The 46th annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon, one of the world's six major marathons, was held under clear fall skies on October 13. This year's race saw 52,150 finishers, breaking last year's record of 48,472.

   Five Japanese elite athletes and four wheelchair elite athletes participated in the event. Chicago Shimpo interviews their spirits, experiences, future plans, and their stories.

   The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Kikkoman Foods plant was held on June 12 in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, and the company was enthusiastically welcomed by the local people. Tokyo-based Kikkoman Corporation will invest $560 million (about 80 billion yen) over 10 years in the construction of a new Jefferson plant. The company also plans to expand its Walworth plant, bringing the total investment to $800 million.

Veteran Enoch Kanaya, who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II, was awarded "The Legion of Honor", the highest honor given by the French government, and the official presentation ceremony was held on May 9 at the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church on the north side of Chicago.

Conductor Kazuki Yamada was invited by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) to conduct four performances on May 16, 17, 18, and 21, making his debut with the CSO. On the 21st, the last day of the performance, the Japanese Culture Center and the Japanese Arts Foundation hosted an exhibition featuring live performances of Sumi-e (ink painting) and calligraphy (Shodo), and display of the Ikenobo ikebana in the Chicago Symphony Center.

“The Ohirome Certification Recital” was held to celebrate three Toyoaki Shamisen members, who had received Toyoaki professional name from the Toyoakimoto’s grandmaster in Tokyo, on April 21 at new dojo of the Asian Improv aRts Midwest. The three performers this time became the fifth generation to carry on the tradition of the Toyoakimoto's ozashiki shamisen.

Consul General Jun Yanagi and Deputy Consul General Naoya Kishi visited the Heiwa Terrace, a senior affordable apartment, on April 23 and talked with the residents. The Heiwa Terrace, located near Lake Michigan on Chicago's North Side, was originally built by the Japanese American community in 1980 to provide a safe and comfortable place for the Issei, who had worked hard since immigrating to the U.S., to spend their retirement years.

The Noto Peninsula Earthquake Relief Charity Dinner was held on April 22 organized by Project Leader Chef Yasuo Mizuuchi (ACF Certified Executive Chef) with eight Cooperating Chefs in the Chicago areas and volunteers of the Team Chicago for Noto. An amount of $22,23575 was raised and donated to the Ishikawa Prefectural Government through the Japan America Society of Chicago in early May.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had an official visit to the U.S. from April 8 to 14, and Consul General Jun Yanagi in Chicago, spoke on the significance and results of his visit on April 23.
PM Kishida’s schedules included a summit meeting with President Joe Biden, a state dinner by President Biden, and spoke in a joint session of the U.S. Congress, and more.

The 35th Specialty Coffee Expo was held from April 12 to 14 at the McCormick Center, and the World Brewers Cup took place in the venue of the expo. While the 44 contestants, who represented their countries, were competing, Japan's representative barista, Wataru Iidaka, cleared the semi-finals on the second day and went on to the finals on the third day.

The 2024 Annual Membership Meeting of the Japanese Mutual Aid Society of Chicago was held on March 25 at the Midwest Buddhist Temple and discussed on its aid for the Japanese American community.

The Chicago Okinawa Kenjinkai’s 2024 Spring Party was held on April 6 at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in the north part of the City of Chicago. The members of the Kenjinkai entertained the audience with a variety of traditional Okinawan music, dance, and Karate performances.

The 38th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest was held at the Japan Information Center, the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago, and 26 contestants from three states, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota, competed to show their Japanese language skills.

The speeches were interesting, as the young people expressed their own discoveries through their experiences, their awareness of the environment and urban development, their views on life, and other perspectives and thoughts in their speeches.

The Japanese Emperor's Birthday Celebration was held on February 23 at the Japan Information Center, the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago. The distinguished guests from U.S.-Japan relations, cultural exchange, and education gathered to celebrate the Emperor's 64th birthday.

A Day of Remembrance (DOR) was held at the Chicago History Museum on February 18 to remember President Franklin Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which made possible the incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans.

Psychology Professor Dana Nagata of the University of Michigan spoke about the impacts of incarceration on the nisei, sansei, and yonsei.

Under the theme “Together for a Brighter Tomorrow”, the 41st Lunar New Year Celebration was held on February 10 at Drury Lane in Oak Brook. This year, the Japanese American community took the role of host for the annual event of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AACC) for the first time in 10 years, and the event venue was filled with a lively atmosphere.
AACC President Megan Nakano said, “This year’s theme, ‘Together for a Brighter Tomorrow,’ is a reminder that some of our communities may be dismissed as statistically insignificant, together, Asians are the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. and cannot be ignored.”

    The eighth annual Heritage Japanese Language Speech Contest was held on February 4 at the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago’s Japan Information Center. Twenty contestants from Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin competed with their Japanese language skills. The titles of the speeches reflected the contestants’ multiple language and cultural backgrounds which made their speeches very interesting.

The "Taste of Japan in Chicago," an event showcasing sake and other Japanese flavors, was held on January 25 at the ballroom of the Art Institute of Chicago. Organized by JETRO Chicago, the event featured 21 tables set up with sake, umami dashi, seasonings, soy meat, Shizuoka melon, and more. Each table was staffed by sake brewers, food ingredient makers, importers, and distributors, who introduced their products to the visitors, encouraging them to taste and sample them. Sake expert Tona Palomino of the Breakthrough Beverage Group also gave a lecture on sake.

The 51st Annual Glass Show and Sale is coming to Chicago’s suburb on March 9 and 10. Hosted by the 20-30-40 Glass Society of Illinois, the Show is the second longest-running Depression Glass Show in the U.S. and the only once-a-year opportunity to see a variety of beautiful depression and elegant glassware and speaking with dealers in the show.

The Japanese American Community will host the Asian American Coalition of Chicago’s 41st Annual Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at the Drury Lane in Oakbrook, Illinois. The members of The Chicago Japanese American Council (CJAC) have already made “Our Team 2024” and actively preparing the events where more than 1,000 Asian Americans from 16 Asian countries get together every year to strengthen the Asian American community.