Governor's
MONTHLYLETTER

10
Governor's
Message
Rotary International
District 2750 2020-21 Governor“Happy families are all alike;every unhappy family is unhappy inits own way.”
It’s hard to believe that we have already entered the monthof October, which marks four months since I assumed myDistrict Governor post. I imagine that you are all vigorously
pursuing your Rotary Club and community activities even in
the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. October is Community
Economic Development Month at the Rotary. Moreover,although our celebration has been delayed until next year,
2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of theRotary Club in Japan. Adding to this already considerable
number of events is World Polio Day on the 24th. Is thisa reflection of autumn being harvest season? Back to
the topic of community economic development, which isirrefutably the current key to Japan’s economic comeback,that development is also a challenge that our towns andcities suffering amid the COVID-19 pandemic face intheir own revival efforts. That topic will be the focus of mymessage this month.
The phrase in the title of this month’s message is the very
first passage in the work “Anna Karenina” by Russian novelist
Leo Tolstoy. Where community economic development isconcerned, I feel that the opposite of this holds true: “Happyfamilies are happy in their own way; every unhappy familyis alike.” Meaning, in the case of Japan, “unhappiness” incommunities inevitably takes the same form: an ebbing
population, a graying society and the economic decline thatcomes with it. Conversely, “happy” communities are happyin their own individual way. For example, by consolidating itsonce-dispersed urban functions into a compact city, Aomori
Prefecture has found success. Another example is Toyama

October 2020
Prefecture, which used railways to organically link its
similarly-dispersed urban functions, and proceeded to expand
upon them.
Also, as covered daily by the media as well, an issue
that we certainly need to address now with haste is thestagnation of the hotel, food, beverage and customer service
industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of you may
feel that capitalism dictates that it is only fitting that thestrongest will survive. Even Tokyo’s Ginza district derives
a large part of its charm from the ingenuity and originalityof the numerous proprietors based there. Do stereotypicaloutlays of large amounts of capital really result in thecreation of towns or cities that people want to visit over andover? The Japanese government claims that it is seeking
to realize 60 million visitors in inbound traffic in the future.
However, if our towns and cities are not created in a waythat compels non-Japanese visitors to visit them time andtime again, reaching that target will be an impossibility.
Given that, perhaps unexpectedly good ideas for urban
development would come to us if we tried looking at therich charm of places across Japan, from the tangible
to the intangible, from the same perspective as nonJapanese individuals, For example, we could developtransit infrastructure that non-Japanese people find easy touse, enhance historical buildings as well as contents suchas anime and cosplay, publicize local dishes with uniquecharacteristics, or provide heartfelt hospitality or Japanesecultural learning experiences. Doing so, I imagine, would
present us with an opportunity to apply our barrier-freementality.
In that sense, I feel that the workings of a positive
economic cycle will start if we as Clubs make it our policy
to forge spiritual bonds and protect and nurture our local
communities. Through their activities in the form of amity andservice, Clubs foster relationships of trust with members of
the community and create formidable bonds. An ideal system
in my eyes would be one in which we as individuals whowish to see the revival of our local governments, economic
circles, towns and cities join hands to establish a networkof bonds akin to a spider’s web and work across barriers
to ponder the forward development of regional society andthe regional economy. As I touched upon in the beginningof this message, Japan’s very first Rotary Club was foundeda century ago on October 20 with the Tokyo Rotary Club. I
want to take this opportunity to reevaluate the meaning andsignificance of that founding.

District 2750 Membership Report August 2020
Club Name

Regularmeeting

Member quantity
July 1, 2020

End of Aug. 2020

Variations

Chiyoda GroupClub Name

Regularmeeting

Member quantity
July 1, 2020

End of Aug. 2020

Variations

Yamanote West Group

Rotary Club of Tokyo-South

1184187

3

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Jiyugaoka

216160Rotary Club of Tokyo-Shiba

35657

1Rotary Club of Tokyo-Yoneyama Yuai

33536

1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Shimbashi

256560Rotary E-Club of District 2750, Tokyo Yoneyama

234340Rotary Club of Tokyo-Akasaka

34546

1

Rotary Club of Tokyo Daikanyama

22827-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Minato

23231-1

Tama South Group

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Azabu

215161

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Hachioji

36364

1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Global

020200Rotary Club of Tokyo-Machida357570Rotary Club of Tokyo-Sunrise Shiodome

21617

1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Hino

334340Rotary Club of Tokyo-Hachioji West3111110-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Ginza

