Eulogy: AKIO MORITA

In late 1991, AKIO MORITA, a colleague on the Trilateral Commission and a longtime friend, told me he was concerned about the state of U.S.-Japanese relations. In the wake of a series of high-profile acquisitions of American properties, including Rockefeller Center, by Japanese companies, Japan bashing had become somewhat of a national sport in the U.S., and a tone of superiority had crept into many public pronouncements emanating from Tokyo. Akio proposed that the two of us attempt to counter this trend through "dialogue" that would be taped for TV and then published in Japan. His purpose was to remind his fellow citizens of their enduring political, economic and cultural links to the U.S. The two of us--along with a retinue of TV technicians--spent a fascinating day at my home in Westchester County, N.Y., discussing this and other matters. Our day together had a great effect on me personally--and I believe a positive impact on Japanese attitudes toward the U.S.--for it gave me a deeper understanding of Akio's lively intelligence, his enormous grasp of world affairs and his wide-ranging knowledge of art. He had a profound commitment to international cooperation from his years as a young man in the U.S. during the difficult postwar period. It is Akio's wisdom, his candor about issues that truly matter and his great warmth and humanity that I will greatly miss.

--DAVID ROCKEFELLER