Lasting Ties

The Club’s 90th anniversary presents an opportunity to reflect on my varied and lasting relationship with Japan and the US-Japan partnership writ large.

My ties to Japan began decades ago. In the late ’80s, I lived and worked here as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. I experienced the Japan boom and the sheer energy generated by the country’s economic revolution.

As a member of the cabinet of my good friend and Tennessee governor, Bill Haslam, I spent four years deepening ties with Japanese businesses. There are now more than 180 Japanese companies located in Tennessee, employing more than 40,000 Tennesseans. During my tenure, Tennessee became the top state for jobs created through foreign direct investment, and 60 percent of those were from Japan.

When the president chose me to serve as ambassador to Japan, I was deeply honored to accept his offer, in large part because of the opportunity it would afford me to support US-Japan relations in a new way. For more than 70 years, the US and Japan have been partners in commerce, security and in bringing our nations’ peoples together.

One of my priorities as ambassador is to deepen our two countries’ people-to-people bonds. While our trade and security cooperation is critical, the ties between our citizens undergird and sustain our relationship.

These personal connections are where our Club makes a tremendous impact on US-Japan relations. For 90 years, the Club has been a hub for Members to forge lasting friendships. It is great to see the Club do so much to foster a sense of community.

Because of the Club’s prominent role as an international gathering place, it is fitting that the Club should be Team USA’s base for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. As the epicenter for US athletes, families and sponsors to meet and relax, the Club will build on its role in deepening the friendship between the United States and Japan. Our athletes will be in good hands.

From my days as a Member in the 1980s and ’90s to my return as honorary president of the Club, it has been rewarding to see our Club strengthen and grow in a manner that so meaningfully supports our most critical bilateral relationship.

Congratulations to our Members, our professional team and our Board of Governors for leading us through an exceptional 90 years. My very best wishes as we embark on an even more promising future, together.

Words: Club honorary president and US Ambassador William Hagerty