The Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles announces two individuals and one organization as the awardees for FY 2024 Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation within its jurisdiction.
Awardees are Dr. Aikiko Agishi, Chairperson of Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation (dba Aurora Foundation), Mr. Kunihiko Murai, Composer, Founder of Alfa Records, and Teachers of Japanese in Southern California.
This year, the Commendations are awarded to 186 individuals and 59 groups: 38 individuals and 6 groups reside in Japan, and 148 individuals and 53 groups reside overseas. The Minister of Foreign Affair of Japan revealed the awardees chosen on Aug. 1
The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups of outstanding achievements in international fields, to acknowledge their contribution to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries. The Commendation also aims to promote the understanding and support of the Japanese public for their activities.
Dr. Akiko Agishi
Chairperson, Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation (dba Aurora Foundation)
In 1973, Akiko Agishi founded Creative Enterprise International, Inc. and created an international cultural exchange program in education, advertising, and other fields.
Based on her own experience studying in the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar, she established the Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation in 1998 to foster and support people in the U.S. engaged in Japanese language education.
To date, more than 100 young Americans have received scholarships. To promote exchanges between Hokkaido, Japan and the U.S., Dr. Agishi has invited students from Rebun High School in Hokkaido to the U.S. since 2011, establishing a sister-school relationship with John Muir Middle School, a public school in Burbank, CA.
During their visits, students from Rebun island have interacted with local schools and stayed with host families. In such ways, she has greatly contributed to the friendship between the U.S. and Japan.
Mr. Kunihiko Murai
Composer, Founder of Alfa Records
Kunihiko Murai was one of the first to look beyond Japan’s domestic market to overseas markets, contributing to Japan-U.S. exchanges in the music and entertainment industry for over half a century through his compositions and business.
He was a pioneer in acquiring copyrights from foreign labels, including those in the U.S., and in popularizing overseas music in Japan. Utilizing experience gained from his early business dealings with countries outside of Japan, he and Los Angeles-based record company A&M Records successfully launched the Japanese music group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) worldwide, at a time when music was not yet digitalized, and the term “J-POP” did not even exist.
He paved the way for Japan-U.S. goodwill in the music industry by bringing cutting-edge Japanese music overseas.
Teachers of Japanese in Southern California
Since its establishment in 1984, the Teachers of Japanese in Southern California (TJSC) has worked to improve Japanese language education in Southern California.
In addition to networking and information sharing among Japanese language teachers, TJSC organizes workshops and seminars on Japanese language teaching methods, introduces teaching materials and shares regional news through newsletters.
TJSC is the only organization in Southern California that supports Japanese language teachers at all levels, including two-year and four-year colleges, high schools, junior high schools, elementary schools, Japanese language schools, and Japanese weekend schools.