Press Release

For Immediate Release

 

Announcing the Tanaka Family Gift to the Japan-America Society of Washington DC

Washington DC: The Japan-America Society of Washington DC (JASWDC) is profoundly grateful to announce a generous $4.5 million endowment gift from the family of the late H. William Tanaka, a past president of JASWDC. This historic contribution is the largest single gift in the Society’s history.

Mr. Tanaka, a World War II army veteran, served after the war as an economic analyst with U.S. occupation forces in Tokyo. In 1954 he opened a law practice in Washington, specializing in U.S.-Japanese trade and investment matters. In November of 1991 Mr. Tanaka received the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Japanese government in recognition of his contributions to Japan-America friendship and understanding.

William and Lily Tanaka were dedicated to helping young people from our community learn about, and experience Japan. After his passing, the late Lily Tanaka remained an active supporter of the Society, making regular contributions that would establish the H. William Tanaka Scholarship Fund. With support from the Fund, the Society’s Tanaka & Green Scholarship Program, now in its 10th year, has awarded approximately a quarter of a million dollars to support college study abroad in Japan for students form our community.

The transformative gift reinforces the Society and our ability to contribute to grassroots of the US-Japan relationship in the National Capital Region and across the nation. With this gift, the Society is pleased to announce the immediate establishment of the Tanaka Scholars Paid Internship Program. We are also pleased to increase support for our National Japan Bowl participants, significantly reducing participation cost. We look forward to sharing further details about how this incredible generosity will strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship in the nation’s capital over the coming years.

 

About the Japan-America Society of Washington DC

The Japan-America Society of Washington DC is a 501(c)(3) educational and cultural non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Japan and the U.S. at the grassroots public diplomacy level. Our programming aims to bring Japanese and American people closer together in the Nation’s Capital area.

 

Press Contact Information

William Denton, Communications Manager
wdenton@jaswdc.org