Greetings from New York,
Recently, I have often seen young people in cap and gown walking down the street, excitedly attending their graduation ceremonies with joy and happiness.
Today, I would like to share that I, too, will “graduate” from the Japan Foundation New York. It is with deep gratitude yet heavy heart that I announce that my term here in New York will conclude at the end of June, and I will be returning to the J.F. headquarters in Tokyo.
When I started as JFNY Director General in September 2020, people here were in the midst of suffering from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was almost impossible to meet our partners and friends in person. I remember it was six months before I could even think about traveling outside of N.Y.C. on business and a year before I met many of my colleagues in the office.
Under these extremely unusual and difficult circumstances, my first task was to find ways to continue our programs while ensuring the safety of our staff. And the staff and I discussed at length how to effectively support organizations and institutions in the U.S. whose activities were severely affected by the pandemic. As a result, we initiated a variety of new support programs which included a number of online programs and activities in accordance with the dire situation.
Today, thankfully, the situation is very different from those earlier days. People-to-people exchanges between our two countries have returned to their former levels, and numerous cultural exchange programs are now taking place all over the country. Although we have been facing tragic and difficult situations such as wars and natural disasters around the world in recent years, the collaborative efforts of the people of our two countries to overcome these difficulties continue to evolve in many ways.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of our partners and friends in the United States. Allow me to also express my sincere appreciation to my wonderful colleagues. Your unwavering support and collaboration have made my time here truly memorable and rewarding.
At this time, I must also announce that my colleague, Ms. Yuu Matsushima, who has been energetically working on grassroots exchange programs, will also “graduate” from JFNY and return to Japan at the same time as I do.
Mr. Hiroyuki Kojima, currently Managing Director of the Global Partnerships Department in Tokyo, will be my successor, and Ms. Ritsuko Nakai will be coming from the Madrid office as Yuu’s successor.
I kindly ask for your continued support for both of these individuals.
As with any graduation, this is not the end, but a new beginning. While we are sad to leave NYC, there is a whole new world out there waiting for us. May our paths cross again in the future.
Masaya Shimoyama
Director General, Japan Foundation, New York