Previously it was thought that there had been no movement toward the establishment of a Japan P.E.N. Club prior to about 1935, with willing Japanese people participating locally only.
Now, shortly after its founding, International PEN suggested the establishment of a Japan P.E.N. Club to the Japanese ambassador to Britain at the time,
1936-November
The Founding General Meeting is held and Toson Shimazaki is appointed the inaugural president. Initially "club" is written in kanji in Japanese (now it is written in katakana)
.
Greeting by Toson Shimazaki, the founding president of Japan P.E.N. Club.
"The poetry and prose of our country was completely unknown to the rest of the world.
This is no doubt because the special characteristics of our written characters and words made it impossible for our literature to gain a presence outside our country.
1936 September - First delegation of the Japan P.E.N. Club to Buenos Aires International PEN Congress Tokyo is decided to have PEN Congress in 1940.
1936 Congratulatory Telegram to H.G. Wells, then president of International PEN from Toson Shimazaki, then president of Japan PEN Club
The English version of the Club Newsletter sent to International PEN
1937 June The Japan P.E.N. Club becomes an Executive Director Center of International PEN
1938 June The telegram of the perpetual postponement of the Tokyo Congress 1940 is sent to International PEN in London
1939 Cancellation of the International PEN Congress planned to be held in New York
1940 Cancellation of the International PEN Congress planned to be held in Stockholm
1941 July "Nonetheless, Japan P.E.N. Club still exists." Telegram to International PEN
1943 August President Toson Shimazaki dies. In November Masamune Hakucho is appointed the second president
President Shimazaki and other members of the delegation on board the Rio De Janeiro, the ship on which they travelled to Argentina(above)
1947 February "Holding of the Japan P.E.N. Club Reconstruction Congress
The new name and new Charter are decided and Naoya Shiga is appointed the third president of Japan P.E.N. Club"
(Left- Naoya Shiga, the 3rd President of the Japan P.E.N. Club)
Proclamation of the Reconstruction of the Japan P.E.N. Club
"Today we have seen the establishment of the reconstructed Japan P.E.N. Club. I think we all people of culture in Japan should commemorate this day with joy and hope.
1948 June The return of Japan P.E.N. Club to International PEN is approved at the 20th International PEN Congress in Copenhagen
Yasunari Kawabata is appointed the fourth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
The Japan P.E.N. Club in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1949 November President Kawabata and a large number of P.E.N. Club members visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki after those cities were devastated by the atomic bombings
In 1950 Japan P.E.N. Club held the Hiroshima no Kai (Hiroshima Gathering) jointly with the Hiroshima P.E.N. Club and made a declaration.
1952 May Japan P.E.N. Club issues a joint statement with the Japan Writers' Association opposing the Subversive Activities Prevention Act
1953 January Japan P.E.N. Club issues a statement of opposition and protest regarding the guilty verdict handed down by the Tokyo High Court in the Chatterley trial
Publishing of the "P.E.N. Club Bulletin" recommences with Issue No. 1
1956 July At the 28th International PEN Congress in London it is decided to hold the 29th International PEN Congress in Tokyo
1957 September 1st, the first International PEN congress in Japan, and indeed the first in Asia, got underway in Tokyo, In the 29th International PEN Congress, 171 delegates from 30 PEN centers in 26 countries and 208 Japan P.E.N. Club members participate.
The theme was "How Eastern and Western Literature Influence Each Other"
The opening ceremony on September 2 in the Sankei Hall in Otemachi,
Tokyo, which was broadcast throughout Japan on television
President Yasunari Kawabata making the opening address
1958 March President Yasunari Kawabata is elected as a vice president of International PEN
The telegram from the General Secretary of International PEN informing
Yasunari Kawabata, the president of Japan P.E.N. Club, that he had been
elected as a vice-president of International PEN.
1960 June Japan P.E.N. Club issues a statement protesting the approval for ratification of the Japan-US Security Treaty
1961 Japan P.E.N. Club sends a telegram to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev protesting the resumption of nuclear testing by the Soviet Union
1965 March Japan P.E.N. Club awards the top prize in the Japan P.E.N. Club Literature Awards in Commemoration of the Tokyo Olympics to English poet James Kirkup.
