n Japan, cherry blossoms are cherished as a symbol of springand the ephemeral nature of life and beauty. The delicateflowers fall from the trees just days after blooming, and the firstspring rains usually leave the trees with only their budding newleaves. This year, Japanese celebrated the earliest blooming of

cherry trees in nearly five decades on March 23rd, due to unseasonablywarm weather, drinking beer and eating rice balls at parks throughoutthe country. In the U.S., cherry blossom festivals were held inWashington to mark the 90th anniversary of the gift of 3,000 of theblossoming cherry trees to Washington, DC by the Mayor of Tokyo,Yukio Ozaki in 1912. Washington DC’s annual National Cherry BlossomFestival, where the beautiful trees line the Tidal Basin on the Mall, wascelebrated March 23-April 8, marked by many sporting events, concertsand other activities. The Cherry Blossom Festival Parade was held onApril 6, featuring floats, marching bands, helium balloons and theNational Cherry Blossom Festival Queen, with princesses from each ofthe 50 states, territories and Washington DC. Honorary Chairman FirstLady Laura Bush noted in a welcoming letter, that President and Mrs.Howard Taft, and Mayor Ozaki, “would be heartened to know that thefriendship between the U.S. and Japan that this gift symbolizes is asstrong today as it was in 1912.” The festival takes on a new meaningthis year, she said. “We welcome spring as a season of healing and newbeginnings for our nation and as always, we will celebrate our closefriendship with Japan.” Ambassador to the U.S. Ryozo Kato wrote, “Thisyear, after the devastating terrorist attacks upon this country, there ismuch in need of renewal. It is my hope that this year’s Festival will liftthe spirits of this nation and its people touched by tragedy even as ithighlights the friendship between Japan and the United States.” Thefirst official cherry blossom festivals were held in the U.S. in 1935, andhave since grown into annual, national celebrations often called one ofthe most beautiful sights in the country. This year, in light of theaftermath of the Sept. 11 events, organizers throughout the countryworked particularly hard to promote their events and boost tourism andwith the full bloom of the cherry blossoms, they enjoyed a pleasantlylarge turnout.

Japan Now is online!www.embjapan.org/jicc.html

CHERRY BLOSSOMS ARE A RITE OF SPRING RENEWAL

Japan Informationand Culture Center,

EMBASSY OF JAPAN

C O N T E N T S

Brighter outlook for 2002As ambitious reforms have an impact theeconomy is expected to rebound.

Prime Minister on the budgetHe promises a renewed confidence andvitality to meet the nation’s expectations.

World Cup Excitement BuildsWith the games just around the cornerpreparations continue apace.

ViewpointFormer UNHCR Sadako Ogata speaks onher 10-year effort to help refugees.

Beyond DifferencesThe classic samurai had armor andweapons that were ingenious, and deadly.

Important Japan-relatedsourcesSave this list of key website addresses onJapanese issues.

Japanese Dolls on displayNingyo, have been part of life in Japansince ancient times.

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A beautiful view of the monument and the cherry blossoms.

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s Japan entered its new fiscal year April 1, thegovernment remains committed to the rebirthof the national economy through sweepingprograms of fundamental reforms to theexisting social and economic structures, and

the construction of a new national framework that willlead to the full realization of the country’s vastpotential. Specific lines of action will touch on almostevery part of Japanese society, from budgetary reformand the disposal of non-performing loans and excessindebtedness, to regulatory reform, the reform ofspecial public corporations, the revitalization of theprivate sector, job creation to address unemployment,the problems of the aging society, and further cleaningup the environment.

On April 20, Finance Minister MasajuroShiokawa addressed the 5th meeting of theInternational Monetary and Financial Committee ofthe International Monetary Fund in Washington DC,outlining the government of Japan’s measures to bringabout an economic recovery this year. Here are themain points of his speech:

“The Japanese economy remains in a difficultsituation. On February 27 the government launchedand “anti-deflation package,” and the Bank of Japanalso took further monetary easing measures, includingan increase in the outright purchase amount of long-term Japanese government bonds and made it clearthat it will continue its utmost efforts to secure marketstability and to realize the full permeation of theeffects on monetary easing by providing ampleliquidity.

