NEWS RELEASE
The Planetary Society
65 N. Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301 (626) 793-5100 Fax (626)
793-5528 E-mail: tps@planetary.org Web: http://planetary.org
Release: November 9, 1999
Contact: Susan Lendroth (626)793-5100 ext 214
The Planetary Society Welcomes Sister Organization: The Planetary Society of Japan
San (3)…ni (2)…ichi (1): Blast off! A new non-profit space
organization will officially launch November 10, 1999 in Tokyo, Japan ˆ The
Planetary Society of Japan.
The Planetary Society of Japan (TPS/J) will be an independent affiliate of
The Planetary Society, an international organization that is headquartered
in Pasadena, California.
Dr. Tamiya Nomura, the former High Commissioner of the Space Activities
Commission in Japan, will head the newly formed organization, The Planetary
Society of Japan, as its President. Yotaro Kobayashi, Chairman of
Fuji-Xerox Co., Ltd., is the Vice President. Jihei Akita, Senior Fellow
and Japan Representative of MIT Media Laboratory and a member of The
Planetary Society’s Advisory Council, is the Executive Director of TPS/J.
“This is a global milestone in public participation in planetary
exploration and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence,” said Bruce
Murray, President of The Planetary Society. “We honor Dr. Nomura and the
other leaders of this bright new star in Japanese society.”
The Planetary Society has long sought to make Earth’s exploration of the
solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life a truly global
endeavor. The formation of the Society’s first independent affiliate —
The Planetary Society of Japan — is a great step towards international
growth and development of The Planetary Society, which has 100,000 members
in over 140 countries.
The mission of TPS/J is to provide the means for the citizens of Japan to
share their interest in and support for promoting space exploration for
peaceful purposes and to continue the search for extraterrestrial life.
TPS/J will publish its own newsletter; establish a website linked to The
Planetary Society’s website; distribute the Society’s magazine, The
Planetary Report, with a Japanese translation; host public events in Japan;
and will provide special programs for Japanese students to enhance their
understanding of space exploration.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government granted TPS/J approval under a new law
for non-profit organizations in Japan. TPS/J became a “Special Non-Profit
Activities Corporation” under the new “Special Non-Profit Activities
Promotion Bill,” which came into effect December 1, 1998.
You may access the website of The Planetary Society of Japan at
http://www.planetary.or.jp, or you may link to it from The Planetary
Society’s website at http://planetary.org.
Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded The Planetary Society
in 1979 to advance the exploration of the solar system and to continue the
search for extraterrestrial life. Its 100,000 members make it the largest
space interest group in the world.
-o0o-
Linda Wong
The Planetary Society
65 N. Catalina Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91106-2301
Tel: (626) 793-5100 ext. 236
Fax: (626) 793-5528
E-Mail: tps@planetary.org