October Kojiro Serizawa is appointed the fifth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
1966 February The anniversary of the founding of Japan P.E.N. Club (November 26) is established as "P.E.N. Day"
1967 March "The History of the First Thirty Years of Japan P.E.N. Club" is published
1968 December Yasunari Kawabata is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
1969 February President Kojiro Serizawa becomes a member of the Nobel Committee for Literature
1970 April Modern Writers Calligraphy Exhibition
P.E.N. Day social gathering in 1966
1972 November The International Conference on Japanese Studies "which Taught the World about Japan" is held in Tokyo and Kyoto. 620 people attend from 39 countries
The International Conference on Japanese Studies began on November 18, 1972 at the Hotel Okura in Akasaka, Tokyo, hosted by the Japan P.E.N. Club and supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The opening ceremony at the Kyoto International Conference Center
At the opening of the conference the fifth president of the Japan P.E.N. Club, Kojiro Serizawa, made the welcoming speech. "People say that the Japanese language is a difficult language for other people around the world and it is true that you will not be able to master Japanese and study the Japanese culture, which is also said to be inscrutable, if you are not a true friend of Japan. In this country we say that "there is no joy greater than a friend making a rare visit from far away" and I am truly thrilled to see so many of the true friends of Japan gathered here today from all around the world, so I would like to begin by thanking our guests who have travelled so far to be here today."
1973 November
"The Proceedings of the International Conference on Japanese Studies" are published
1974 February
Japan P.E.N. Club sends a telegram of protest to the Soviet government in response to the arrest of writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
November
Mitsuo Nakamura is appointed the sixth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
1975 May
Tatsuzo Ishikawa is appointed the seventh president of Japan P.E.N. Club
1977 January
Japan P.E.N. Club issues a statement in response to the prison sentence given to Korean poet Kim Ji-ha
July Kenji Takahashi is appointed the eighth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
1978 April
Japan P.E.N. Club establishes the Guest Member system to support writers suffering under political oppression
May Kim Ji-ha and others are given guest member status
1979 April
Publishing of anthologies edited by the Japan P.E.N. Club begins
1980 September
Statement about the Establishment of the Act on Access to Information Held by Administrative Organs
1981 May
Yasushi Inoue is appointed the ninth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
Wrtiters in Prison Day in Japan
1981 October The first "Day of Writers in Prison" forum (thereafter held once every year)
Writers in Prison and human rights committee of the Japan P.E.N. Club
Activities of the W.i.P.C of the Japan P.E.N. Club 1981 to 2010
1984 May
Holding of the 47th International PEN Congress in Tokyo with the participation of 45 PEN centers, 219 writers from overseas, 351 Japan P.E.N. Club members, and 53 others. The theme was "Literature in the Nuclear Age... Why do We Write?"
The opening ceremony for the 47th International P.E.N. Congress, held in the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo
1985
-Holding of the First Day of Writers for Peace Gathering on March 3, 1985-
The Day of Writers for Peace was established in the Peace Committee at the 47th International P.E.N. Congress in Tokyo in May 1984 and the intention to achieve universal freedom and peace through specific anti-nuclear policies was incorporated into the meeting, so this congress was an opportunity to enhance the value of the presence of the Japan P.E.N. Club in International PEN.
. The day was established to hold campaigns wishing for peace at PEN centers all around the world on the same day every year. The Japan P.E.N. Club held the first Day of Writers for Peace gathering at the Sogetsu Hall in Akasaka, Tokyo on March 3, 1985. This day was chosen because it is the day of the Momo no Sekkku (Girls' Festival) and Hinamatsuri (Dolls' Festival) in Japan.
At the meeting of the Writers for Peace Committee held in Bled, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) in May that year agreement was reached that the day proposed by the Japan P.E.N. Club, March 3, was the most suitable date for avoiding war in the countries of the world and the committee decided to hold the Day of Writers for Peace permanently on this date beginning with the second Day of Writers for Peace in 1986.
The first Day of Writers for Peace gathering is held in Tokyo (thereafter held on the same day every year)
6th Day of Writers for Peace gathering in Shizuoka
Shusaku Endo (1990)
1985 June Shusaku Endo is appointed the tenth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
1987 November "1935-1985 History of the Japan P.E.N. Club" is published
1988 August Based on the results of a survey of the club members, "The State Secrets Act: What we Think" is published
1989 March Eight-hour marathon talk "Is our Speech Protected?"
April Makoto Ooka is appointed the eleventh president of Japan P.E.N. Club
1991 April Debate Meeting about the Gulf War
1992 April First PEN Monthly Discussion Meeting
1993 April Hotsuki Ozaki is appointed the twelfth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
1994 December Kenzaburo Oe is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
1995 May The First Japan-China PEN exchange is held and the Japanese delegation visits Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai
The Asia Pacific P.E.N. Conference was held in the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo from November 26 to November 28, 1996.
Thirty-one representatives from 14 P.E.N. centers and four writers' associations in the Asia Pacific region came to Japan for this event. Approximately 400 members of the Japan P.E.N. Club participated.
