2023 Annual Meeting

The annual meeting and culture program of the Japan Society of Fairfield County (JSFC) was hosted by the Jay Heritage Center (JHC), on Saturday, November 11, 2023.

We had a toast of sparkling wine, followed by a delicious luncheon of Japanese boxed lunches (bentos) from Brooklyn Ramen/Hachiroku, the bento department at Maruichi-Stamford .  A special small treat from Minamoto Kitchoan was also served. During a brief business meeting President Jackie Alexander described the past year’s events.  The officers and board of directors for 2023 were elected.

Our speaker, Takeshi Tak Furumoto, was born in Tule Lake Incarceration Camp in 1944. After being released from the Camp he spent 10 years in Hiroshima where his grandparents were victims of Atomic Bombing. He and his family came back to the United States in 1956 and lived in Los Angeles. In 1968 he volunteered for the United States Army, serving in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in 1971, but suffered from PTSD and exposure to AGENT ORANGE.

Tak is a Board Member of NY Japanese American Association, Founder of NY Hiroshima-Kai, life Member of Japanese American Veteran’s Association, Founding member of Japan/New York Historical Council Digital Museum, AAPI Advisory Council under Gov. Murphy in NJ, and was instrumental in getting Fred Korematsu Day established as a state holiday in NJ