Contact: Sarah Haun
Two Twelve Associates
902 Broadway
New York, NY 10010
212 254 6670
shaun@twotwelve.com

TWO TWELVE PRINCIPAL ANN HARAKAWA APPOINTED TO 2006 JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION TO JAPAN

New York, NY, March 7, 2006 – Two Twelve Associates, the New York City-based public information design firm, announces principal Ann Harakawa has been appointed to the 2006 Japanese American Leadership Delegation to Japan by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. The annual delegation of influential Japanese-American cultural, civic and business leaders was started in 2000 to strengthen the important US-Japan Alliance by linking and facilitating communication between younger Japanese-American and Japanese leaders.

"As an individual who understands and speaks the language of design from both US and Japanese perspectives, I believe I can make unique connections," says Ms. Harakawa, “in terms of helping Japanese businesses communicate better with their American publics, and vice versa. I am honored to serve as an American delegate to Japan and look forward with open interest to this exciting opportunity to strengthen our countries' evolving relationship."

The distinguished US delegation will meet individuals at the highest levels of Japanese government and business during an eight-day trip from March 11-18, 2006. Scheduled meetings include an audience with Her Imperial Highness Takamado; a visit to the office of the Prime Minister of Japan; field trips to the temple Sanju-Sangen-Do and to meet Toyota Kaiken executives; and separate meetings with the Japan Minister of Foreign Affairs, members of the US Consulate to Japan, and the Japan Parliament Speaker of the House.

The 2006 delegates are:

FRANK BUCKLEY
Co-Anchor, KTLA Prime News
Los Angeles, California

DONNA FUJIMOTO COLE
President, Chief Executive Officer, Cole Chemical
Houston, Texas

JOSE KEICHI FUENTES
Director, Miami-Dade Regional Service Center, South Florida Water Management District
Miami, Florida

PHILIP KAN GOTANDA
Playwright, Filmmaker, Professor
Berkeley, California

KERRY S. HADA
Law Offices of Kerry S. Hada
Englewood, Colorado

ANN HARAKAWA
Principal, Two Twelve Associates, Inc.
New York, New York
ROBERT K. ICHIKAWA
Partner, Kobayashi, Sugita & Goda
Honolulu, Hawaii

PATRICIA A. KINAGA
Partner, Jones Day
Los Angeles, California

ERIC K. MARTINSON
Managing Director, MN Capital Partners, LLC
Honolulu, Hawaii

CALVIN MANSHIO
Attorney and Principal, Manshio Law Firm, PC
Chicago, Illinois

KAREN L. SUYEMOTO
Assistant Professor, Psychology and Asian American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Boston, Massachusetts

SHARON TOMIKO SANTOS
Washington State Representative, 37th District, Majority Whip
Seattle, Washington

FLOYD D. SHIMOMURA
Executive Officer, California State Personnel Board
Sacramento, California

PATRICE TANAKA
Co-Chair, Chief Creative Officer, Director-Consumer Practice, CRT/tanaka
New York, NY

CRAIG D. UCHIDA, PhD
President, Justice & Security Strategies, Inc.

About Ann Harakawa
Born and raised in Hawaii, Ann Harakawa received a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied glasswork with Dale Chihuly, the renowned glass artist. She received a Master of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Yale University in 1982, and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to work in Japan with internationally recognized designers Eiko Ishioka and Takenobu Igarashi before starting her own firm in New York City. She became a principal of Two Twelve Associates in 1993.

Throughout her professional career, Ms. Harakawa has provided design services to both public and private sector clients, and to cultural organizations such as the Asia Society in Manhattan and the Japan Cultural Center in Honolulu. Her clients have included: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Van Wagner Communications, New Jersey Transit, NYC2012, Waikiki Business Improvement District, Prudential Douglas Elliman, Goldman Sachs, Vornado Realty Trust and the Mets Development Corporation.

Ms. Harakawa is a board member of The Art Director's Club, an international professional collective that elicits hundreds of entries from Japanese designers and advertising art directors in its annual competition of the best in contemporary advertising and graphic design. Ms. Harakawa is also a long time member of the Society for Environmental Graphic Design and the AIGA (formerly the American Institute of Graphic Arts).

About Two Twelve
Two Twelve Associates (http://www.twotwelve.com) is a multi-disciplinary graphic design company specializing in public information design, the planning and presentation of complex information to diverse audiences. David Gibson founded Two Twelve in 1980, and he and his partner Ann Harakawa presently run the firm's New York-based operation. Two Twelve offers a full range of services in branding and environmental graphic design for corporate, institutional and municipal clients nationwide. Important commissions have included the design of signage and wayfinding systems for the Yale University campus, Shea Stadium and Grand Central Terminal, as well as brand communications for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, New Jersey Transit, and New York City’s 2012 Olympic bid.

About Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (; gaimu-sho) (http://www.mofa.go.jp) is a ministry of the Japanese government, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs is the member of the Cabinet. The Ministry cultivates international relationships to promote peaceful and secure economic development for Japan and its citizens.

About the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP)
The Center for Global Partnership (http://www.cgp.org) was established within the Japan Foundation* in April 1991. CGP's operations, conducted from offices in Tokyo and New York, are financed with the interest from a $55 billion yen endowment, which was created by the Japanese government. CGP's Advisory Committee, composed of distinguished Japanese and US citizens, meets regularly to provide CGP with guidance and advice on basic policies and priorities.

CGP operates fellowships, self-initiated projects, and grant-making programs in three areas: intellectual exchange, grassroots exchange, and education. CGP also supports an array of institutions and individuals, including policymakers, scholars, educators, community-based nonprofits, and universities.

* The Japan Foundation is an Independent Administrative Institution in Japan. The mission of the Japan Foundation is to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries.

###