This spring, the Government of Japan announced that past president and current chairperson of the Japan America Society of St. Louis (JASSTL), Dr. Chikako Usui, has been selected as a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays for her contribution in strengthening relations between the United States and Japan.

The government announcement cited Dr. Usui's "significant contributions to Japan-U.S. cultural relations and... activities introducing Japanese culture on the grassroots level through her proactive involvement in the St. Louis-Ishinomaki City cultural exchange program, the 'Japan Update' Business Lecture Series, as well as the Japanese Festival hosted at the Missouri Botanical Garden."

Dr. Usui is also a high-ranking Ikenobo Ikebana instructor who has held workshops throughout the Missouri area, fostering a love for Ikebana and Japanese culture in many people. Furthermore, as an associate professor of sociology, Dr. Usui has taught classes on Japan-related topics including Japanese economics at the University of Missouri - St. Louis and Washington University, and she has written various publications on Japan.

We at JASSTL join with the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago in celebrating Dr. Usui's remarkable achievement, representing the diversity and depth of relations between Japan and the United States.