16. Japan Society was once led by the grandson of John D. Rockefeller
Founded in 1907, Japan Society is a nonprofit that promotes friendly relations between the U.S. and Japan. Japanese architect Junzō Yoshimura, who designed a traditional Japanese Tea House in the garden of the Museum of Modern Art, planned the structure in 1971. Japanese military leaders Tamemoto Kuroki and Goro Ijuin met with Shuzo Aoki, Japanese ambassador to the U.S., in 1907 and planned the creation of Japan Society. Within its first few years, founding member Lindsay Russell met with Emperor Meiji to discuss plans for similar societies across the U.S.
In 1915, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft attended a diplomatic banquet hosted by founding member Takamine Jōkichi, which accelerated talks about alliances during World War I. Ultimately, by the 1920s, Japan Society’s members stopped publishing any political commentary, which was particularly notable given the Second Sino-Japanese War of the late 1930s. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, activities were put on pause until 1951, after which John D. Rockefeller III, the grandson of the oil magnate, took over as president for 17 years. The organization expanded under Rockefeller, and it was under his leadership that the society began construction of a permanent home.
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