japanese companies then organized a year-longseries of cultural programs created by families ofJapanese companies in the area. Originally, theKidscommon staff planned that the theme country
would change on a yearly basis, but the Japan
house and its programming proved so successfulthat it was planned for “Our House” to feature
Japan for a second year.

“The Japan-U.S. Partnership: Its
Significance in the Global Context”

December 19th

A lecture by the Honorable Yutaka Yoshizawa,
Consul General of Japan at Chicago, was presented
as part of the annual series of the Franciscan Center
for Global Studies at Marian College. The lecture
program and wine reception were cosponsoredby the Japan-America Society of Indiana and theSagamore Institute for Policy Research.

The Japan-America Society of Indiana served asa bridge and facilitator between the staff of new
Kidscommons children’s museum and the Japanese
corporate community in Columbus to build “OurHouse: Japan”, an exhibit in the newly-opened
museum in Columbus. “Our House” is a featured
exhibit area showcasing the home environment
and the culture of another country. Through the“Memoirs of a Geisha” Film Preview at theKeystone Arts Cinema

October 28“Our House: Japan” at Kidscommons,Columbus

guidance of JASI, the Columbus Japanese Business
Association organized a fundraising campaign aswell as a building committee to help build andfurnish a “Japanese home” inside of the museum.
Following the grand opening of the museum, theInformation Services
The Society’s office serves as an information
clearinghouse for Japan-related resources inIndiana. The office fields questions regarding Japanand Japanese culture from Americans and provides
resources for additional inquiry. JASI’s bilingual
staff provides personal support to Japaneseindividuals, family members, and executives, andresponds in Japanese to requests for assistance,
practical living information, and educational
information.

Bureau of Motor Vehicles interpreter
recruitment and Japanese policy
bulletins
JASI monitors changes in BMV policies that may
affect the Japanese community in Indiana andissues Bulletins to its members informing themof the latest developments. JASI also maintains adatabase of authorized BMV interpreters who are
qualified to assist individuals in taking the written
test for an Indiana Driver’s license.

Japanese Language Program

Member consultation
The JASI staff and directors of the Board provide
customized briefings and group presentations on
Japanese protocol, etiquette, travel to Japan andguidance for doing business with the Japanese.

For the past fifteen years JASI has offered one of thelargest programs of Japanese language classes forthe central Indiana area. The classes are designed
to meet community interest and focus on thestudents’ speaking, listening, reading and writing
abilities. Various aspects of contemporary Japaneseculture supplement the courses taught by Mrs.
Fumiko Sato.

The Japan-America Society of Indiana presented theexclusive Indiana premiere of the Academy Award
winning film, “Memoirs of a Geisha” at the newlyopened Keystone Arts Cinema on December. Over
200 members and guests attended the premiere
which opened with a Holiday Reception catered by
Ocean World Restaurant.

Employment Referrals, translationand interpreting referrals.
Corporate benefits include the availability of inhouse translation and interpretation services, andreferral to independent vendors. The JASI officeaccepts calls from the public and from member
companies for translators and interpreters on aper-project basis.
The Japan-America Society of Indiana is not
an employment agency; however, through our
network of members, JASI occasionally facilitates
employment connections..

Japan-America Society of Indiana
39 West Jackson Place, Suite 50, Indianapolis, Indiana 46225
Phone: (317) 635-0123 • Fax: (317) 635-1452
www.japanindiana.orgbB