THE JAPAN SOCIETY
2017
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
TRUSTEE ELECTIONS

Notice of the 2017 Annual General Meetingat the Embassy of Japan, London on Wednesday 12 July

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 12 July 2017at 5.00pm at the Embassy of Japan, 101-104 Piccadilly, London W1J 7JT. The business of the meeting shallbe 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 2016 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: 27 June 2017
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, two Vice-Chairmen, three appointed Officers(Solicitor, Treasurer and Editor), one ex-officio Trustee (the cultural minister at the Japanese Embassy, who
is also an Ordinary Trustee) and twelve Ordinary Trustees. The position on the board held, ex-officio, by the
deputy head of mission at the Japanese Embassy, is currently vacant.
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, Marie Conte-Helm, Andrew Fraser, Tetsuro Hama, Shinichi Iida (ex-officio Trustee), Mami Mizutori and
Heidi Potter (Chief Executive). This committee reviews the skills that are required on the Board from time totime 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 Trustees, Jenny White, a Vice-Chairman, and Mami Mizutori, an Ordinary Trustee, who will retire byrotation, have indicated that 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. Sue Hudson, Yuuichiro
Nakajima, and Richard Oppenheim; they share between them a varied experience and active involvement
in developing 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 12 July 2017 or by proxy. A proxy form is enclosed
in this booklet for this purpose.

4

Biographical Details of the Candidates for Ordinary Trustees 2017
SUE HUDSON
Sue Hudson has spent all her adult life, both in her
professional and private capacity, working for greater
understanding and closer relations between Britain andJapan.
She moved to Japan after graduating from Sheffield
University in History and taught English for almost four
years in Mishima High School, Shizuoka Prefecture, on a
Japanese Government programme. This was followed bya year in Miki Travel, London, and a period working as afreelance Anglo-Japanese media coordinator. Sue thenjoined the London office of the Japanese media company,
Fujisankei, where she currently works as Director for
Projects and Business Development.
Over the years at Fujisankei, Sue has worked on manyhugely diverse projects; ranging from children’s
programming, such as Thomas the Tank Engine, toFormula One, to working with a leading Japanese cookery
writer on creating Japanese cookery books in English, tothe Praemium Imperiale Arts Awards, to promoting andfilming Japanese musical talent in the UK – to mention but
a few.
Sue has also been actively involved with the AngloJapanese community in a private capacity. On her returnfrom teaching in Japan, she joined the Miura Anjinkai – asociety created for the young people returning from Japan
having been on the same Government programme andbecame its chairman. An interest in ‘grass-roots’ events
led her, with other members of Anjinkai and the local
Japanese community, to instigate the Natsu Matsuri thatran for a number of years from 1985 in London’s Battersea
Park. As chairman of Anjinkai, she also sat on the Japan
Society Council and worked with the Society to try to
attract more young members.
More recently, Sue served as a member of the Executive
Committee for Japan400, which was established to markand celebrate the arrival of the first British ship to Japan in1613 and worked on the overall production of the major
events during the year.
She is passionate about exploring ideas for projects thatbring the two countries closer – whether it be throughfood, music, art, business or sport and greatly enjoys thechallenge of finding stimulating ways of bringing people
together.

MAMI MIZUTORI
Mami Mizutori is Executive Director of the Sainsbury
Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. The
Institute is affiliated with the University of East Anglia
where she is the Special Advisor for Japanese Studies.
Previously, Mami worked for the Japanese Ministry ofForeign Affairs where her last position was Budget Director.
She also served as Director of the Japan Information
and Culture Centre at the Embassy of Japan in London,
Director of the National Security Policy Division, Directorof the United Nations Policy Division, and Director of the
Status of US Forces Agreement Division. In addition to
London, Mami served in Washington DC and Mexico City.
Mami graduated in law from Hitotsubashi University,
Tokyo and obtained a Masters Diploma in International
Studies from the Diplomatic School of Spain. She hastaught courses at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University andat Waseda University, Tokyo. She frequently participatesin international conferences relating to such themes
as cultural policies and East Asian diplomacy hosted
by the Ditchley Foundation and similar internationalorganisations. She is a member of the UK-Japan 21stCentury Group.
Mami writes on a wide variety of topics for contemporary
Japanese media and her work on public diplomacy in the
UK was published in a volume produced by PHP ResearchInstitute. Mami is a Managing Trustee of the Daiwa AngloJapanese Foundation and a Trustee of the Association for
Aid and Relief Japan. She serves as a Director of Fidelity
Japanese Values PLC.

