The America-Japan Society Inc. recognized on Thursday two people for their grassroots work to foster bilateral friendship between Japan and the United States, honoring the recipients — citizens from each of the two countries — with a new award launched this year.
The honorees are Jean Tsuchiya, 95, who has engaged in many exchange programs as a volunteer for more than 50 years, and Yasuhiro Yabuzoe, 72, a former English teacher based in Wakayama Prefecture who devoted his life to supporting student exchanges between Japan and the U.S.
The Kaneko Award — named after the AJS's first president Count Kentaro Kaneko — was created this year to mark the 100th anniversary of its founding.