JAANY (The Japanese American Association of New York)

08/24/2026

⚾40th JAA Foreign Minister's Cup Nanshiki Baseball Tournament🤝
📸Photo credit to Casey Taniguchi of よみタイム

This year marked the 40th JAA Foreign Minister Cup Nanshiki Baseball Tournament, which started on April 26 with 11 teams and concluded on Sunday, August 16, in good weather in Central Park with the final match (Niko Niko vs. Dambos) and the 3rd place match (Junks vs. Piggies). This year's champion was the "Niko Niko" team!

After the final, the closing and awards ceremony was held in the presence of Koji Sato, JAA President, and Naoki Matsunaga, Consul General at the Consulate General of Japan in New York. In addition to recognizing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams, individual awards were also given to players who performed well this season.

Here are the results of the final and 3rd place matches, along with the award recipients:

Final: Niko Niko (NIK) 2 – Dambos (DMB) 1 (walk-off in 9th inning extra)
3rd Place Match: Piggies (PIG) 7 – Junks (JUN) 5

Champion: Niko Niko (NIK) (first win in 7 years, 8th overall)
Runner-up: Dambos (DMB)
3rd Place: Piggies (PIG)
4th Place: Junks (JUN)

JAA Spirit Award: Tomoya Ishizuka (Piggies)
Most Wins Pitcher Award: Naoki Maruta (Niko Niko)
Most Home Runs Award: Kohei Fujish*ta (Rookies)
Most RBIs Award: Nagi Aboushaca (Jokers)
Most Valuable Player (MVP): Naoki Maruta (Niko Niko)

Congratulations to all the hard-hitting players!

08/24/2026

🎊Day 4 came and went! Thank you to Anime NYC for a great space at the convention, and to all who helped out at JAA’s booth: Origami Therapy Association’s Emiko and Aiko Cortes, Stephanie and Keiko Kato, Charles Neuman, Noriko Sakamoto and Dan Ishii! Don’t know their names, but we appreciate all the gifts of critters we received too!🦖🦋🐘🐶

08/23/2026

474 Followers, 333 Following, 0 Posts

08/22/2026

08/22/2026

at Anime NYC !

08/22/2026

🦸🏻‍♀️Day 2 at Anime NYC! JAA’s booth was visited by creative canine and human who learned how to make paper kimonos and cranes from Origami Therapy Association instructor Ms Hong and other JAA members and friends!🐶

Thank you to Susan McCormac of JapanCulture•NYC, Goby, and Malik and come visit us in booth 1930! In the Javits Center💕

08/21/2026

Day 1 at Anime NYC! Come visit JAA’s booth #1930 if you’re at the convention! Thank you to our volunteers Susan McCormac of JapanCulture•NYC, Origami Therapy Association’s Nodin, Malik Hall, and Norimichi Ichikawa for and telling fans of and about our community service and cultural events!

08/20/2026

🕯A lecture “25 Years Since 9/11: What Happened That Day, and My Thoughts as a Japanese Citizen,” organized by JAA and sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in New York on September 8 [in Japanese]

“That day, a perfect autumn sky stretched out over the city, making the dignified, towering World Trade Center buildings look even more magnificent. Just as an ordinary, everyday morning was about to begin, who could have ever imagined… Twenty-four Japanese victims… The autumn marking the 25th anniversary of that day has arrived. I arrived in New York immediately afterward, and if I may share my experiences from that time…”

■ Date and Time: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
■ Location: JAA Hall
49 West 45th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10036
■ Admission: Free
■ Speaker: Katsuko Fukunaga

Director, General Incorporated Association for the Safety of Japanese Nationals Abroad
Chairperson, General Incorporated Association Yui Global Net
Vice Chairperson, NPO Association for Aspiring Global Citizens
Director, Japan (Specified Nonprofit Corporation)
Director, Long-Stay Tourism Society

Profile
Graduated from Sophia University. Lived in for six years.
Since returning to Japan, she has served as an instructor for pre-assignment training programs
for overseas postings, in addition to being a regular contributor to NHK Radio International and writing numerous newspaper columns. She also serves as a part-time lecturer at universities and
instructor for lifelong learning courses. Her publications include *Culture Shock*, *One Day, an Overseas Assignment*, *Overseas Safety Guide*, and others. During the 9/11 attacks, she contributed daily articles to the Yomiuri Shimbun under the title “New York Diary.”
https://katsukofukunaga.themedia.jp/

■Registration: Please register by email or phone with JAA.
Email: [email protected] Phone: 212-840-6942
Please note that registration will close once capacity is reached.