Mr. Konoike reporting to Alumni members.
Activities in the fiscal year, ２００５
April 19 Lecture by Prof. Gregory Noble, and reunion party at Gakushi-Kaikan, with about 30 participants.
May 25 HAAS Dr. Richard Lyons' reception at Residence of Mr. Daniel Kreps、with about 40 participants.
June 23 Annular and Welcome Party for newly appoimted chancellor at Tokyo American Club, about 85 participants.
July 17 Luncheon with Keiko Hearsman, IEAS Japan Research Center at Komaba Campus, Tokyo University, with 12 participants.
August 5 Welcome Party for exchange students at FUNGO, Shinjyuku with 8 students and 8 alumni members.
August 24 Welcome Party for exchange students at FUNGO, Shinjyuku with 8 students and 10 alumni members.
November 11 Reunion Party with Dr. Richard Bender （Ex-chairman, Dept. of Architecture) at Uncle Hut Lounge.
In 2006
January 24 New Year's Party at FUNGO, Shinjyuku with 25 participants.
March 13 Reunion Party with Misha, Ex- Chairman of Student Union at Seijyo Club, with 8 participants.
Other meetings attended by alumni members were those of Stanford Alumni, USC Alumni, San Diego Bus. Alumni and MIT Alumni.
Meetings by directors of Alumni Association were held in May, June, August, October and January in 2006.
Plan for Activities in the fiscal year 2006
1) Directory of Members will be published in September.
2）Web site will be upgrded so as to be better utilized. Reduction in the mailing cost and improvement in services for members.
3）Increasing the number of registered members to 400. Our goal is to balance the annual budget by reinforcing the organization and reducing expenditure.
4）Following 2005, one tries to improve activities. Directors in charge of each task should have closer contact with Berkeley campus. Lecture meetings will be held.
5) As in the previous years, welcome party for exchange-students will be held in August.
6) Reinforce and activate the Alumini Association by increasing the number of young members. .
Budget reports are omitted.
Dr. Lurie making a speech at the Party.
Speech by Dr. Joseph Lurie, Executive Director, I-House
I am much pleased to attend an annular party, UCBJAA and meet our alumni. This is my third visit to Japan and I always look forward to visiting Japan. Especially this is the 75th Anniversary Year for International House. I am grateful to and very much interested in Japan because our Japanese alumni are the most generous in supporting I-House and I have a special connection with Japan. That is, my wife once had worked for Japan, which led me to having interest in Japan. I believe International House is contributing to creating peaceful world as an educational center for multi-cultural exchange. This organization exists in many places of the world, having close contact each other. In Japan there is International House, Japan (Kokusai Bunka Kaikan) which has recently been renovated. International House has a tradition of promoting humanity and fairness. For example, late in 50's, in California, non-caucasian could not own a house on the Berkeley Hills, nor have tea at the Claremont Hotel. And it was the campaign of I-House students in those days that broke this barrier of racial discrimination. In International House, Japan, one finds a calligraphy by ex-prime minister, Shigeru Yoshida, to the effect that "A friend comes from a remote place, it is a pleasure, isn't it". At the Higashihonganji Temple, there is also a calligraphy with a similar meaning. I-House is a special place where people with different culture meet each other so as to deepen mutual understanding. I once heard this story. After the 2nd World War, one Japanese ex-soldier came to Berkeley for study and lodged at I-House, and found that his roommate was ex-US marine: At first they were afraid each other of living in the same room , but later they made the best friends with each other. This really tells the importance of mutual understanding. I-House after 75 years' service is a little bit shaky. We wish to renovate it by introducing the most recent technology and facilites so as to keep this I-House tradition for the coming 75 years. We have already started a donation campaign, having already acquired 8 million dollars. Our goal is 10 million dollars, which I believe will be possible because of generous support of you, dear alumni.
Dr. Sadako Ogata making a key-note speech
Dr. Ogata's Key-Note Speech
I stayed at International House, 1956-57. In those days, Japanese exchange-students had to live an economically modest life, and graduate students were trying hard to satisfy the requirements for graduation in a shorter time as possible. Unlike today, Japanese people at that time had little information about things in the world. Thus, through contact with students from other countries in the world, Japanese students could often learn things which otherwise might not have known. For example, when I was talking with a student from Korea, she told me that her grand-parents had to lead a miserable life under the rule of Japan, which choked my heart with sorrow, not felt before in Japan. Through such a life at I-House, exchange-students from various countries will be able to have better cultural and international understanding. My dissertation was not actually triggered off by the life at International House, as Mr. Lurie imagined. I prepared it under Prof. Scalapino.
After finishing the unit-requirements, etc. at Berkeley, I returned to Japan and started writing the dissertation. Prof. Scalapino kindly arranged his schedule of visit to Japan so that I might present my dissertation before him and other professors, however, I had been married in Japan, expecting my first child on the very day of examination, so it could not be materialized. But, later somehow I could pass the examination for PhD dissertation. Then I taught at Sophia University, and until recently, I was working hard to support refugees in the world under severe conditions through activities as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
What I feel about Japanese people today, is that they are not open-minded as before and more inward-looking, probably because of a long recession. I hope that they would have more interest in international affairs, especially human right problems in the world.
I think that a relation between governments is important for realizing peaceful world, but the more important thing is to build mutual understanding and trust between the countries.
Mrs. J. Lurie on the left