“These concerted efforts by the governmentand the Bank of Japan, along with progress in thedisposal of non-performing loans and thematerialization of corporate restructuring plans, bothof which were partly promoted by the specialinspections carried out by the Financial ServicesAgency, have been welcomed by the market and thestock indices have soared. The alleged “Marchfinancial crisis” has turned out to be just an illusionand the financial system remains stable. In addition,industrial production and exports are now bottomingout, and a new basis for growth, includingimprovement of the external environment and progressin inventory adjustments, is being steadily built. TheJapanese economy is expected to begin to recover in

BRIGHTER 2002OUTLOOK AS REFORMS

TAKE HOLD

Athe latter half of this year.

“One of the most significant problems in oureconomy is the non-performing loan issue. In order toaccelerate the disposal of non-performing loans, theJapanese government recently decided to:1) Accelerate the current timeframe for the removal ofnon-performing loans from banks’ balance sheets,which calls for removing loans newly classified as “indanger of bankruptcy” or below within three years, byadding a new target that requires, in principle, thedisposal of 50 percent of the non-performing loanswithin one year and 80 percent within two years.2) Enhance the effectiveness and efficiency ofinspections by introducing a de facto residentinspection system for each major banking group.3) Explore measures to promote the consolidation offinancial institutions, particularly regional institutions.

“There have been concrete developments inthe disposal of non-performing loans since last year. Inparticular, special inspections were carried out inmajor banks, mainly focusing on their major debtorsthat have experienced significant changes in the valueof the stocks and in their credit ratings. A broad rangeof assets was examined so determine whether debtorclassifications and level of write-off and provisioningare adequate. The results were released last week. Thelosses from the NPL disposal, which was announcedby the major banks in tandem with the release of thespecial inspection results, amounted to 7.8 trillionyen, an 80% increase over the last year’s losses fromNPL disposal. This increase confirms that the pace ofNPL disposal is indeed accelerating.

“Progress is also being achieved on thecorporate restructuring front. The Resolution andCollection Corporation (RCC) has already beenutilized in some cases. In addition, a corporatereconstruction fund (deleveraging fund) wasestablished, led by private financial institutions, andseveral asset management corporations have been setup in order to establish such funds in the coming

Finance Minister Shiokawa, 2nd from the right, meets with other G-7Finance Ministers. (AP Photo/Kenneth Lambert)

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n March 27, Prime Minister JunichiroKoizumi held a press conference announcingthe passage by the Diet of the FY2002budget, calling it “the single most importanttask” facing his Cabinet. The Prime Minister

said the budget “bodes well indeed for the future,especially when we consider the economic measuresthat we must still implement, the measures againstdeflation and what we must do to improve the lives ofthe people. As we move forward with structuralreforms, I intend to focus my utmost efforts for thesmooth implementation of this budget.”

He said the cuts in certain areas, coupledwith increases for social welfare, education, scienceand technology, IT and the environment, “clearlyreflects the priorities of our policies.” He said it was“essential that the Government work together with theBank of Japan in taking measures to counter deflationand to revitalize the economy.” The Prime Ministernoted that “this is the year of reform in full bloom,”and said that “the fact is that compared to a year ago,

a great deal hasbeen steadilyachieved in manyareas,” citingstructural,regulatory, fiscaland socialreforms.”The very factthat steadyadvances arebeing made inreforms hithertothoughtimpossible shouldbe a source ofrenewedconfidence for the

people of Japan, but we must be vigilant,” he said.“The latent potential of the Japanese economy isindeed formidable,” he added, citing in particular thevibrant private sector. He concluded: “My mission isto steadily advance structural reform and to realizeeconomic revival as soon as possible by creating anenvironment in which Japan can boldly develop itseconomy and display a vitality that is commensuratewith the high expectations that are placed on ournation.”

PRIME MINISTER ON THE BUDGET

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months. These actions are expected to further promotecorporate revival.

“Furthermore, measures to enable the RCC topurchase non-performing loans from financialinstitutions at fair value and to participate in auctionsof non-performing loans held by financial institutionswere enforced this January.

