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| Founded | May 19, 1907[1] |
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| Type | Educational/Non-Profit |
| Focus | Education |
| Location |
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Area served | New York City,NY |
| Method | Film screenings,Lectures,Symposia, Cultural lectures, Workshops, Art Exhibitions |
Key people | Joshua Walker, President and CEO[2] Ruri Kawashima,Tokyo Representative |
| Revenue | $13,786,026 (2023)[3] |
| Endowment | $67,157,963 (2023)[3] |
| Website | https://www.japansociety.org |
Japan Society is a501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, formed in 1907 to promoterelations between the United States and Japan.[4] Its headquarters was designed byJunzo Yoshimura and opened in 1971 at 333 East 47th Street near theUnited Nations.[5] With a focus on "arts and culture, public policy, business, language, and education", the organization has regularly held events in its many facilities, including a library, art gallery, and theater, since its opening.[6] After suspending all activities duringWorld War II, Japan Society expanded under the leadership ofJohn D. Rockefeller III.[7]
In 1907,Tamemoto Kuroki andGoro Ijuin were chosen to represent Japan at theJamestown Exposition. They attended a welcome dinner in New York City withJapanese ambassador to the United States,Shuzo Aoki, where there was talk of forming an organization to promote US-Japan relations in the city. Two days later at a luncheon held by Kuroki, Japan Society was born. The organization would be run by Aoki, then Honorary President of theJapan Society of the UK, andJohn Huston Finley.[7][8][9] Japan Society spent the next forty years hosting events in honor of Japanese royalty, giving annual lectures on a wide range of topics, and presenting art exhibits that drew in thousands of New Yorkers. In 1911, Lindsay Russell, another founding member of the society and later president, met withEmperor Meiji and spent his visit to Japan encouraging more societies to form there and throughout the United States.[7]
Japan Society was soon incorporated under New York law and finally found a home near one of Russell's work offices, though it continued to relocate throughout its history before its current headquarters was opened in 1971. At this time, Japan Society and its members began to express interest in improving teaching about Japan in the United States. The organization began sponsoring trips to the country, publishing books, and sent a report to theDepartment of Education about the portrayal of Japan in American textbooks.[7]
In 1915, Dr.Takamine Jōkichi, a founding member of the Japan Society and the founder of theNippon Club, hosted a diplomatic banquet in New York City to honor the visit ofBaron Eiichi Shibusawa to the United States. This gathering was attended byTheodore Roosevelt andWilliam Howard Taft. Also in attendance were many members of the Japan Society, including Japanese Consul-General K. Midzuno, M. Zumoto translator and secretary for Baron Shibusawa, who was also part owner and editor ofThe Japan Times, the financierJacob Schiff, andJohn Huston Finley, president of City College, who was elected Japan Society's first president. During this significant event there were discussions related to strengthening U.S. Japan relations and how best the U.S. and Japan could work together as allies duringWorld War One.[10]
Japan Society remained active duringWorld War I, operating as it had for the last seven years, but the organization became more political when it began associating with the Anti-Alien Legislation Committee, anadvocacy group that spoke out againstyellow peril. Russell andHamilton Holt, another founding member, used the organization's publications to defend all of Japan'sactions at the time. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, even one of Japan Society's writers secretly worked for the Japanese government with the task of improving Japan's image in the United States. The organization eventually realized the dangers of taking sides and by 1924 stopped publishing any political commentary.[7]
On February 27, 1934, the Japan Society's Annual Dinner event honored the visit ofPrince Iyesato Tokugawa. This diplomatic goodwill gathering took place at theWaldorf-Astoria Hotel with approximately 250 guests. Attendees included:Reverend James DeWolf Perry, presidingBishop of theProtestant Episcopal Church of the United States, and great-nephew ofCommodore Perry; former Ambassador to JapanRoland S. Morris of Philadelphia; andHenry Waters Taft President of the Japan Society of New York City, who presided over this event. Henry W. Taft was the brother of formerPresident William Howard Taft.[11]
By the 1930s, membership had dropped significantly due to financial difficulties and theSecond Sino-Japanese War. Following theattack on Pearl Harbor in 1941,Henry Waters Taft immediately resigned as president after serving from 1922 to 1929 and again from 1934. Russell also stepped down as one of Japan Society's directors. All activities were suspended and would not resume until theTreaty of San Francisco was signed in 1951.[7]
John D. Rockefeller III served as president from 1952 to 1969 and then as chairman of the board until his death in 1978. He accompaniedJohn Foster Dulles on his trip to Japan that eventually led to the signing of the 1951 treaty. Rockefeller, a supporter of theInstitute of Pacific Relations who visited Japan in 1929 during one of its conferences, wanted to contribute to bettering US–Japan relations after the war and believed there needed to benon-governmental organizations like Japan Society in each country in order for such friendly relations to exist.[7]
Under Rockefeller's leadership, Japan Society expanded and talk began to find a permanent headquarters for it. It shared offices with another Rockefeller-led organization,Asia Society, but as the two organizations continued to grow during the 1960s it became increasingly clear that Japan Society needed its own building. After receiving donations from Rockefeller and other members, construction began on "Japan House" in 1967. Designed by Junzo Yoshimura, whose work also includes Asia Society's headquarters, it became the first building in New York of contemporary Japanese architecture. On September 13, 1971, it was finally opened to the public after a ceremony attended byPrince Hitachi. He echoed Russell's first words about Japan Society, calling for "closer people-to-people" contact between the countries.[7][12] In 1970, Rockefeller was succeeded by Japan-born lawyerIsaac Shapiro, who served as president until 1977.[13]
In the late 1990s, the Japan Society sold unusedair rights toDonald Trump, who used them along with air rights purchased from theChurch of the Holy Family and other neighboring properties to develop theTrump World Tower at the east end of the block on the former site of theUnited Engineering Center.[14]
In March 2021, Japan Society marked the 50th anniversary of the current headquarters' completion and as well as the 10th anniversary ofGreat East Japan earthquake and tsunami and the subsequentFukushima nuclear disaster with an exhibition of traditional Japanese carpentry.[15][16]
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40°45′9″N73°58′6″W / 40.75250°N 73.96833°W /40.75250; -73.96833
