Message from Japan Association of Classical Music Presenters

Dear Governors of FACP, On behalf of Japan Association of Classical Music Presenters, I would like to thank you for your concerns about the disaster that struck Japan recently. As you can imagine, we were devastated but are now focused on devoting ourselves to the recovery of our country. Deriving from the concerns that Europeans have regarding the nuclear plant incident caused by the earthquake, many people seem to think that the entire Japan is contaminated with radiation. The nuclear power plant, located in Fukushima prefecture, is 250 kilometers away from Tokyo; except for those in Fukushima and nearby areas, people are living their daily lives as usual in Tokyo as well as other regions of Japan Rolling blackouts are being conducted in certain areas in order to prevent a shortage of electricity, but major halls are being exempted from these blackouts. Apart from reducing the power of lighting at venues to save electricity, all scheduled events and performances are taking place as usual. As a result of the catastrophe, many oversea artists are now reluctant to come to Japan, and many performances have thus been cancelled. We would like to address to you with confidence that everything is okay in all areas except the evacuation zone, and that there are no problems with local transportation, either. Since the beginning of April, Japanese orchestras and artists have started to hold concerts (including charity concerts) just like before.Foreign musicians, such as Zubin Mehta and Placido Domingo just recently performed in Japan, and Marta Argerich, Gidon Kremer are coming next month. We would like to ask for your support and cooperation by conveying the correct information provided above to the artists and management companies. We hope for their assistance and encouragements toward the recovery of Japan through music, at this time of emergency. Your continued support and cooperation would be most appreciated. Sincerely yours, Masami Shigeta Chairperson of the International Committee Japan Association of Classical Music Presenters