Motoatsu Sakurai
“It’s best when people appreciate good things as they are,
regardless of where they’re from.”
Mr. Motoatsu Sakurai was the first ambassador and consul general from the private sector to serve at the Japanese Consulate in New York, where he incubated projects that arose from his fresh point of view and strong leadership. Now, appointed this past April as the first native Japanese president of Japan Society, Mr. Sakurai takes the helm at this century-old nonprofit organization.
It’s been almost a month since you were inducted as president of Japan Society. How would you describe the first month?
It has passed in a flash. I’ve been trying to understand what this institution does and how it functions in more detail as well as meeting each staff member to know him or her better in relation to his or her role here. Since I tried to meet them all, it took a long time, but I think I’ve gotten the general idea by now. One of the things I noticed is that the staff members are outstanding, so I feel like our discussions have gone very smoothly.
Also, I learned that here we deal with a wide variety of activities, more than I realized. Well, of course, since we are an institution promoting exchange between Japan and the US, we are allowed to do anything we think of, in a sense, but before I didn’t realize the breadth of our activities. For example, our gallery and performing arts programs are well known to the public, but our Language Center is relatively unknown. The program, whose facility was actually donated by Toyota Corporation, has a solid reputation. In addition, we often hold corporate programs, such as lectures and discussions on timely issues. About two weeks ago, Mr. Masaaki Shirakawa, Governor of the Bank of Japan, gave a speech here, and the event attracted such a huge audience that our auditorium was full. Since there are many business people in New York, such corporate programs are especially meaningful. We have education programs as well, although not so many people know about these. I attended a Children’s Day event the other day and was surprised that many children were from internationally married couples and even non-Japanese couples. I had expected that Japanese families would come to this sort of event to remember their native culture, but what I found was completely different. I am grateful that people who are unable to be in Japan use our program. From our perspective, this is particularly good for expanding the foundation of our supporters.
There is one more thing, which is almost invisible to the public. It’s the education program for educators in middle and high schools who plan to teach something related to Japan like history, culture, et cetera. It is often hard for these teachers––especially if they haven’t been to Japan––to acquire this knowledge to pass on to their students. Our program helps them. I think this is particularly interesting. The Chinese government funds and really focuses on promoting China through educational programs, and Japan Society is happy to be able to help teachers educate students about Japan.
Japan Society is an American institution established on a Japanese foundation. In this sense, most of the financial contributors are US citizens, and in terms of corporate contributions, the percentage from Japanese corporations has been little as long as I have observed. It might be good if the ratio were close to even, since the US and Japanese contributors blend so well.
Sushi, sake, karaoke, sudoku… many aspects of Japanese culture are accepted internationally. What do you think the next big Japanese thing will be in the US?
That’s a good question. Hmm, this might not answer your question, but as one of our lecture series, we hosted a discussion between world-renowned architects Paul Tange, son of Kenzo Tange, and César Pelli to draw a vivid image of how Japanese creativity gets accepted and how Eastern and Western cultures blend together. As you see, sushi is essential in the food scene in New York today––in other words, Japanese culture exists naturally in another culture. Architecture, fashion, jewelry design, music … these are things that exemplify the creativity of Japanese people. I think many people don’t recognize that they are from Japan, but they may think, “Oh, that’s good.” It’s best when people appreciate good things as they are, regardless of where they’re from, and I think the frequency of that is growing.
So we have to consider which direction Japan Society should take. If we decide to represent the current trend of Japanese culture being accepted in this diversified way as I just explained, there are many things we haven’t yet done. Or should we keep putting an emphasis on exploring the artistic element? In this regard, the current exhibition, KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games, is a part of the former category and leads to more fans of Japanese contemporary culture. The visitors to KRAZY!, including children, might not appreciate the art of Japanese lacquer. But when those who come here to see this anime, manga, and video game exhibition see Japanese lacquer, they will definitely be able to connect Japanese lacquer with Japan. So this would ultimately contribute to increasing our audience. The issue here is how we can combine the two directions.
From a global point of view, what is Japan criticized for?
As a general tendency, Japanese people traditionally look inwardly. Think about how they are dealing with swine flu. They don’t allow a single infected person to come in. It’s a good example of how perfect Japan’s border defense is. It is unbelievable for other countries. Japanese have a strong sense of borderlines. I feel like this inward tendency has grown these days. On the other hand, most important events happen under global circumstances. If my observation about Japan is correct, this tendency could make the country more isolated and set back its progress in this global society. Japan is often criticized for lacking its own message. Even though its message sounds weak, what Japan actually does can be appreciated as strong. Since each message from Japan sounds more or less low key, Japan might appear to be lacking messages as a whole. So Japan has to look at itself more objectively and think more seriously about how people outside the country view it.
We are now experiencing an economic downturn on a global scale. Would you suggest anything that Japan and the US can do together to solve this problem?
There are many. Since there is no pending issue between the US and Japan—the security pact has a solid framework and Japan invests in American corporations to create employment––the economic partnership between the two countries has been established. Well, what are the issues under these circumstances? The answer would be global issues, as I touched on previously––let’s say an environmental issue like acid rain, for example. Japan is the most powerful country among Asian countries that rely on democracy and the free market––like the US, it is needless to say. It is crucial for the two countries to reach across their borders and cooperate with each other to deal with global issues such as energy conservation and recycling, as well as other problems of our planet. They already know that the important thing is how to approach these issues. But it may not always go so smoothly because both the US and Japan have their own pride. To clarify this, the cooperation of the two countries resembles the style of a joint-venture business, I think. Generally speaking, a company in such a situation tends to think about taking from its partner rather than giving to the partner. An “even relationship” in this context is often misinterpreted. Each side is not satisfied until it takes more than the other. Analyzing this objectively, it is true that this propensity interferes with smooth negotiations. So, in my humble opinion, it is necessary to think more about giving in order to solve global issues.
———– Interview by Noriko Komura
Motoatsu Sakurai After graduating from Tokyo University, Mr. Sakurai began working for Mitsubishi Corporation. His business career also includes working as a loan officer with the World Bank and as an investment officer at the International Finance Corporation in Washington, D.C. In 2003, he was named president and CEO of Mitsubishi International Corporation. In 2006, he was appointed ambassador and consul general in New York after a successful 40-year career in the private sector, making him the first business executive to serve as ambassador and consul general. Mr. Sakurai took over the leadership of Japan Society this April as the first Japanese-born president of the institution.
Program highlights at Japan Society
June 15: Japan Society 2009 Annual Dinner
This dinner features keynote speaker Fujio Mitarai, Chairman of Nippon Keidanren and Chairman and CEO of Canon Inc.
June 30-July 12: JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Films
The only large-scale annual Japanese film festival in North America brings a sizable slice of Japan’s contemporary film scene to New York City. JAPAN CUTS is a diverse selection of the most notable recent films from Japan.
July 12: Japan’s Star Festival: Tanabata
A child-friendly theatrical performance introduces Japan’s famous Tanabata legend. Participants will make paper ornaments and their own traditional tanzaku.
For more programs and event information, go to Japan Society’s website: www.japansociety.org.
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