“The government has decided to urge majorbanks to aggressively utilize the functions of the RCC,including its function as a trustee so that NIPLdisposal will be further accelerated.

“On structural reform, I recognize that reformcannot proceed without pain. I am confident, however,that beneath the pain a new basis for growth issteadily materializing: NPL disposal and corporaterestructuring and revival are under way, and corporatemanagement is becoming more innovative anddynamic, led by younger people with new visions andways of doing business.

“In order to support this trend and invigorateprivate economic activity it is important to focus onthe government’s policy measures, such as fiscal andtax measures and deregulation, on areas identified ashaving high growth potential, while at the same timeensuring fiscal discipline.

“To this end, the government intends toconduct an intensive discussion to determine thebasic direction of policy management, mainly in termsof economic and fiscal structural reform, and willannounce in June its new thinking on economic andfiscal policy management.”

SOCIETAL MEASURES ALSO PLANNED

In societal terms, the government’s reformproposals also include an emphasis on humanresources and educational development to addresschanges in the social makeup of the nation. Bothwill be promoted through the further establishmentof universities that can compete at the highestlevels in the world. High unemployment will betackled through job-promotion to correct themismatch between supply and demand inemployment and the social safety net will bestrengthened. Regarding the declining birth rateand the aging of society, programs will be mountedfor creating barrier-free public spaces and jobopportunities for the elderly and working mothers.On the environmental front, efforts will be madefor the ratification in 2002 of the COP7 frameworkfor the prevention of global warming. Similarly,actions will be taken to cope with dioxin pollutionand to promote various forms of recycling.

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WORLD CUP JUSTAROUND THE CORNER

xcitement keeps building as the World Cupsoccer championship approaches — the firstever hosted by two countries (Japan andSouth Korea), and the first in Asia, a regionthat is home to more than 60 percent of the

global population. The opening match will be held inSeoul on May 31, and the final in Yokohama (one of10 stadiums to be used in Japan) on June 30. FIFA,the world soccer’s governing body, has declared thetwo host nations fully ready, and says it is justcounting the days to the first match in the 32-nationtournament. In Japan, much preparation has beentaken. Avid local fans have requested over 1.7 milliontickets. Some snapshots of World Cup activity:YOKOHAMA. When the final rolls around, theportside city of 3.5 million will be at full throttle,opening indoor sports centers and public buildings asfree accommodation for visiting fans without a hotelroom. “The Three Tenors,” opera singers JoseCarreras, Placido Domingo and Lucian Pavoratti, allenthusiastic soccer fans, will hold their fourth andfinal World Cup soccer concert on June 27 at theYokohama Arena concert hall, which canaccommodate 10,000.

A recent tune-up match between Japan andCosta Rica drew 64,000 at the YokohamaInternational Stadium with an unprecedented 3,250policeman, volunteers and city employees on hand topractice for the real games. The city’s authorities havedeveloped new software to deal with emergencies innine languages, training 47 personnel to respond toforeign-language appeals.SENDAI. The northern city is expecting 100,000fans of the Italian team to attend training sessions andits matches there. It will also sell commemorativeprepaid subway and bus cards bearing greetings inItalian “Benvenuti a Sendai” (Welcome to Sendai) ofwhich it has printed 130,000. The city hopes togenerate millions in revenue for the three matches ithosts.ECONOMIC IMPACT. Experts say that even inthe worst case scenario (with Japan’s team, rated a 66-1 long shot to win the Cup, not advancing beyond thefirst round) the country should reap an economicimpact of at least $13 billion. They note that theWorld Cup finals in France in 1998 boosted the stockmarket there by 39 percent in the first half of the yearand the Cup finals in Japan could add as much as 0.3percent to Japan’s gross domestic product.

