2025 ACCJ Shinnenkai
ACCJ members and guests ushered in the Year of the Snake with two Shinnenkai celebrations, one at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo on January 23 and another at the InterContinental Osaka on January 31.
Members and guests ushered in the Year of the Snake at celebrations in Tokyo and Kansai.
Photos by Shiomi Toru/LIFE.14 (Tokyo) and Rie Watson/Clickmark (Kansai)
The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) ushered in the Year of the Snake with two Shinnenkai celebrations, one at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo on January 23 and another at the InterContinental Osaka on January 31.
The events kicked off the New Year with the traditional kagami-biraki—the ceremonial cracking open of a sake barrel—followed by networking with fellow members, friends, and officials from the Japanese and US governments.
In Tokyo, ACCJ President Victor Osumi gave opening remarks, followed by Alan Turley, minister-counselor for commercial affairs from the US Embassy Tokyo. They were then joined by Japan-US Business Council Chairman and Keidanren Vice-Chair Jun Sawada, ACCJ Chairman Christopher LaFleur, and ACCJ Executive Director Laura Younger to give the kampai, with sake kindly provided by Suigei Brewery.
In Kansai, ACCJ Vice President–Kansai Jiro Kawakami delivered opening remarks before a ceremony to hand Food Bank Kansai (FBK) the key to a van donated through the ACCJ Community Service Fund in January. The van is used to deliver food to those in need. The handover included remarks from ACCJ Governor–Kansai Simone Thomsen, who is also president and representative director of Eli Lilly Japan, and a thank-you message from FBK’s Maki Nakashima.
Jason Cubas, consul general at the US Consulate General Osaka-Kobe, gave a kampai speech before the room erupted with cheer during the kagami-biraki, joined by Kobe Tourism Bureau Chairman Motoi Oyama and ACCJ-Kansai leaders.
Here’s to a year of collaboration with our members and partners as we continue the strong and vibrant US–Japan partnership in 2025 and beyond!
2024 ACCJ Shinnenkai
ACCJ members and guests ushered in the Year of the Dragon in the Imperial Hotel’s Hikari Room.
Members and guests ushered in the Year of the Dragon in the Imperial Hotel’s Hikari Room.
Photos by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14
From left: ACCJ President Victor Osumi, Deputy Chief Mission Raymond Greene, Chairman of Japan–US Business Council and Vice-Chair of Keidanren Jun Sawada, and ACCJ Executive Director Laura Younger.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) held its second in-person shinnenkai since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, ushering in the Year of the Dragon at the Imperial Hotel on January 26. Some 270 guests joined the ACCJ to kick off the new year with the kagami-biraki—the ceremonial cracking open of a sake barrel—followed by networking with fellow members, friends, and officials from the Japanese and US governments.
ACCJ President Victor Osumi gave opening remarks and shared his vision of fostering partnership, embracing progress, and bridging the future with excellence. He then led the kagami-biraki alongside ACCJ Executive Director Laura Younger, US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Raymond Greene, and Jun Sawada, chairman of the Japan–US Business Council and vice-chair of Keidanren (the Japanese Business Federation).
As we continue our celebrations to mark the ACCJ’s 75th anniversary, we look forward to working with our members and partners to advance US-Japan relations and make a positive impact on the international business environment in Japan.