YUUICHIRO NAKAJIMA
Yuuichiro Nakajima first came to the UK as a four-year old
boy when his father was posted by his Japanese company’s
London office. Over the next four years Yuuichiro lived in
London and the experience led him to return to the UK asa graduate student and then to work in the City; to date
his working life has been spent equally between London
and Tokyo.
Having studied economics at Keio University, Yuuichiro
started his career with the Overseas Economic Cooperation
Fund in Tokyo. In 1985, he enrolled in the MBA course at
the London Business School as a British Council scholar
and in 1987 joined S.G.Warburg’s corporate financedepartment in London. After 16 years of working for City
firms, in 2003 Yuuichiro established his own advisoryboutique Crimson Phoenix in Tokyo to advise corporateclients on cross-border M&A (mergers, acquisitions,joint ventures, partnerships, etc.) transactions involving
Japanese companies. Crimson Phoenix opened its London
office in 2012 where Yuuichiro is now based.
Yuuichiro was an active member of the Japan-British
Society (Tokyo) in his early 20s. He joined The Japan Society
in 1985 and was soon thereafter elected to its Council,
later serving on the Centenary Review Committee, whichsought to modernise the Society’s constitution, and theAwards Committee. While in Japan in the 2000s he wasa member, and a Director, of the Japan-British Society,chairing its Centenary Awards Committee.
Yuuichiro is a member of the British Chamber ofCommerce in Japan (serving on its Executive Committee
until 2012) and of the Japanese Chamber of Commerceand Industry in the U.K. He is a non-executive director of
J.P.Morgan Japan Smaller Companies Trust plc, is on theAdvisory Board of the Japan Football Association and a5member of the Finance Committee of the Asian Football
Confederation based in Kuala Lumpur.
He shares his interest in choral singing with his wife
Wendela.

RICHARD OPPENHEIM
Richard Oppenheim is a career diplomat currently
serving as Deputy Director and UK Commonwealth
Envoy based in the Cabinet Office’s CommonwealthSummit Unit preparing for the London hosted Summit
in April 2018. From 2010 to 2016 he was posted to Japan– as Head of Climate and Energy (2011-15) and PoliticalCounsellor overseeing Foreign and Security policy cooperation (2015-16). Between 2004 and 2010, he servedin the Middle East, studying Arabic in Damascus andsubsequently serving in Muscat, Basra and Baghdad. He
joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002
working on EU enlargement in London after which heserved briefly at the UK Mission to the UN in New York.
Richard graduated from Loughborough University in1999 with a degree in Politics with French. From 19992001 he lived and worked in Japan (Kagawa-ken) as an
Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Programme.
After more than ten years living and working in Japanand with a Japanese wife, Richard has a broad range ofinterests in the country. They include regional relations,internal politics and the economy, social issues andthe UK-Japan relationship. He was one of the authorsof “After the Great East Japan Earthquake, Political andPolicy Change in Post-Fukushima Japan.” (NIAS Press,2013).

JENNY WHITE
Jenny White first went to Japan in 1989, to take up a
post as Assistant Director and Arts Manager at the British
Council. In this role over the subsequent ten years, shedeveloped art projects and links with independent artists,
creative partners and cultural organisations in both the
UK and Japan. She also produced the arts and creative
economy programme for two major festivals, UK90 andthe year-long UK98.
Following postings in Thailand and London, as Headof Arts Development, Jenny was appointed Directorof the British Council in Cuba in 2006. In this role shehosted in 2009 the first tour of the Royal Ballet to Cuba
as well as producing the UK’s contribution to the Latin
American Film Festival and the Havana Art Biennial. As
Environment Project Manager, she had a responsibility
to develop sustainable cultural relations, implementing
an Environmental Management System and designing
an eLearning programme for 7,000 staff globally. Jennyis now Head of Visual Arts Programme for the British
Council.
In 2013 Jenny took up the challenge of promoting andmanaging art and cultural events and communications
and social media for the volunteer-run Japan400, whichmarked the anniversary of the first formal encounters in

61613. While celebrating the historical relationship, Jenny’s
focus was the development of a framework for ongoing
cultural exchange and exploration of the intersection
between Japanese and British cultures.
Jenny is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a visiting
fellow for international arts at the University of Derby anda trustee of ATMA dance company and APT art studios.
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please detach here and return to the Japan Society

THE JAPAN SOCIETY

PROXY FORM for the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2017
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, 12 July 2017 and at every adjournment thereof.
Name (please print).......................................................................................................................

Category of membership

Individual

FamilyCorporate

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

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

Dated....................................................................................................................... 2017
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

Election of Sue Hudson as Ordinary Trustee

4.

Re-appointment of Mami Mizutori as Ordinary Trustee

4Election of Yuuichiro Nakajima as Ordinary Trustee

5Election of Richard Oppenheim as Ordinary Trustee

6

Re-appointment of Jenny White 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.

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.