E PM KOIZUMI’S KICK. The Prime Minister, whokicked a ceremonial ball at the Japan-Costa Ricafriendly in Yokohama, told reporters April 17 that hehad conducted a little practice in his office,explaining the thuds that aides heard.HELPING AFGHANISTAN. A group of Japanesecollege students is trying to raise close to $27,000 toinstall satellite television dishes in Kabul so thatAfghan children can watch the Cup finals. They planto install the dishes in about 30 public facilitiesaround the war-torn city in advance of the games,beginning with government help in releasing thedetails of their plans. Under the Taliban regime thepeople of Afghanistan were barred from playingsoccer or watching television. “Let’s deliver theWorld Cup to Afghanistan” is the student’s slogan.GETTING IN SHAPE. Cup organizers have beenmeeting with 72 referees and linesmen and havethem reviewing video films on how to call penaltiesand taking fitness tests. The referees must run 2,700meters in 12 minutes, 200 meters in 32 seconds, and50 meters in 7.5 seconds. They must also passmedical and drug tests, and are being warned thisyear to pay special attention to players who try to winpenalty kicks by faking that they were fouled.SECURITY MEASURES. Following Sept. 11,special attention continues to be devoted to security.The government will ban all flights near stadiumsduring the tournament, and similar measures will betaken in South Korea. Increased security will also beapplied at all airports to prevent unauthorized aircraftfrom flying in the direction of Cup venues. Bombsniffing dogs have been deployed at TokyoInternational Airport in Narita, just outside of thecapital to check arriving luggage at the nation’slargest international airport. Japanese police havealso set up a hooligan “information center” to gatherdata on potential troublemakers who have disruptedgames at past championships. Around 100 “spotters”from overseas police forces will be on the lookout forpotential problems and the center will be havebranches in police stations throughout the country.The Finance Ministry has also warned consumers tobe on the lookout for imported counterfeit themeitems such as knockoff uniforms of Japan’s nationalteam. The number of confiscated goods has alreadysurpassed 3,000.

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BY SADAKO OGATA

n April 8, former U.N. High Commissioner forRefugees, Sadako Ogata, addressed theWoodrow Wilson International Center forScholars in Washington, DC on her 10 yearsin that office. The highlights of her remarks:“When I became High Commissioner in

1991, the Cold War had just ended and people spokeof a new world order. The changes for the better wereextraordinary. Democracy spread across Central andEastern Europe and nearly all of Latin America.Apartheid in South Africa was defeated. But withinweeks after my arrival, almost two million Iraqi Kurdsfled to Iran and Turkey.

“Soon we moved into Northern Iraq, and forthe first time worked closely with internationalmilitary forces to bring back the people to safety. Inthe following years, especially in the formerYugoslavia, and Central Africa, we were constantlychallenged to rethink our protection, assistance andsolution strategies. These were times when massiveoutflow of people took place across borders.

“These were also periods marked by internalconflicts, with large-scale displacement of peoplewithin borders. The foundation of refugee protectionremained legal, but ensuring protection increasinglybecame an operational, practical, hands-on activity.UNHCR was on the frontlines, often in war situations.We became much more active in countries of origin,particularly when helping returnees reintegrate. Thetimes also demanded innovative approaches toasylum. We broke new ground – and together savedmany lives – by promoting temporary protection forrefugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“If I were to give you a ten-year balance sheetof the work of my office, UNHCR, I think I can claimsuccesses. The most important is that millions ofrefugees were repatriated. Starting with the return ofthe African National Congress exiles to post-apartheid South Africa, the most significant case thatfollowed was that of Mozambique, where a 20-yearwar had uprooted more than a third of the population.We worked hard and by 1995 all 1.7 million refugeeswere back home and, more importantly, stayed home.

“There were successes in Asia and LatinAmerica too. In Cambodia, we helped 400,000refugees return home. The completion of repatriationfrom Thailand to Laos and the closure of Vietnamesecamps in Hong Kong in 2000 signaled the end of the

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25 year-old Indochinese refugee saga. I traveled toMexico in l999 to witness the formal closure of theGuatemalan refugee camps and repatriationoperation, which put an end to decades of refugeecrises in Central America.

“Solutions to refugee problems take time. Thisis a lesson I learned over the years. But the successstories demonstrate that even very complex refugeeproblems can be solved when governments arecommitted and resources are available. Formal peaceagreements provide the best basis for repatriation ofrefugees. At the same time, a combination ofinnovative and comprehensive approaches has alsoproven to produce unexpected results. TheMozambique settlement was realized by a smallreligious organization, and then implemented by theU. N. The Vietnamese refugee problem was settledthrough an UNHCR-sponsored Comprehensive Planof Action, which combined resettlement, non-refugeereturn and migration outlet. Mexico provided refugeeswith asylum opportunities…But surely, you will ask.Are there not better ways to tackle the refugeeproblems? Can you not solve them more efficiently, orbetter still, prevent them from suffering displacementto begin with?

