Boston International is pleased to announce that our next event, focusing on the recent Earthquake and Tsunami that devastated parts of Japan, will be held on Wednesday, April 13 at 7 pm.  We are honored to host Mr. Takeshi Hikihara, Consul General of Japan, as a speaker, as we seek to better understand the effects of the tragedy on the Japanese people and economy and look at the government's response leading Japan to recovery. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Japan Disaster Relief Fund.

About the Speaker:

Mr. Takeshi Hikihara, Consul General of Japan in Boston, is originally from Nara, Japan. He is a graduate of University of Tokyo and entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1986. He has served as a representative of Japan in Senegal, France, Korea, Russia, and the United States, and has also served as the Director of Southwest Asia and also Western Europe for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Consul General Hikihara is married and has two children.

MIT is located in the heart of Kendall Square and is easily accessible by public transportation.

About our Host

The MIT Sloan School of Management, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of the world's leading business schools — conducting cutting-edge research and providing management education to top students from more than 60 countries. The School is part of MIT's rich intellectual tradition of education and research.

About our Partners

The Consulate-General of Japan in Boston is graciously partnering with Boston International to make this event possible. As the representative body of the Japanese government in Boston, the Consulate-General is dedicated to supporting collaborative activities across many different fields--including in the biotech and IT industries and the educational, artistic, and cultural sectors--and to making the Japan-U.S. relationship as productive and meaningful as possible.

The Japan Society of Boston, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote cultural and economic ties and active interchange between Japanese and Americans for mutual understanding, benefit and enjoyment. The oldest Japan Society in the United States, founded in 1904, it serves as a bridge and programming nexus for a network of individuals, cultural and academic institutions, and business and financial firms, linked together by a strong interest in Japan and a shared recognition of the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship. 

The Japan Society of Boston is pleased to announce it has partnered with The Boston Foundation and The Fish Family Foundation in creating a new Japanese Disaster Relief Fund. This fund was established in collaboration by The Japan Society of Boston, The Boston Foundation, and the Fish Family Foundation with an initial leadership grant of $100,000 from Atsuko and Lawrence Fish, who have also pledged to cover all administrative costs of the fund.  This will make it possible for 100% of all contributions to go directly to Japanese disaster victims and to the organizations working on the ground in Tohoku to help the people who need it most.  Contributions to this fund are for immediate relief – not for long-term infrastructure recovery, which is seen as the responsibility of the government of Japan.  An advisory group of recognized Japan specialists has also been established to direct the flow of funds to the Japanese agencies and NGOs now assisting the victims in the Tohoku area. To emphasize the urgency of help needed for Japanese disaster victims, the new Japanese Disaster Relief Fund is set up to operate for only two years: 2011 and 2012.