Our 12th president Hotsuki Ozaki welcomed everyone at the opening ceremony as follows.
"Japan is one of the countries located on the edge of Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Taking this distinctive position into account, the Japan P.E.N. Club cannot have a serious role without carefully considering the various problems of the Asia and Pacific regions as problems that are closer to home."
The main theme of the conference was "The Changing Literature of Asia."
International PEN Vice President G. Conrad giving an address ／ Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo in November 1996
1997 April Takeshi Umehara is appointed the thirteenth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
June Statement about the Isahaya Bay Drainage Dikes
1998 May Statement about Nuclear Tests by India, Statement about Nuclear Tests by Pakistan
June Human Rights Gathering
September First "Evening of Literature (Writers Talk about Writers)" (held once a month for a year)
December Statement Protesting the Exercise of Force against Iraq
1999 February Urgent Statement Calling for Act on Access to Information Held by Administrative Organs based on the Public's Right to Know
July Human Rights Gathering
2000 February Statement on the Subcritical Nuclear Tests Undertaken by the Government of the United States of America
September The Speech and Expression Committee's second symposium "The Era of a Multitude of Expressions: How can I Express Myself in an Internet Society?"
2001 September The First Environment Committee symposium "Environmental Gathering 2001"
November The Japan P.E.N. Club Digital Library web site is opened on P.E.N. Day
December Women Writers' Committee symposium "When Women Write" (thereafter held continuously once a year)
■ Gathering "Think War and Peace Now"
One of the reasons for the existence of the Japan P.E.N. Club is to communicate about war and peace with conscience and courage.
Against the backdrop of the September 11 terrorist attacks which shocked the world, the resulting war in Afghanistan, and the increasingly serious situation in Palestine, the Japan P.E.N. Club held the first "Think War and Peace Now" gathering in December 2001. The gathering addressed the problem "how should we understand the present situation and how should we act in response to it?" and made a passionate appeal for peace.
The first "Think War and Peace Now" gathering ／ Kinokuniya Hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo in December 2001
President Hisashi Inoue giving the opening address at the first gathering2002 May The secretariat moves to the Japan P.E.N. Club Building in Kabutocho, Nihonbashi, Chuo Ward, Tokyo
July Commemorative lecture on the occasion of the visit to Japan of International PEN President Homero Aridjis
2003 January "Think War and Peace Now" forum
March Urgent Statement Protesting the Attack on Iraq by the United States and the United Kingdom
April Hisashi Inoue is appointed the fourteenth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
2004 February Urgent meeting "Think War and Peace Now"
Declaration against the Dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq
October Japan P.E.N. Club begins publication of its e-mail magazine called "P.E.N."
2005 February Urgent meeting "Think War and Peace Now"
Declaration against the Dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq
October Speech and Expression Committee and Electronic Media Committee joint symposium "The Internet is Making Change, Will Printed Writing Also Change?
2006 February Urgent meeting "Think War and Peace Now"
October Statement Protesting the Nuclear Test by North Korea and Appealing to the Countries Concerned for the Expansion of the Nuclear-Free Zone
2007 February "Japan P.E.N. Club welcomes the International Secretary of International PEN, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, and holds the sixth "Think War and Peace Now" gathering"
March Takashi Atouda is appointed the fifteenth president of Japan P.E.N. Club
July Japan P.E.N. Club Executive Director Takeaki Hori is elected as the Board of International PEN
October Statement to Protest to the Government of Myanmar and Call for the Restoration of the Freedom of Speech in Myanmar
New Experiments in Literature: the World P.E.N. Forum
"Natural Disaster and Culture"
The World P.E.N. Forum "Natural Disaster and Culture" was held in the Zenrosai Hall/Space Zero in Shinjuku, Tokyo from February 22 to February 24, 2008. It began with the keynote speech by Kenzaburo Oe and on the final day all of the performers participated in a discussion about their own respective experiences of natural disasters and their literary works. Then a wide variety of programs were presented to charm the audience, including a relay talk "The International Speaking Out."
Relay talk, the International Speaking Out／Zenrosai Hall/Space Zero in Shinjuku, Tokyo in February 2008
2008 March
Statement Expressing Concern with the Situation in Tibet and Calling for Freedom of Speech and Expression and Respect for Human Rights in Tibet
2008 December
Statement calling for Lasting Peace and Security in Gaza
2009 May
Statement Protesting the Nuclear Test by North Korea
2009 July
Asia Pacific Conference hosted by International PEN in Tokyo
2009 August
Settlement for the Agreement for the Google Book Search Lawsuit"