28th “Award of Honor” Gala

November 22, 2014

Awarding Ambassador John V. Roos, Ken Watanabe and MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

On November 22, 2014, JSNC held the 28th Annual Award of Honor Gala at The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. This year, JSNC recognized two exceptional leaders in their field with the Award of Honor, former Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos for his contributions to U.S. – Japan relations during his diplomatic tenure, and internationally acclaimed Japanese stage, film, and television actor Ken Watanabe. We also honored MUFG Union Bank, N.A. with the Visionary Award to commemorate 150 years of commitment to our community, the development of San Francisco, the state of California and the West Coast’s legacy.

Download 2014 Brochure

The Recipients

Award of Honor Recipient

Ambassador John V. Roos

Award of Honor Recipient

Ken Watanabe
Actor and humanitarian

Visionary Award Recipient

MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

Schedule

VIP Reception: 5:30 pm
General Reception & Silent Auction: 6:00 pm
Dinner Program: 7:00 pm

Venue

The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Award of Honor Recipient: Ambassador John V. Roos

Ambassador John V. Roos served as United States Ambassador to Japan from August 2009 – August 2013. During his tenure he became the first U.S. official ever to attend the commemoration ceremony of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, led the U.S. civilian response after the 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis on March 11, 2011, and led the creation of the TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership that has raised more than thirty million dollars and established more than 40 exchange programs. Ambassador Roos is a member of the Board of Directors at Salesforce.com and Sony Corporation and the Global Advisory Board of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Previously, Ambassador Roos served as Chief Executive Officer at the law firm Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, & Rosati.

Award of Honor Recipient: Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. He is known for playing tragic heroes, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, nominated for both the 2003 Oscar and 2003 Golden Globe. Mr. Watanabe won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor twice, in 2007 for Memories of Tomorrow and in 2010 for Shizumanu Taiyō. He will make his Broadway debut this spring in the title role of The King and I at Lincoln Center. On March 12, 2011, Mr. Watanabe announced that he would be taking a leave of absence from his acting career to focus on films about Japan’s recovery from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. His international recognition helped keep awareness and focus on the needs of those affected by the catastrophe.

Visionary Award Recipient: MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

Accepting the award is Masashi Oka, Executive Chairman of MUFG Americas Holdings and its wholly-owned US banking subsidiary, MUFG Union Bank, effective July 2014. As President & CEO of Union Bank and CEO for the Americas for The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU), Mr. Oka led the bank to robust growth, including five acquisitions and the integration of BTMU banking operations in the Americas, while maintaining a strong commitment to community outreach and to responsible banking as one of the nation’s soundest and most reputable banks. MUFG Union Bank offers services to retail banking, wealth, commercial and corporate banking customers, with more than 12,000 employees and offices throughout the US.