Building a Bridge between the U.S. and Japan

This is the English translation of my Japanese article to appear in Nikkan San on August 7th, 2022, as a part of my bi-weekly column, “The Way of the Pianist.

I was selected to be a member of the US-Japan Leadership Program in 2017.

According to its website (usjlp.org), the purpose of the program is “to develop a network of communication, friendship and understanding among the next generation of leaders in each country” and to “to foster a continuing dialogue among future leaders in a broad variety of professions.” And a broad variety of professions it has. Politicians, military personnel, scholars, entrepreneurs, astronauts, Olympians, religious leaders, artists, not-for-profit organization founders and leaders, people working for NGOs and international agencies…I just came back from attending their annual conference. The energy level was even higher than usual, as though to make up for the two years we had to postpone due to COVID. We exchanged our views on the current issues and sang and danced like college students, until way past midnight every night. Like many of my fellow attendees this year, my voice is still hoarse from shouting my views to be heard over the karaoke singers.

Founded in 2000, today the program is a fellowship of 451 members. For someone who spent the first half of her life single-mindedly pursuing a career as a pianist, this community became the basis of my drive to make my music making more socially relevant. It also helped me reframe my past, struggling with harassment, discrimination and inferiority complex as a non-native English speaker and Asian woman – helping me see that there are social issues that only someone with my background can help our society identify and solutions for.

We are empathetic social animals. Because we see other’s joy and pains as ours, what gives us the biggest gratification is to know that we are helping others live better lives. I realized this, too, as a result of joining this community. I am grateful.

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