Embassy of Japan in the United States of America
在米国日本国大使館

Conferral of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
upon
Dr. William R. Farrell, Chairman of the National Association of Japan-America Societies

On November 3, 2011(Japan Time), the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of the 2011 Fall Imperial Decorations. Among 53 recipients is Dr. William R. Farrell, Chairman of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, who receives the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

• DECORATION:The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
• SERVICE: Contributed to the promotion of friendly relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States
• NAME (AGE): William R. Farrell (67)
• MAJOR TITLES:
• Chairman of the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS)
• Former Professor at the U.S. Naval War College (NWC)
• Former Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ)
• ADDRESS(NATIONALITY) :Middletown, Rhode Island (USA)

【Meritorious Service for Japan】
Dr. Farrell was born in 1944 in New York. His connections with Japan began in 1968 when he became a student at the Department of Defense Foreign Language Institute in California. For more than 40 years, he has committed to deepening Japan-U.S. relations in wide-ranging capacities, serving as a career military officer, a college professor, a business leader, as well as becoming a pivotal figure in grassroots activities.

Dr. Farrell served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force as a commissioned officer. After learning Japanese at the Department of Defense Foreign Language Institute he was stationed in Japan for six years in total. From 1982 to 1990, he served as Professor of Management at the U.S. Naval War College (NWC). He assumed a liaison role between the NWC and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and mentored the resident JMSDF students as well as their families.

From 1990 to 1995, he served as Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). He facilitated U.S. companies’ willingness and ability to do business in Japan while helping improve the international business environment in Japan. Through directing various activities of the ACCJ, he contributed to the promotion of business and economic relations between Japan and the United States.

Since 2003, Dr. Farrell has been serving as Chairman of the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS).  The only national non-profit network across North America dedicated to public education about Japan, the NAJAS’ mission is to strengthen cooperation and understanding between the peoples of Japan and the United States. Focusing on grassroots relationships, he has taken the initiative to promote educational, cultural and business programs about Japan and Japan-U.S. relations and has been an inspirational leader to the 37 members of the National Association in North America. Additionally, he has been a board member of the Japan-America Society of Rhode Island for over 20 years.

Dr. Farrell holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Florida State University, and a B.A. from Fordham University. He was an Advanced Research Fellow at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs and the Reischauer Institute. He has authored three books including his most recent, Crisis and Opportunity in a Changing Japan, published by Quorum Books (1999). Currently, he is an adjunct professor at the NWC.