My name is Motoko West, and I have recently been elected as the President of the Idaho Japanese Association. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to our previous President, Ms. Naho Nakashima, for her many years of hard work.
Founded in 2008, the Idaho Japanese Association has introduced Japanese culture to the citizens of Idaho to deepen mutual understanding and enhance friendship. Our signature event, Japan Day, which takes place annually on Labor Day, has grown to a large event with multiple sponsors and media coverage in recent years. We revived the Japanese film screening event last November and were overwhelmed by the response and the sold-out showing. Boise’s interest in Japanese culture has grown considerably in the last several years, and we look forward to more events in the future.
That being said, this year, we had planned another Japanese film screening in April and our annual picnic in June, but we have chosen to cancel these due to the spread of COVID-19. The board has also decided to cancel Japan Day as the venue and the nature of the event are not conducive to social distancing and other precautions. It is with great sadness that we announce that there will be no in person events for the rest of the year. We are planning to take this opportunity to update the website and streamline some of our other online projects.
We would also like to express our condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others whose lives were cut short due to systemic injustice. Many of the board members here are immigrants or families of immigrants who have chosen to live in America as a land of freedom and opportunity. We sincerely hope that we can come out of this in a better place as a country.
Thank you for your continuous support and interest in the Idaho Japanese Association.
Motoko West,
President Idaho Japanese Association