This coming year promises to be a great year for the Club.

Our current chairpeople represent 10 countries and range in age from their 20s to their 60s. These 10 women and 15 men bring a lot of enthusiasm and a richness of different ideas.

Freedom of the Press Chair Justin McCurry, for example, is looking for the FCCJ to join the International Association of Press Clubs. This would give us an opportunity to interact and communicate with other journalists from around the world. The IAPC, which was formed in 2002 to “uphold the ethics of journalism and free access and distribution of information worldwide,” already has 20 member press clubs representing Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

One of my highest priorities is to start a professional training program that will help all of us become better journalists. The sessions will include tips from experts on interviewing, note-taking and writing copy. If you are interested in helping out, please contact me.

The bottom line is that last year was not a great year financially for the Club. Unfortunately, we had some uncontrollable expenses, but the assistant general manager and the Board did a great job of holding down costs and keeping us out of the red without any reduction in member services. According to our treasurer, Yoshisuke Iinuma, we are already seeing a much-improved financial situation in fiscal 2008, and the outlook is good.

Membership applications have remained on target for the past three years thanks to the energetic efforts of our membership marketing manager; but there have been an almost equal number of resignations in the past few months. I hope with improved IT services and other positive changes to the Club we will become a magnet for broadcasters, Web-based reporters and journalists from other cultures. We can also look forward to continuing improvements in the Club’s services overall and to addressing problems in a professional and timely manner with the help of our new and experienced General Manager, Tom Kermabon.

The days of toxic politics are on the wane, I hope, so we can get back to the job of creating timely, inspiring and newsworthy press events and services for both journalist and Associate members. I believe we need to develop a healthy organization, where people can look forward to the camaraderie and intellectual exchanges that make the Club a pleasant place to spend your valuable time. On behalf of your new Board, I can attest to our collective commitment to do just that.

Finally, I would like to thank all our members and staff who contribute so much of their time and energy to the FCCJ. I hope you will join me in expressing your own appreciation both in words and acts of support and encouragement. I look forward to working with you. ❶