31801800

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Machida-Naka

128280Rotary Club of Tokyo-Nihonbashi

0204

206

2

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Hachioji East

43233

1Rotary Club of Tokyo-Tsukiji

06968-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Hachioji South

37878

0

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Nihonbashi East

34142

1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Machida-Salvia

335350Rotary Club of Tokyo-Chuo

4203

206

3

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Tobihino

322220Rotary Club of Tokyo-Nihonbashi West045450

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Machida East

23029-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Ginza New

379812

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Hachioji North043430

Rotary Club of Tokyo-City Nihonbashi

338380Tama Middle Group

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Chuo Shin

35659

3

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Tachikawa

2119121

2

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Akebono

320200Rotary Club of Tokyo-Koganei

33837-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Sanno

336360Ginza/Nihonbashi GroupKeihin Group

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Kokubunji

232331Rotary Club of Tokyo-Mitaka

34241-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Haneda

255550Rotary Club of Tokyo-Akishima

355550Rotary Club of Tokyo-Shinagawa

34142

1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Kunitachi

347470Rotary Club of Tokyo-Omori

235372

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Tachikawa Kobushi

38789

2

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Shinagawa Chuo

230300Rotary Club of Tokyo-Inokashira

32324

1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Denenchofu

348480Rotary Club of Tokyo-Akishima Chuo

348

480

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Konan Marine

318180Rotary Club of Tokyo-Musashi Kokubunji

342420Rotary Club of Tokyo-Osaki

224251

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Koganei-Sakura

225250Rotary Club of Tokyo-Kamata

159590Rotary Club of Tokyo-Kunitachi Shiroume317170Rotary Club of Tokyo-Keihin326260Rotary E-Club of Tokyo Peace Wing

323230Rotary Club of Tokyo-Denenchofu Midori

218180Tama East Group

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Shirokane

424284

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Fuchu

155

56

1Rotary Club of Tokyo-Takanawa

22322-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Chofu

164640Rotary Club of Tokyo-Tama

020211Rotary Club of Tokyo-West

3197196-1Rotary Club of Tokyo-Komae

114140Rotary Club of Tokyo-Josai

26768

1Rotary Club of Tokyo-Inagi

128280Rotary Club of Tokyo-Seinan

244440Rotary Club of Tokyo-Musashi Fuchu

03938-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Harajuku

31716-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Tamagawa

220200Rotary Club of Tokyo-Suginami

24140-1

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Tama Green029290Rotary Club of Tokyo-Jingu

224240Rotary Club of Tokyo-Chofu Murasaki

06667

1Rotary Club of Tokyo-Ebisu

11171170Rotary Club of Tokyo i City

118180Rotary Club of Tokyo-Hiroo

224240

Pacific Basin Group

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Shibuya

235372Rotary Club of Guam

452520Rotary Club of Tokyo-Roppongi

253530Rotary Club of Saipan

440422Rotary Club of Tokyo-Atago

331310Rotary Club of Tumon Bay

15958-1

Rotary Club of Northern Guam

231310Rotary Club of Tokyo-Setagaya

24445

1Rotary Club of Pohnpei

318191

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Meguro

333330Rotary Club of Palau

21416

2

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Seijo

117170Rotary Club of Guam Sunrise

415150Rotary Club of Tokyo-Setagaya South29795-2

Rotary Club of Truk Lagoon

880

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Jonan

213163

Rotary Club of Pago Bay Guam E

23230

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Yamanote

17071

1

Total in Japan - 89

4,364

4,395

31

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Seijo Shin

331

31

0

Rotary Club of Tokyo-Aoyama

2

1615-1

Total in 2750 dis. - 98

4,624

4,659

35

Yamanote East Group

Yamanote West Group2