Fulbright Japan hosted the East Asia / Pacific (EAP) Regional Conference in Tokyo from April 7th to 10th at the Hotel New Otani. Participants included Executive Directors of binational commissions in the region, Public Affairs and Cultural Affairs Officers from U.S. Embassies and Consulates in the region as well as Staff of the U.S. Department of State and Cooperating Agencies in the United States. In advance of the Conference on April 6th, the 9 Executive Directors met for an all day meeting at the Secretariat. ECA staff also visited the Secretariat to give us an update on the "what's going on in Washington (DC)" and MEXT kindly hosted a dinner for the delegation from ECA.
Executive Directors
ECA staffThe 45 participants had an opportunity to exchange ideas and share best practices, focusing on the conference theme "The Legacy and Vitality of the Fulbright Program in EAP: Promoting Innovation and Preparing a New Generation for Global Leaders". The Chair of Fulbright Japan, Mr. Kiso, provided prepared remarks at the Opening Plenary of the Conference. Participants were welcomed at a reception hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Zumwalt and Ms. Kamabara on April 7th and a closing reception was held at the Grand Prince Akasaka on April 9th. American Fulbrighters to Japan volunteered to guide participants on various cultural excursions on the afternoon of April 8th and Japanese Fulbright Alumnus, Mr. Shin Kanada, Mr. Manabu Fukuda, and Ms. Akiko Imai served as speakers on various panels discussing issues related to fundraising and alumni activities.
At the end of the 3 day Conference, a closing party was held at "Top of Akasaka" (Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka). The Finale was made memorable with a special guest performance by our very own Mr. Takashi Yasumi and his jazz band, and impromptu vocal guest - Ms. Sabine O'Hara (Conference Participant) . (M)
With the Olympics going, I'm sure many people, like me, are sleep deprived. It sure is exciting to watch the athletes as they give it there best! But for many long term expat residents here, there's always this dilemma... do we root for Japan or the U.S.? Several colleagues have asked me who I root for. For me, it really depends on the sport and even the game. For example, I tend to root for Japanese athletes in Judo, but for Women's gymnastics, I'm all for the US team. For other sports, I find myself leaning towards the underdog...but in a game like yesterday's baseball, where both teams finished out the 10th inning tied 0-0, it was quite the dilemma. I'm glad that both teams will be going on to the finals. Too bad, they can't both win gold秊 
Dr. Satterwhite attended the Annual Regional Executive Director's meeting hosted by the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation in Jakarta, Indonesia from April 17-19, 2008. He joined seven other Executive Directors from the region (Australia, Indoneisa, Malaysia, Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Thailand) to discuss issues important to the Fulbright program including its identity, mission, perceptions, and future. Dr. Satterwhite reported that there were also many opportunities for a free-flowing exchange of ideas and experiences. 
A combined meeting for the FY 2007 Lecturers was held on March 31 and April 1. The session served two purposes: 1) mid-year conference for the FY2007 lecturers, who are staying in Japan for one academic year from fall of 2007; and 2) post-arrival orientation for four lecturers who just arrived in late March 2008 to start their teaching in the new academic year starting April 2008. The Lecturers evaluated their experiences for the first semester and discussed ways to develop courses for the second semester. It was very interesting to hear about the creative means by which they carried out their lessons and how they got their Japanese students involved in their classes.
The Tokyo Fulbright Association held a Seminar featuring Mr. Allan Smith, Commission Member and General Counsel, AIG Companies, Japan and Korea on March 25th. Mr. Smith reflected on Japan's Public Administration policies in the past 25 years and the changes that have taken place. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this seminar, but my colleague who did reported that the event was very well attended and participants were extremely interested in Mr. Smith's thoughts based on his long experience here in Japan. She has posted a detailed entry on our Japanese newsblog, so if you read Japanese, please visit http://fj-news.net/category/4584409-1.html 「東京フルブライトアソシエーション主催第１４回セミナー」for more on this seminar.
