An Evening of Music and Hope

May 20 - On May 18, U.S. Ambassador John V. Roos welcomed a group of nine young people from towns in the Tohoku region to the Ambassador's Residence in Tokyo. At the Residence, the Ambassador introduced the nine young people to visiting singer-songwriter Justin Bieber, who expressed his wish to show support and encouragement to the people of Japan who were affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11. Following their meeting with Mr. Bieber, the young people from Tohoku attended a private piano concert by Nobuyuki Tsujii, the winner of the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. For an encore, Mr. Tsujii played an original piece he composed in memory of the victims of March 11.

Ambassador Roos said, "Today I had the opportunity to host a group of young people from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures to hear their stories, talk to them about the future, and see their inspiring resilience. Events like Justin Bieber's visit and Nobuyuki Tsujii's concert not only lift the spirits of young people in Japan, but are an important contribution to the message to the world that Japan is safe to visit and open for business."