Harvard Club of Japan Ben Makihara Memorial Lecture Series

Finding Musical Purpose at Harvard:

How a Performance With Yo-Yo Ma at Sanders Theater Shaped a life in the Arts

- a Talk and violin performance by Sumire Hirotsuru, A.B. `16 - 

sumire-hirotsuru-photo3

 

The Harvard Club of Japan is pleased to announce our third Ben Makihara Memorial Lecture, presenting a talk and a violin performance by Sumire Hirotsuru, A.B.`16. The event will take place in the historic Kaito Kaku, which was designed by English architect Josiah Condor, and served as a private residence for the Iwasaki family, the founder of Mitsubishi until 1945.  It is now a private club for Mitsubishi executives.

The event will be moderated by Tsunehiko (Tsuney) Yanagihara, MBA `93, Partner of Allegis Capital, and former Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Corporation.

 

Talk overview:Sumire Hirotsuru will reflect on her time as a student, highlighted by a life-changing performance alongside her "senpai" Yo-Yo Ma—a moment that ultimately inspired her to dedicate her life to the violin. Sumire will also share personal reflections on the mentorship and support that fueled her career, including her special bond with the Makihara family. She will recount the meaningful ways Ben Makihara supported her growth—from the scholarship that made her education possible to the intellectual curiosity he sparked during their visits to the Toyo Bunko Library and their wide-ranging conversations during her Nikkei newspaper interview series.

Seating is limited to 80 persons, on a first-come, first-served basis, so make sure to register early!

Please register for the event using the reservation function below.

 

***Note that cancellations after noon on Monday, May 11th and no-shows will be charged the full participation fee, as we are committing to the venue on a per-person basis. By registering for this event, you are agreeing to comply with this policy. Your understanding of and compliance with this policy are greatly appreciated!

 

Date: Tuesday, May 19th

Time: Door Open: 18:00 / Talk & Performance Start: 18:30 / Reception 19:30 – 21:00 

(You are welcome to arrive at 17:30 to observe the roses in the garden in full blossom.  If you decide to walk around the garden, please do so before you check in for the event at the banquet room)

Venue: Kaito Kaku

Address:  4-25-33 Takanawa Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-007 (From JR Shinagawa Stn., a 15 min walk or a 5 min taxi ride. From JR Kotanda Stn., an 18 min walk or a 5 min taxi ride)

CLICK HERE FOR A DOWNLOADABLE PDF 

                      

Participation fee: 20,000 JPY per person, to be paid IN CASH at the door

(covers event participation, food and free-flow beverages)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE EVENT RECEPTION WILL ONLY ACCEPT CASH:

CREDIT CARDS AND E-PAYMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED

Kaito Kaku is a members-only club made available to us by special arrangement.

Please do not contact Kaito Kaku or engage with their staff directly for any reason.

Pre-event enquiries should be directed to HCJ Events organizer Tsuney Yanagihara at the email below,

or to the HCJ staff present at the event. 

Dress code: Business casual - Collared shirts, no shorts or sandals.

Child policy: Children of middle school age and above only.

Enquiries: For any problems registering or other enquires please e-mail: tsuney@allegiscapital.com

 

When:

5:30PM - 9:00PM Tue 19 May 2026, Asia/Tokyo timezone

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Where:

Kaito Kaku
4-25-33 Takanawa, Minato-ku
Tokyo, 108-0074 Japan

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Sumire Hirotsuru, A.B. `16 Profile:

Sumire Hirotsuru is a Japanese violinist, educator, and social entrepreneur whose career bridges classical music, cross-genre collaboration, and social impact. Born in Oita, Japan, she began playing the violin at age three and has performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and Suntory Hall. She has appeared with the Tokyo Philharmonic, Kyushu Symphony, and toured Japan with the Denmark Philharmonic in 2025. Her artistic interests span historically informed baroque performance with Bach Collegium Japan to Argentine tango, collaborating with leading tango musicians in the U.S. and Argentina. She has also performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Beyond performance, Hirotsuru co-founded Summer in JAPAN, a program that has empowered young learners through creative education since 2013. In addition to serving as a member of Japan’s Central Council for Education and the Select Associate Professor at Akita International University, she served as a Guest Associate Professor at Seikei University for five years. She holds an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.M. from The Juilliard School, where she received the William Schuman Prize.

