JCC E-Magazine January 2025

Director's Message

Cheers in front of a 50kg tuna!

Dear Friends of JCC,

Happy New Year! 新年あけましておめでとうございます。

Here comes 2025, the year of EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and the year of SG60! I am so excited to have this opportunity to observe and join the celebration of Singapore’s significant milestone on site!

As you may recall, last year was a memorable year, too, and we marked the end of our JCC15 with several exciting events. We were honoured to have Singaporean film director Mr Eric Khoo and Japanese film producer Mr Tachibana Yutaka as the speakers for the last installation of our JCC 15th Anniversary Talk Series, where they shared more background stories and insights about their latest co-production film “Spirit World”. It was like a dream for me to meet them in person and welcome them to JCC, as I had truly enjoyed watching their two Japan-Singapore-France co-production films during the year; “Ramen Teh” at the Asian Film Archive in July, and “Spirit World” in its Southeast Asian Premier at Shaw Centre in November.

We also witnessed much cheer and enthusiasm during the Mutsu City Experience Showcase, especially during the live cutting of a 50kg tuna flown all the way from Aomori, as well as the dynamic performance by Aomori’s J-POP idol group RICEBALL. The fanfare was carried onto the SSEAYP Homecoming Reception & Information Session, where we welcomed back the 48th SSEAYP Batch members who shared about their lifetime experiences, meeting and exchanging with many youths from other Southeast Asian countries and Japan. Both events were extremely cheerful with lots of positive energy, and I believe that many participants were inspired to visit Aomori or SSEAYP Programme.

The end of the year was made even more special, as Professor Lai Ah Keow, President of The Japanese Cultural Society (JCS), was conferred the Ambassador’s Commendation Award. JCS has been a very close partner of the Embassy and JCC for many years, contributing towards cultural exchange, Japanese language promotion, and mutual understanding between Japan and Singapore with their activities. Professor Lai has played an instrumental role in this, and I extend my sincere congratulations to him.

To stay updated with this year’s events, please follow us on our Facebook and Instagram! You may also follow the Embassy of Japan in Singapore on their Facebook page for the latest news and updates from Japan.

Akiko Kawabe
Director, Japan Creative Centre (JCC)

6th January 2025

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