FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2021
U.S.-Japan Council to Host Commemoration Event of the
Great East Japan Earthquake’s 10-Year Anniversary
WASHINGTON DC – On the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which devastated Japan’s Tohoku region, the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) will gather with diplomatic and other U.S.-Japan leaders in a special virtual event to offer memorial tributes to the victims, and recognize key recovery partnerships and the strong alliance between the two nations.
“Remembering March 11, 2011: Looking Back, Looking Forward,” scheduled for March 10 in the U.S. (6- 7:30 pm ET) / March 11 in Japan (8 – 9:30 am JT), will feature Koji Tomita, Japanese Ambassador to the United States, as well as previous American and Japanese ambassadors, including John Roos, United States Ambassador to Japan (2009-2013), and Ichiro Fujisaki Japanese Ambassador to the United States (2008-2012). Also appearing will be Futoshi Toba, mayor of Rikuzentakata, Iwate, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake and resulting tsunami.
During the event, speakers will highlight efforts by embassies, organizations and binational leadership to help rebuild and revitalize Japan in the earthquake’s aftermath, and explore how the U.S.-Japan relationship remains vital to the security and prosperity of both countries. Among the programs that were established to support Japan’s recovery is USJC’s TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership that invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders. Several alumni from TOMODACHI are expected to join the commemoration.
Other speakers include:
- Paige Cottingham-Streater, Secretary-General, U.S. CULCON Panel & Executive Director, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission
- Frank Jannuzi, President and CEO, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation
- Karen Kelley, Senior FSO & East Asia Bureau Senior Advisor for Diversity & Inclusion, U.S. Department of State
- Caroline Kennedy, United States Ambassador to Japan, 2013-2017
- Kenichiro Sasae, Japanese Ambassador to the United States, 2012-2018
- Thomas Schieffer, United States Ambassador to Japan, 2005-2009
- Shinsuke Sugiyama, Japanese Ambassador to the United States, 2018-2021
- Suzanne Basalla, President and CEO, U.S.-Japan Council
- Joshua Walker, President, Japan Society
- And more. (Click here to view all speakers.)
USJC will host this event in partnership with the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Partnering organizations include CULCON, the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, Japan Society (NY), the Japan Center for International Exchange, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, the National Association of Japan-America Societies, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, The Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund, the United States-Japan Foundation, the US JET Alumni Association (USJETAA) and the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies.
Media Information
Date: March 10, 2021 (U.S.) / March 11, 2021 (Japan)
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm ET / 8 am – 9:30 am JT
Language: English, with simultaneous Japanese interpretation available
Press Registration: Click here to register.
About the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC)
The U.S.-Japan Council develops and connects global leaders to create a stronger U.S.-Japan relationship. It is an organization whose members believe people-to-people relationships are a powerful way to bring together leaders in the U.S. and Japan to address and create solutions to mutual concerns. The Council is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit educational organization that was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Washington, DC with staff in California, Hawaii and Tokyo. In 2012, the U.S.-Japan Council (Japan) was created and in 2013, it became a Public Interest Corporation (koeki zaidan hojin). The U.S.-Japan Council (Japan) maintains an office in Tokyo, Japan.
Contact
Washington, DC Headquarters
Alison Aadland
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
202-223-6843
Japan Office
Junko Tsuda
Executive Director of U.S.-Japan Council (Japan)
[email protected]
+81-3-4510-3401