Hitachi Joins ADFS Corporate Membership In Support of Asian Culture

The Asian Division Friends Society (ADFS) is very pleased to announce that Hitachi, Ltd. has generously donated $5,000 in support of ADFS Fund and joined as ADFS’s first corporate member. The wide range of activities supported by this fund are essential to promoting cultural, educational, and outreach programs of the Asian Division at the Library of Congress.

Hitachi, Ltd. has always been actively participating in the preservation and promotion of the Asian culture. One of their significant contributions in this field is the development of a digital image system. Under this unprecedented undertaking, a number of impressive restoration projects were completed successfully, including the Japanese National Treasure - “Picture Scroll of the Tale of Genji,� Bamiyan Virtual Museum, Hokusai’s Painting of Phoenix at Gansho-in Temple, etc. Hitachi’s interest in cultural activities is best embodied by Mr. Takashi Ohde, the Senior Representative and General Manager of Hitachi Corporate Office in the U.S. Serving as a member on the Los Angeles City Library Foundation Trustee Board, Mr. Ohde strongly encourages active information exchange between LA City libraries and the Asian Division of the Library of Congress, hoping that a strong bond may be built among libraries to enhance their services for users.

Hitachi first became interested in ADFS and its missions and activities via the PowerPoint presentation of Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee, Chief of the Asian Division, for a large audience of the Japanese Commerce Association of Washington, DC on June 21, 2005. Following the visits by two Hitachi’s high level leaders - Senior Vice President and Executive Officer Mr. Takashi Hatchoji on September 30, 2005 and Chairman Emeritus of Hitachi, Ltd. Dr. Tsutomu Kanai on October 31, 2005, Hitachi showed its strong interest in supporting the activities and programs organized by ADFS.

“I appreciate Hitachi’s commitment and effort to extend the reach of the Library of Congress by strengthening the relationship with a diversity of user communities for our unparalleled Asian collections. Hitachi has set a perfect philanthropic example, which we hope more interested partners will follow to support and participate in our programs,� Dr. Lee says. His quote of Winston Churchill best exemplifies the important contribution Hitachi has made: “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.�

ADFS frequently holds academic lectures and symposia as well as cultural events. It also offers the Florence Tan Moeson Fellowship, which provides small stipends to researchers and graduate students who conduct research using the Asian collections at the Library of Congress. ADFS appreciates any form of support from scholarly and business communities as well as the general public.