“Given the kind of world we live in, I thinkUNHCR must continue to strengthen its emergencypreparedness and response capacity. Moreover, itmust increase its ‘surge capacity’ through expandedstand-by arrangements and people trained and readyfor rapid deployment...However, when it comes to thequestion of generally available means to protectpeople and solve their problems, I have found grossinadequacies, and wish to raise three points asthoughts for the future.” Mrs. Ogata cited first, theneed for conflict resolution mechanisms, re-orientedfrom inter-state wars to community-conflicts. Secondshe called for coordination of humanitarian anddevelopment assistance in the transition phases fromwar to peace. Third, she noted the need to promotesustained co-existence of peoples in dividedcommunities and to promote education worldwide.

“The approaches I have outlined,” she said,“will certainly bring far reaching results in alleviatinghuman suffering (but) there is one crucial issue thatmust be addressed…how to move the political will ofgovernments and leaders to care and act on behalf ofthose who suffer. The cause of their flight and miseryis largely political. How can you turn humanitariancompassion to political action? I would like to askyou all to join forces to think this point through.”

• Sadako Ogata served as UNHCR from Dec.1990 to Dec. 2000. Her grandfather was aforeign minister, and her great grandfather aprime minister of Japan in the 1930s. Shestudied at Georgetown and received her PhDfrom U.C. Berkeley in 1963.

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apanese samurai armor has long fascinatedAmericans, who are very familiar withWestern knights heavy “metal suits.” TheJapanese design was very practical. Japanesesamurai were mounted on Mongol ponies.

While the ponies were fast and famous for theirendurance, they did not have the muscle of theWestern horse. Lighter armor allowed archers’ poniesto move with the speed that was the best protectionagainst enemy arrows.

Samurai yoroi armor was ingenious. Instead ofsolid metal plates, it was made of small, overlaidscales of iron — somewhat like the “armor” design ofa fish scales. The plates, lacquered black, werebound tightly in a horizontal pattern with brightlycolored silk thongs and tied across the mostvulnerable portions of the body.

To get a sense of the early, stylized, archer-based battles between opposing factions, imagine abattlefield with the two sides in full armor, mountedand facing one another, with their tall, silken bannersruffling in the breeze. The stage is set: arrows areloosed from both sides, aimed high. Some have large,perforated woodenheads that make eerie whistlingsounds as they pierce the sky, announcing to all earsthat the first act has begun.

The second act starts with a sequential seriesof paired combats between champions, elite fightersfrom each side. To maintain one’s pride of place,each champion proclaims, in turn (and at the top ofhis lungs for the benefit of any listeners), his nameand the great battles his samurai forebears havefought. A true champion felt insulted to bechallenged by someone he considered his inferior.

One such challenge came during the HogenIncident in 1156, caused by a succession dispute inthe Imperial family, a dispute that could only besettled through bloodshed. According to StephenTurnbull in The Book of the Samurai, the WarriorClass of Japan, one powerful samurai archer,Minamoto Tametomo, was known to carry a bow thatwas a remarkable eight-and-a-half feet long. After anopponent had shouted his pedigree, Turnbull quotesTametomo as thundering back, “You are not a strongenough enemy for me, but your words are socourteous that I shall give you an arrow. Take it! Itwill be a great mark of honor for you in this world,and also something to remember me by in the next.”

Tametomo’s bow was dead-on accurate, somuch so that soon all the opposing samurai slipped

THE CLASSIC SAMURAI

J quietly away to less hazardous portions or thebattlefield. An opportunity for the great Taira samuraifamily came about thanks to inability of the variousBuddhist temples in the Kyoto area to get along.These temples recruited samurai-monks whoseweapon of choice was the naginata.

