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NAJAS (National Association of Japan America Societies) held its 2023 Annual Conference in Columbus, OH this year. Japan America Society of Greater Cincinnati’s Executive Director Anne Golden attended the event as well as Board Members Steve and Helen Rindsberg.
NAJAS currently has 38 member societies in the U.S. and Canada. Learn more about NAJAS here. The conference featured an annual meeting attended by NAJAS board members including each society’s executive director or CEO.
The conference consisted of presentations including one by Yusuke Shindo, Consul General of Japan in Detroit. Rear Admiral James Kelly, USN (Ret) President of CIE-US, also presented on the US-Japan security alliance during a segment titled “Meeting the China Challenge from DC, Tokyo and Indo Pacific.” CIE-US is CIE’s partner in the United States. CIE-US helps find and support host cities for Summits in the United States and encourages Americans to participate in Summits in Japan.
Steve and Helen Rindsberg served on a fundraising panel, discussing the role of individual philanthropy. Deborah Sherer, Senior VP, One Columbus, was also a panelist.
Happening at the same time was the US-Japan Grassroots Summit 2023. The US-Japan Grassroots Summit is a week-long event where Japanese prefectures and American states alternate as host regions, with locals sharing their homes and the unique features of their communities and guests enjoying sight-seeing, cultural activities, receptions, and homestays with them. JASGC Board member Tom Tsuchiya attended along with his fiancé, Angela Livengood. Learn about the history of the US-Japan Grassroots Summit here.