2026hirokokohno

Hiroko Kohno (Pianist) Profile:Hiroko Kohno is a graduate of Toho Gakuen School of Music, where she also completed postgraduate studies.  She has served as a pianist for the Nikikai Opera Institute and as a commissioned accompanist at Toho Gakuen’s Vocal Department. As a prolific collaborative pianist, she frequently performs at concerts and music festivals across Japan as a recital partner for distinguished artists, such as Sara Kobayashi and Sumire Hirotsuru, appearing on several of their albums. Her versatile career also includes work in film and television; notably, she was the piano double and on-set coach for the main character in the hit series Nodame Cantabile.

Tsuney Yanagihara Profile:yanagiharaphoto2266-------------
Tsunehiko (Tsuney) Yanagihara is currently Partner of Allegis Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley.
Allegis Capital invests in early stage startups in the US and Japan. Allegis Capital`s investment themes are enterprise software, fintech, cybersecurity and climatetech.
Tsuney is formerly Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Corporation, Tokyo, Japan and Executive Vice President at Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas) working in Palo Alto, California. He has extensive international business experience, having spent 39 years in business management positions within Mitsubishi Corporation.
Tsuney holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Amherst College in Massachusetts. He has kept strong ties with Harvard Business School. Most recently, Tsuney has helped HBS prepare a case study on his Silicon Valley experience titled “M-Lab: Enabling Innovation at Mitsubishi Corporation” with Professor Krishna Palepu.
About The Harvard Club of Japan Ben Makihara Memorial Lecture Series
 
-----------------------------The Ben Makihara Memorial Lecture Series is a periodic lecture series held by the Harvard Club of Japan to honor the legacy of Mr. Minoru “Ben” Makihara.
 
Ben Makihara pioneered and served as a leader of ties between Japan and Harvard against a backdrop of Japan’s rise as an economic power after WWII and the transformation of the US-Japan relationship from one of bitter enemies to a close friendship and alliance.
 
A hard-working student with a talent for English, Minoru’s success during his high school years in Tokyo in winning the MacArthur English speech contest were among the factors that fueled his dream to study in the United States, and boosted his confidence to aim for what he called “the top level”: Harvard University. He consulted with Kenneth Viall, a Harvard-educated priest at the Episcopal Church in Tokyo, which had been allotted by the US Occupation authorities some land on the Iwasaki estate, where Makihara lived with his mother. Viall was at first concerned that the distance between Harvard and Minoru in geography and culture would be too great to bridge. But taken with the student’s determination and passion, Viall helped arrange for Minoru to get a full scholarship for a year at St Paul’s prep school in New Hampshire as a launching point to apply to Harvard.
 
At St. Paul’s Minoru acquired the skills and visibility he needed to get into Harvard, as well as the nickname Ben. He also made such an impression on St. Paul’s that a program was formalized to encourage top Japanese students to apply there.
 
At Harvard, Ben chose to major in Government. His undergraduate thesis, “Social Values in Capitalist Development: A Case Study of Japan”, explored Japan’s growth after the Meiji Restoration. After his graduation magna cum laude in 1954, Ben stayed abroad one more year on a Sheldon Fellowship before returning to Japan.
 
Ben joined Mitsubishi in 1956 and subsequently served as General Manager of the Washington Office of Mitsubishi International Corporation, U.S.A. (1971), President of Mitsubishi International Corporation (1987), and President and CEO of Mitsubishi Corporation (1992). In 1998 he was named Chairman, a position he held for six years.
 
In 1993 Ben Makihara  joined the Committee on University Resources (COUR), a lifetime membership organization of major donors to Harvard. He was Chair of the Harvard Japan Campaign, helping raise significant funds for the Asian Center at 1730 Cambridge Street, and a plaque there acknowledges Ben’s efforts. In 1999 Ben joined the Asia Center Advisory Committee and served until 2018.
 
Ben also served for many years on the Visiting Committee of the East Asian Studies Department, and as an Advisor on the Advisory Committee to the HBS Global Research Center. Partly through Ben’s efforts, a center in Japan was subsequently founded and remains active today. An active contributor to the activities of the Harvard Club of Japan, Ben mostly worked behind-the-scenes, though at various times he served as a Governor or in an official advisory capacity to the club.
 
Minoru Ben Makihara received the Harvard Medal in 2004, his 50th reunion year.
 
Among the many noteworthy activities contributing to the US-Japan relationship outside of his Harvard roles are his service as US-Japan Business Council Chair from 1997-2002 and Chair of the US Japan Conference on Cultural and Education Exchange (CULCON) from 2008-2014.
 
As a formative presence in The Harvard Club of Japan community for many decades, Ben’s character and efforts helped directly shape the arc of the relationship between the United States and Japan, and between Japan and Harvard.
 

The Ben Makihara Memorial Lecture commemorates this extraordinary service, which sets an example for us all.