OREANDA-NEWS. Hitachi, Ltd. announced that it has been awarded the International Citizens Award by the Japan America Society of Southern California (JASSC). The award ceremony was held today at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California.

JASSC is a not-for-profit organization established to build economic, cultural, governmental and other relationships between the people of Japan and the U.S. JASSC bestows this award on groups or individuals that contribute to the building of these relationships. Today's award recognizes the work Hitachi has done with the Society in the southern California area. This includes several kite workshops in which a kite expert from Japan teaches elementary school children how to make Japanese kites; sponsorship of the Kite Festival each Fall, as well as support for a Japanese language contest for senior high school students.

"The Hitachi Group has worked in various ways to contribute to regional communities in California and other parts of the U.S. We are extremely delighted and appreciative that these efforts have been recognized by the Japan America Society of Southern California. We will continue to devote our energies to activities that build even stronger bridges of friendship between the U.S. and Japan," said Toshiaki Kuzuoka, Senior Vice President and Executive Officer, Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi conducts various social contribution activities in three specific areas: education, the environment, and social welfare. In Southern California, Hitachi has supported a variety of programs designed to build stronger relations between Japan and the U.S. The kite workshop is one of the educational programs that Hitachi is being recognized for today. Launched in 2001 by JASSC, Hitachi has been a supporter of this program since its inception. Mikio Toki, a kite master and member of the Edo-Kite Preservation Society, is invited from Japan to instruct children in the art of making Japanese kites. As part of this program, he visits several elementary schools in Los Angeles every year, teaching the joys of Japanese kite making to hundreds of excited children. Hitachi has similarly been recognized for support of the Japan Bowl, a Japanese language contest for high school students, contestants in the Japan Bowl pit their knowledge of Japan against one another speaking only in Japanese. The first Japan Bowl was held in Southern California in March 2013, and plans call for it to be held on a continuous basis.

Going forward, Hitachi aims to fulfill its social responsibility as a company and, at the same time, sees social contribution activities as a vital corporate activity for raising corporate value. Working as one, the Hitachi Group will continue to engage in social contribution activities to help create an even better society.