For outstanding contributions to the cultural exchange between the United States and Japan
Thayer Award History
The John E. Thayer, III Award was established in 1991 to commemorate the work and commitment of John E. “Jack” Thayer, III, a long time member of the Japan Society of Boston’s board of directors who was dedicated to furthering relations between Japan and the U.S. This award was established to recognize the achievements of individuals, groups of individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the progress of the understanding and friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.
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The Society encourages the submission of nominations for exemplary projects, programs and activities in such areas as business, cultural exchange, education, public affairs, and visual and performing arts. The project may be a single event, a series of events, or an on-going project or activity. It may be in the form of, but is not limited to: artistic performances, educational programs, exchange activities, exhibitions, films, publications, video, visual arts, etc.
Current Thayer Award Recipient(s)
30 - 2024
Stacie Matsumoto, Associate Director of the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University, for her hard work and many contributions to the activities of the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies over the past twenty years and her dedication to
promoting U.S.-Japan cultural and academic exchanges at Harvard University.
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Stacie Matsumoto is the Associate Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University.
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First established in 1973 as the Japan Institute, the Reischauer Institute is one of the oldest centers in the world supporting research activities on Japan and Japanese Studies.
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During her twenty years at the Reischauer Institute, Stacie has worked to promote the Institute’s important mission to advance teaching and research on Japan, to foster exchange of ideas on cultural, social, and political issues, to stimulate scholarly and public interest in Japan and U.S.-Japan relations, and to strengthen ties between Harvard and Japan, and more broadly the U.S. and Japan.
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Stacie organizes a wide range of programmatic activities on Japan, including weekly lectures, conferences, workshops, study groups, and film screenings. She has also directed exhibitions on the Japan Friends of Harvard Concourse – named to honor the deep ties of friendship between Harvard and Japan – featuring the works of Japanese artists Mitsuko Asakura, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Mizue Sawano, and Yoshiaki Shimizu, as well as a Japanese teahouse from the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum.
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Cultivating relationships throughout the greater Japanese Studies community, Stacie manages several affiliate programs, including the associates-in-research program, which invites local scholars to engage in activities and events at the Institute; the postdoctoral fellowship program, which offers recent graduates the opportunity to further their research while establishing lasting connections with faculty, students, and local scholars; and the visiting affiliates program, which welcomes numerous international scholars, practitioners, and artists to Harvard for extended stays in the U.S.
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Stacie also manages the Institute’s faculty-led digital initiatives, namely the Japan Disasters Digital Archive and Constitutional Revision Project, which were established in partnership with organizations in Japan. Through these initiatives and other projects, she works closely with other entities at Harvard to publicly showcase and make accessible the University’s many collections and resources on Japan.
Stacie was born in Honolulu and raised in Palau and Guam. As one of the very few families of Japanese descent whose presence in these islands predates the war, she has long been involved in activities to help foster a balanced understanding of the region and its complex history. Her recent activities include efforts to create sites of remembrance and to initiate sustained dialogue among survivor families from the war.
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Her most memorable collaboration with the Japan Society of Boston is a chamber orchestra concert by the Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo held in Harvard’s Sanders Theatre in 2012 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry blossom trees to the U.S.
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Stacie is honored to receive this distinguished award, and she expresses profound gratitude to her colleagues at the Reischauer Institute and the countless individuals and organizations who exemplify the ideals set forth by John E. Thayer, III and with whom she has had the privilege of working these many years.
Previous John E. Thayer, III Award Recipients
​29 - 2023
Akemi Chayama, Manager, Japan Program Educator at the Boston Children's Museum, for her dedication to promoting interest in the Kyo-no-Machiya over many years, providing quality Japanese programs at the Boston Children’s Museum, and supporting the Japanese teaching community in the Boston area.
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28 - 2022
Dr. Sarah Thompson, Curator of Japanese Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
JB Line (Japanese Bostonians Support Line), a nonprofit organization that assists Japanese immigrants in the New England area by providing them with consultation, information, direct support services, and connection with other social resources.
27 - 2020
Debra Samuels, cookbook author, culinary educator and exhibit curator.
