APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE 2009 RAINBOW STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM TO JAPAN The Japanese Chamber of Commerce (JCC) Foundation is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for its 12th annual Rainbow Exchange Program for 2009, in cooperation with Ashinaga Ikueikai in Japan. This is a four-week “ Study Tour in Japan” Program. Selected students will leave LAX on July 16, 2009 and return to LAX on August 06. Ashinaga Ikueikai is a non- profit organization in Japan which offers scholarships and guidance counseling to young people in Japan whose lives have been affected the death or permanent disability of one or both parents. The program include: round trip travel to Japan and travel/hotel/meal expense during their stay in Japan provided by the JCC Foundation and Ashinaga Ikueikai, except for personal expenses irrelative to the program. Applicant qualifications are: • 18-23 year old college student enrolled in a 2-year or 4-year college full time, • U.S. citizen or permanent resident, • Some ability to understand and speak Japanese Language, • Strong interest in enhancing personal knowledge about Japanese culture and U.S. Japan relations, and • One or both parents are either deceased or permanently disabled. In addition to the application form, an essay is required by each applicant. An interview may be also required. The deadline to submit an application and essay is Thursday June 18, 2009 by 5:00 p.m. To ask for an application form and information sheet, please contact the JCC Foundation at (213)626-3067 or by e-mail: office@jccsc.com
The four students from the 24th Ashinaga Student Exchange Program have returned to their home safely
after completion of the 3 week exchange program in Los Angeles. A farewell party was held at the Green
Plaza Hotel in Pasadena with 20 guests. The JCCSC President Mr. Toshio Handa who also volunteered as
host family expressed his appreciation to the many supporters. He also encouraged the students to do their
best and presented plaques to them for completing the program. JCCSC have been supporting this worth
while program with ASHINAGA IKUE KAI in Japan for 24 years. This activity is not as well known to the
Japanese community of Los Angeles. The JCCSC will promote the program more within the Japanese
community to educate them about its merits. We hope more Japanese organizations will get involved and
share in this program. The program consisted of visiting and working at the Keiro Retirement Home along
with the many volunteers and experiencing the nursing system. The students also visited school, hospitals,
companies, the police department and the mayor’s office. They also learned first hand about education
for physically and mentally handicapped children and visited an agricultural experimental station. The students also had some fun time to enjoy Disneyland, harvesting strawberries at Ito Farms, and visiting Universal Studios. Their major
concern right now is job search and application in Japan and will be their main focus upon their return.
We sincerely hope that they grow and have more global view toward their job search. There were some
tears during their speeches because they were touched by the warmth and generosity of their host
family and supporters. JCCSC hopes their participation enables them to grow to be a wonderful individuals.
JCCSC elected as a first board chairman of Asian American Chamber Association (AACA)
The Asian American Chamber Association was established in January, 2008. The original
founding members were the Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai chambers of commerce.
The Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Philippines, Mongolian, Pakistani and Singaporean chambers
oined the AACA in May, 2008. The purpose of the organization is to foster mutual prosperity of
the greater community through expanding business opportunities and friendship among the
chambers. An Executive Committee for the AACA comprised of the Japanese, Chinese, Korean
and Thai chambers (original founder chambers) and the Philippines chamber was established
in January, 2009. This committee was established to coordinate the various activities of the AACA. The first committee meeting was held at the JCCSC office on March 17th and Mr. Toshio Handa was
elected as a first chairman. The JCCSC welcomes the leadership role and looks forward to
active and worthwhile programs with all the AACA members. Through these activities the
JCCSC hopes to expand the relationship and network between the AACA members and the
Japanese community and while revitalizing our economy and sharing or culture.
Here’s the “historical” speech by newly installed president, Toshio Handa!
Hello, everybody.
A Happy New Year!
Minasan konnichiwa.
Honorable Junichi Ihara, honorable Warren Furutani, honorable Jan
Perry, distinguished guests, friends of JCC, JCC members, ladies and
gentlemen,
Thank you all very much for coming and joining us for the Installation
Ceremony and Luncheon of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern
California today.
Thank you also for all the JCC volunteers, members and sponsors who
have worked hard to make this event possible.
Before I talk about my thought, I wish to express my sincere
appreciation to Mr. Tatsuhiko Wakao for his two years of great
leadership and outstanding contributions and dedications to our JCC.
He has increased the membership and expanded the activities. We will
have more time of appreciation later in the program.
