February 8th, 2018

２０１８年２月８日

On June 29th, 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced the recipients of the Foreign Minister's Commendations for 2017, including Ms. Saori Kawano, an individual from New York City, an area served by the Consulate General of Japan in New York.
The Foreign Minister's Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in the international community to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendly relations between Japan and other countries.
Ms. Kawano launched the Gohan Society, a non-profit organization fostering U.S.-Japan culinary and cultural exchanges, springing from her experience working in New York's Japanese culinary industry since the 1980s.
As a representative of the Gohan Society, working with celebrity chefs who are influential in the U.S., she devotes herself to cross-cultural exchanges in cuisine, through the awarding of U.S.-Japan Culinary Exchange scholarships which brings chefs from one country to the other, holding seminars for stakeholders interested in Japanese cuisine, among other accomplishments.
In addition, she has made remarkable contributions to the growth in popularity of Japanese food and food culture, through her lectures and writing.
Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi presented the Foreign Minister's Commendation to Ms. Kawano at a special conferment ceremony in her honor at his residence on January 31st, 2018, attended by more than 40 guests.

この度，当館管内における平成２９年度（２０１７年度）外務大臣表彰受賞者として五絆ソサエティ設立者兼代表・川野作織氏が表彰されました。
この表彰は，近年多くの方々が国際関係の様々な分野で活躍され，我が国と諸外国との友好親善関係の増進に多大な貢献をされている中で，特に顕著な功績のあった個人および団体の功績を称えるとともに，その活動に対する一層の理解と支持を日本の国民各層にお願いするものです。

川野氏は，１９８０年代からニューヨークの日本食分野で取り組んだ経験を活かし，米国食関係者に日本の食文化や和食の価値を発信する日米料理界の架け橋となる非営利組織「五絆ソサエティ」を設立しました。その代表として米国で発信力を有する著名シェフ等と協働しつつ，日本食に関心を持つ関係者向けのセミナー等の開催，米国人シェフを日本へ派遣し研修を行うプログラムの実施など，日米料理界の食文化交流に尽力しています。また，講演・著述を通じ日本食の魅力への理解を拡げており，日本食・食文化の普及等へ顕著に貢献していることが今回の受賞理由となりました。

川野氏に対する表彰式は，１月３１日，在ニューヨーク日本国大使公邸において行い，関係者約４０名の見守る中，髙橋礼一郎大使より同氏に表彰状を授与しました。