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Seattle Go Center Signs New Lease, Reaffirms Ties with Nihon Ki-in

Expressing "heart-felt thanks" to the Nihon Ki-in, the Seattle Go Center on December 21 signed a new lease agreement with the Nihon Ki-in that runs through 2016, with an option to renew through 2021. The agreement ended a dispute over the possible sale of the Center (Nihon Kiin Urged Not to Sell Seattle Go Center 3/4/2012 EJ), "providing for our continued management and occupancy of the Iwamoto Building in support of our mission to promote the game of go and encourage cultural exchange in the spirit of Iwamoto-sensei," the Center said in a press release. "To a large extent," the release noted, "this new agreement simply formalizes the understanding the two organizations have always had, and ensures that misunderstandings will not occur in the future." Nihon Ki-in President Norio Wada was singled out for praise by the Center, which said that the new agreement "not only formally extends the relationship between our two organizations, but reaffirms our ties to one another, (and) was only made possible by the vision and leadership the Nihon Ki-in provided throughout this process." Saying that the Seattle Go Center "remains deeply grateful to the Nihon Ki-in for its support, generosity, and guidance since the Seattle Go Center’s inception in 1994," the Center pledged to "strive to justify their faith in us, now and far into the future." photo: Attorney Deborah Niedermeyer 14k and Notary Daniel Cooper 3d watch Seattle Go Center President Andrew Gross 2k sign new lease. Photo by Brian Allen.