As for myself, I have been newly assigned the role of President of
JCC. I am honored and humbled. As you can imagine, I am very proud
of our JCC and its role in the community. I am even excited about the
future of this organization. So I look forward to challenges ahead.
Economy is struggling, and we will have to squeeze our brain and make
extra efforts.
This year, we will celebrate our 60th anniversary. This is a rich and
tremendous history. We wish to work out some modest but nice
anniversary event to imprint out history and to move on for another 60
years.
The 60 years mean our founders established this JCC back in 1949, only
4 years after the end of the WWII.
I recognize and respect the valuable intangible assets, history and
legacy that have been built up and accumulated by our predecessors for
these 60 years.
I recognize my heavy responsibility too, so I am fully determined to
exert my all out efforts to make our JCC better by moving along,
moving forward, reaching out, and making our contributions and
services to the community even better.
We are already up to the neck in full of programs and activities and
quite busy, so some of my friends ask, “Can we really do it?" To
this, I have learned from a good advice by President Elect Barack
Obama. So my answer is, "Yes We Can, Yes We Can, and Yes We Can!" I
quite agree with President Elect Obama.
I said 60 years of history, but actually we were there before the war
too. We had 40 years of history before the war. So with the two
histories combined, we have 100 years of history of community
support. Before the war, our name was "Japanese Association of
Southern California", in Japanese, "Chuo Nihonjin Kai", a core
Japanese organization in southern California.
However, times were quite different from now. There were strong
discrimination and prejudice. Signs of war were emerging. For
Japanese, the times were quite tougher, rougher and even harsh. Under
such severe environments, our predecessors were struggling, fighting
and working hard to protect our basic rights, making efforts to
improve the status and life of the Japanese and Japanese Americans
here in southern California.
But the Pacific War started in 1941, and soon all the Japanese
descents in the west coast states and part of Hawaii were forcibly
moved to internment camps quickly built on large scales in the desert
areas in several States. They lost everything; they lost all their
assets, homes, lands, stores, shops, cars, or whatever. And they had
to live in the barbed wire for more than 3 years.
After the end of the war in 1945, I understand that more than 20,000
Japanese descents came back to the southern California, about10, 000
from Manzanar and others from other camps. But they had nothing and
they had to start from scratch. Many of them started sheltering at
Buddhist churches here and there.
In two years, they gathered and said "Hey, let's make a self-helping
organization to help each other again. They formed "Japanese
Association of Los Angeles". But times were too severe for the
Japanese; Japan was an enemy country only yesterday. And they were
afraid of their own name "Japanese Association" because of the
terrible and hysterical war time experiences. So in two years, in
1949 they re-organized the NPO with a new name "Japanese Chamber of
Commerce of Southern California" as they thought it sounded safer.
They said "We will work to help each other to develop business to
survive."
This is how we started. We succeed their traditions. Today we have
missions to:
*Provide opportunities and services for business development to
vitalize community
*to promote the welfare of the local Japanese American community
*to help preserve our cultural heritage
*to support future generations who will succeed us in the society in the future
*to foster good will and mutual understanding between the United
States and Japan.
Under these missions, we extend lots of community activities and
programs actively throughout the year (starting from January 1st New
Year Day cerebration to introduce Japanese culture and traditions,
promoting the students scholarship programs, sponsoring students
exchange programs for the surviving students of both USA and Japan who
lost a parent or parents both ways, from Japan to U.S. under Ashinaga
Student Program, and from U.S. to Japan under Rainbow Student Program,
running a Year End Fund Raising Campaign for Keiro Retirement Homes
and Keiro Nursing Homes, promoting association with other Asian
Chambers, contacting police and city for the community, and so on and
on).
I would ask and appreciate your understanding and strong support to us.
Now, my speech has been already long enough, and I know that our MC is
anxious. So I will cut the remaining half of my speech here.
But before I leave this stage, since this is a very happy new year's occasion, please allow me to voice a few "Banzais". Banzai is like
"Long Live" or ‘Viva’, it is an expression of celebration, joy and
pray for something good and happy.
So here we go. Please make a chorus of Banzai with me together if you like.
Firstly, for a peace and progress in the United States of America
where we live together, Banzai!
Next, for a peace to prevail on earth, Banzai!
Now, for a peace and prosperity of my mother country, Japan, Banzai!
Last but not the least but actually the most, for a peace, progress,
prosperity and happiness in our own local community here in Southern
California, where I am proud that our power and energy comes from its
diversity and friendly cooperation, Banzai!
Japanese
