President's message
2025, the Year of the Snake, or Reiwa 7 in the Japanese calendar, has begun in style for the Society. We have already held or co-hosted four events, starting with a wonderful gathering to welcome the New Year at our Shinnennkai or New Year Party on February 4. Members enjoyed a quintessentially Sydney setting - a rooftop terrace on a warm evening with tasty food and refreshing drinks - catching up with new and old friends. Photos from the evening are available here.
Another of our Zoom Culture events, also with a New Year theme, was held on February 1. Erika Yamakawa, a teacher of an art known as Onoresho, a kind of free-style calligraphy, used Zoom effectively to remotely guide a hands-on experience. The recording is available here
 
And on February 21 we held the latest of our popular Japanese-speaking evenings, Shaberanaito, in conjunction with JETAA. We hosted a group of students from Teikyo Heisei University and their Professor, travelling to Australia on their first overseas visit. Local university students also joined us to make the evening a lively one, overflowing with Japanese food and conversation.
Last week, with the Australia Japan Businesswomen's Network (AJBWN), we co-hosted an International Women's Day event. The speaker was one of our long-term members, Wendy Holdenson, Director of Mitsui & Co. (Australia), who inspired all present with the successes experienced and challenges overcome during her long career between Japan and Australia. A surprise highlight of the evening was a performance of "I am Woman" by singer Maixence Williams, one of Wendy's mentees. Thank you to the Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney for their support, and to all who attended this wonderful evening. There are some more photos on Linkedin here.   
On March 18, Professor Michael Green of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, will give a talk about Japan's Role in a Fragmenting World, discussing what challenges lie ahead for Japan, and Australia, in navigating changes in the relationship with the President Trump's United States and our region. See details below and register here.
Save the Date for our Student Awards Evening on May 15, to be held at the Japan Foundation, Sydney, and stay posted for information on other events in our scheduled program. We look forward to seeing you at an event soon.
Anita Byrnes, President
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UPCOMING Events
Japan’s Role in a Fragmenting World
with Professor Michael Green of the US Studies CentreRegister HERE
Join members and friends to hear from Professor Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, about Japan's role in this new era of fragmenting relationships. Under former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, during the first Trump Presidency, Japan initiated a Free and Open Indo-Pacific framework that fostered deeper connectivity across the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Euro-Atlantic.
However can Japan sustain its leadership in the latest Trump era? Are Japan’s domestic politics stable enough to support an active diplomatic strategy? Amid ongoing uncertainty in Washington, can Japan help shape U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific? Most importantly, how can Japan and Australia work together to strengthen their partnership and engage with the U.S.?
 Dr. Michael Green is a Japanologist who has served in the US government, think tanks and academia. He was senior vice president for Asia, Japan Chair, and Henry A. Kissinger Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),as well as Director of Asian Studies and Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at Georgetown University. He served as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC) from January 2004 to December 2005 under George W. Bush. He joined the NSC in April 2001 as director of Asian affairs responsible for Japan, Korea, and Australia/New Zealand.
His MA and Doctorate were obtained from Johns Hopkins University and he also did graduate work at U Tokyo and MIT, as well as working as a journalist and on the staff of a Diet member in Japan. Register at this link. Congratulations to Philip Mitchell
Past President of AJS-NSW and current Board member Philip Mitchell was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, at the recent Japan National Day Reception. Consul-General Yamanaka presented the award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to promoting friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and Australia. Philip is also past President of the umbrella body, the National Federation of Australia-Japan Societies.   
Supported Events & Community Info
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The Osaka Expo and 1970s Japan: Pavilions, Punchlines, and Pandemonium
13th-14th March 2025 | 6:00pm-7:30pm | The Japan Foundation Sydney
 The 1970s was a decade of dazzling ambition and unsettling change in Japan. It began with the spectacle of Expo ’70 in Osaka, a futuristic celebration of technological progress, national pride, and global prestige. Yet, as Japan embraced the promise of modernity, the decade also witnessed profound cultural shifts and unexpected upheavals. This lecture series explores three key dimensions of 1970s Japan: the utopian visions of Expo ‘70 and its groundbreaking design, the transformation of comedy as traditional performance adapted to the television age, and the era’s defining events that reshaped the nation’s identity.
Join us for this two-day retrospective, exploring how Japan transitioned from the optimism of postwar growth to a more complex, media-driven modern era.
Free |Attend onsite, in-person or watch online. Details and registration HERE.
ART EXHIBITION Sue Pedley – Prevailing Gales
Teba Jima Art Festival - 22-23 March and 29-30 March, 2025 (Tokushima)
Festival Website here
 Artworks by member Sue Pedley from her visit to Japan last year are being exhibited at the Teba Jima (出羽島）Art Festival in Shikoku. Sue investigated historical records that traced the story of the Cyprus, a brig commandeered by convicts in Recherche Bay, Tasmania, that was sailed to waters off the Awa Domain (Tokushima). In response to these records, Sue made works on paper using materials of the original manuscripts: mulberry paper, black ink, indigo dye, water-colour; also linking Tasmania and Tokushima through a collection of global detritus that also washes up in both places. She will also exhibit at the Tasmanian Maritime Museum late in 2025.
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Some links for related communities:
National Federation of Australia-Japan Societies https://austjapanfed.org.au/
Consulate General of Japan, Sydney Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CGJSYD
AJBCC https://www.ajbcc.com.au
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March 2025 Newsletter