It was the length of a spear made devastatingwith a long, curved blade. These toughs had a certainfamiliarity with Buddhism, but they left prayer andgood works to others. The temples sent their short-tempered samurai-monks to intimidate, fight, and setfires at rival temples in an ebb-and-flow of battlesover land and prestige that went on for years. Thecourt didn’t worry as long as the temples fought onlyamongst themselves. But when the samurai-monksstormed out of Kyoto’s surrounding hills to stage theirbattles right in the city, the center of civilized andcultured life, their squabbles terrified the Emperor.

Taira Tadamori (1096-1153) took it uponhimself to protect the Fujiwara Imperial familyduring this time. In gratitude the Emperor gaveTadamori his favorite concubine. Just nine monthslater, the concubine gave birth to Taira Kiyomori.Kiyomori having some (admittedly distant)pretensions to Imperial blood, carried on the battlefor the court against the samurai monks.

In 1164, determined to show who was incharge, he fired an arrow at a mikoshi, a hugeportable shrine carried by the monks of Gion shrine.This was an unspeakable affront to the monks, butdelighted the court. Kiyomori rose to the position ofgrand minister and in 1180, Kiyomori’s infantgrandson became the Emperor Antoku, supplantingthe Fujiwara.

The Taira were based in central Japan andaround the Inland Sea and were known for theircultured, courteous ways. The Minamoto, however,flourished and developed great fighters in the wild,rustic, eastern provinces. As both grew in power andinfluence, it became obvious that a clash betweenthese two samurai families was inevitable.

• Carol Marleigh Kline is a freelance writer inWashington, D.C. who spent 11 years living inJapan. Next month she will write about,“Minamoto versus Taira.”

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Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinethttp://www.kantei.go.jp/

Official web site of the Prime Minister’s office.

Ministry of Foreign Affairshttp://www.mofa.go.jp/

Official web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Embassy of Japanhttp://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/

The official web site of the Embassy of Japan,Washington, DC, with links to Travel and Visa,Cultural, Political and Economic information.

Japan Information and Culture Centerhttp://www.embjapan.org/embj2/jicc.html

The official web site for the JICC, Embassy of Japan.Links to DC area events, past Japan Now newsletters, ageneral information sheet on Japan, and much more.

Jin Japanhttp://www.jinjapan.org/

Japan Information Network web site. Get statistics,information on regions and cities, access a directorywith governmental-affiliated bodies and NGOs, andtake a look at many more sites including:

Kids Web Japanhttp://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/index.html

Kids Web Japan is a site that introduces Japan toschoolchildren.

Trends in Japanhttp://www.jinjapan.org/trends/index.html

A web site with short, engaging dispatches on the latesttrends in business, science, fashion, art, and more.

Japan External Trade Organizationhttp://www.jetro.go.jp/

Provides trade and investment information tocompanies and individuals.

Economic and Social Research Institute,Cabinet Office

http://www.esri.cao.go.jp/index.htmlLatest Japanese business statistics and economicresearch.

JAPAN-RELATEDINFORMATION

SOURCES

Economic and Fiscal Policy of Japanhttp://www5.cao.go.jp/keizai/index-e.html

Latest information on Japan’s economic and fiscalpolicy management, international policy, policy visionand future prospect of economy and society, regulatoryreform and analysis on economic situations.

Japan National Tourist Organizationhttp://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/

Provides tourist information about Japan.

Council of Local Authorities forInternational Relations

http://www.clair.nippon-net.ne.jp/ Information on projects and activities for regional

internationalization carried out by CLAIR.

Association of International Education,Japan

http://www.aiej.or.jp/index_e.htmlAIEJ provides information on studying in Japan, student

exchanges, and international exchange projects.

Japan Organising Committee for the2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan

http://www.jawoc.or.jp/

Soccer For Kidshttp://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb/wckids/

Has all the latest information on the 2002 FIFAWorld Cup for children.

