Over the years, JASI members’ interests have grown and evolved, and today the organization’s standing committees reflect diverse interest in Japanese culture that exists in central Iowa.  The relationship between Iowa and Japan is more than 50 years old.  The act of humanity and goodwill opened a door of friendship due to the 1959 typhoon at Yamanashi Prefecture with the gift of 35 Iowa hogs and 100,000 bushels of corns.  In 1961, the formation of Iowa Sister States with Yamanashi Prefecture solidified the bond that still exists today.

The founder of JASI, Ms. Hiroko Sogi left Iowa to Tokyo in 1998.  Ms. Hiroko Sogi lived in Des Moines for 27 years, died in Tokyo, Japan on January 5, 2012 at age 80.   ​

Ms. Sogi was a professor of Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging.  As a representative of the Saga School of Kyoto, her teaching took her throughout North and South America.  Iowa’s Sister State and numerous Sister City governmental and cultural exchanges benefited greatly from Ms. Sogi’s connections of Iowa and Japan.  ​