The Japan Festival Boston Committee, which works hard to bring together all communities as one with musical acts, food, and games at the Japan Festival Boston.
26 - 2019
Barry Frechette, Executive Product and Co-Director "Paper Lanterns" and Director of Creative Production, Connelly Partners.
Professor Allan Sosei Palmer, Teacher and Student of Chanoyu.
25 - 2018
Anne Nishimura Morse, William and Helen Pounds Senior Curator of Japanese Art, for her contribution to understanding between Japan and Boston through art and exchange.
24 - 2016
Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange, for their promotion of cross cultural understanding and friendship between the cities of Salem, Massachusetts and Ota, a borough of Tokyo.
23 - 2015
Kiyoko Morita, for her contributions to US - Japan relations.
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22 - 2014
Arlington-Nagaokakyo, in recognition of 30 years as Sister City.
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21 - 2013
Rachel Eio, teacher at Brookline High School, for spreading interest in Japanese language and culture to her students.
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20 - 2012
Prof. Merry White is one of America’s most distinguished and most popular Japan scholars. Well known both for her academic publications as well as her popular writings, her teaching includes courses on Japanese society, women in Asia, food and culture, and the anthropology of travel and tourism.
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19 - 2011
Dr. N. Stuart Harris, Dr. Takashi Shiga, and Dr. Kohei Hasegawa, from Mass. General Hospital, who together rushed from Boston to Kesennuma, Miyagi, on March 14 to help victims of earth quakes and tsunami.
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18 - 2010
Prof. Donald Keene, for lifelong achievements.
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17 - 2009
Tim Nagaoka, for excellence in teaching Language and Culture to 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students in East Boston, Dorchester.
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16 - 2008
Tiger Okoshi, jazz trumpeter, for Volunteerism at Higashi School for Autism.
Martha Wright, museum professional, for Public Education about the Arts of Japan.
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15 - 2007
Asian Arts & Culture Program at University of Massachusetts and its Program Director, Ranjana Devi, for spreading an awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of the artistic and cultural heritages of Asia and the Middle East.
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14 - 2006
John W. Dower, Ford International Professor of History, MIT, for lifetime achievements.
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13 - 2005
Andrew Maske, former curator of Asian Art, Peabody Essex Museum and curator of “Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile." (announced in 2006)
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12 - 2004
Masataka Hata, President of Shoyeido Incense Company.
Makoto Yabe, Ceramic Artist for their lifetime achievements.
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11 - 2003
The Center for Global Studies Abroad, Norwalk, CT for the dedicated efforts of the Japan program for more than a decade in fostering language studies and person-to-person exchanges between Norwalk and Japan.
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10 - 2002
Charles Doleac, President of Japan-America Society of New Hampshire for promoting the Portsmouth Peace Treaty.
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9 - 2001
Patricia Gercik, Managing Director of MIT Japan Program.
Kathleen Woods Masalski, Program Director for Five College Center for East Asian Studies at Smith College for lifetime achievements in programming U.S.-Japan relations.
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8 - 2000
Seiji Ozawa, Music Director, for lifetime achievements.
7 - 1999
William Thrasher, Curator, for lifetime achievements.
6 - 1997
Sataro Narita, Mayor of Shariki Mura, Aomori, Japan, (sister city with Bath, Maine).
Fairhaven/New Bedford-Tosashimizu Sister City Committee, an all volunteer group that has ensured a continued and expanded relationship between two cities through numerous activities and cultural exchanges.
5 - 1996
John Cox, Director of Community Education for Medford Public Schools, for his involvement in the Japanese School in Medford.
4 - 1995
Nikki Hu, Choreographer and Guy Van Duser, Musician, for their production of the modern dance “A Thousand Cranes” performed by Boston and Japanese children at Hiroshima Peace Park on the 50th anniversary recognition of the bombing of Hiroshima.
3 - 1994
Dr. John Rosenfield, Harvard University Abby Rockefeller Professor of East Asian Art Emeritus for lifetime achievements.
2 - 1993
Yori Oda, Children’s Museum Trustee, for lifetime achievements.
1 - 1992
Leslie Bedford, former director of the Boston Children’s Museum for the Teen Tokyo exhibit at the Boston Children’s Museum.