CONSULATE GENERALS OF JAPAN

Agana-http://www.hagatna.us.emb-japan.go.jp/ Anchorage-http://www.anchorage.us.emb-japan.go.jp/Atlanta-http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp/Boston-http://www.embjapan.org/boston/ Chicago-http://www.chicago.us.emb-japan.go.jp/ Denver-http://www.denver.us.emb-japan.go.jp/Detroit-http://www.detroit.us.emb-japan.go.jp/ Honolulu-http://www.honolulu.us.emb-japan.go.jp/Houston-http://www.cgjhouston.org/Kansas City-http://www.embjapan.org/kansascity/Los Angeles-http://www.la.us.emb-japan.go.jp/Miami-http://www.embjapan.org/miami/ New Orleans-www.neworleans.us.emb-japan.go.jp/ New York-http://www.cgj.org/Portland-http://www.portland.us.emb-japan.go.jp/San Francisco-http://www.cgjsf.org/Seattle-http://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/

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JAPAN NOW is a publication of the Embassy of Japan for distribution to readers in the United States. However, the opinions and material contained herein do not necessarily represent the

views or policies of the government of Japan.

Japan Information and Culture CenterEMBASSY OF JAPAN

eojjicc@erols.comwww.embjapan.org/jicc.html

1155 21ST STREET, NWWASHINGTON, DC 20036

202-238-6900

n Japan, dolls, Ningyo, have been a part ofeveryday life since ancient times. Japanesedolls reflect the customs of Japan and theaspirations of its people, possess distinctiveregional attributes, and over the centuries

have developed into many diverse forms. Dolls alsoprovide a showcase for traditional Japanese craftproducts, such as textiles.

With this in mind, from March 1 to April 5,the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC),Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC held anexhibition of Japanese dolls. The 54 distinguisheddolls on display were a part of a traveling exhibitionsponsored by the Japan Foundation. Designed andmade by some of the finest doll companies andartisans in Japan, these dolls are truly representativeof the Japanese traditional dolls in present day.

Among the many types of dolls on display wereNoh Ningyo, representative of Noh actors, who wearmasks and elaborate costumes as they dance, GoshoNingyo, Imperial Palace Dolls, made with large headsand fair skin to convey the sweet appearance ofchildren, Bunraku Ningyo, themes for which weretaken from especially famous scenes of Bunraku, andtraditional Kokeshi Ningyo, a style of wooden dolls thatoriginated in the latter portion of the Edo period.

One of the special features of this extensiveexhibit was “Tomoko,” presented by the JICC incooperation with the Japan-America Society ofWashington, DC.

TOMOKO AND THE JAPAN-US DOLL EXCHANGEDuring the 1927 Doll Exchange Program, Japan sent58 Japanese dolls to American children who in turn

JAPANESE DOLLS ON DISPLAY

Isent approximately 12,739 “blue-eyed” dolls to theirJapanese counterparts. Two hundred and twenty ofthe American dolls survived World War II and the61-year period since the exchange first took place.In September 1988, 90 of those dolls, accompaniedby 19 of the Japanese exchange dolls that were sentback in Japan as a part of a traveling exhibit,returned to the United States. At the time, Japan’sEmpress Michiko, hoping to foster Japan-U.S.relations through the doll exchange, commissionedthe creation of an Ichimatsu Ningyo, a type of dollthat originated in the Edo period and whose namecome from the famous Kabuki actor IchimatsuSanokawa, whom the dolls were said to resemble.Thus, a beautiful Ichimatsu doll was created and theEmpress christened her “Tomoko,” written with theJapanese kanji character for “friend.”

Before her departure, the Japanese Ministry ofForeign Affairs issued Tomoko a passport and in turnthe U.S. Embassy in Tokyo granted her a visa for herentry into the United States. As a result, Tomokoliterally arrived in America as a symbol of thefriendship between the two countries. After visitingNew England, Washington, DC, San Francisco, andLos Angeles in a traveling exhibition, Tomoko foundher home at the Japan-America Society ofWashington, DC, which let us put Tomoko, a symbolof Japan-U.S. friendship through the doll exchange,on display.

* * * * * * * * * After leaving the JICC, the dolls went to the

Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japan Cultural Festivalfrom April 19-21. They will be at Kumamoto Plaza inHelena, MT from May 15 to June 17 and at theDenver Buddhist Temple in Denver, CO from July 8-17 with Jakarta, Indonesia being the next stop intheir world tour.

Hatsu Sekku: Boy’s First Festival, by Yoshiko Hara. Photo courtesy of TheJapan Foundation. (Photo/Mikio Kurokawa)