On April 8th, Enka singer JERO received the 2nd Berkeley Japan New Vision Award from Berkeley University's Institute of Japan Studies.

After the ceremony, JERO performed a special charity live to help support the victims of the Tohoku earthquake, in an event that the University and JERO collaborated with, as JERO wished to� personally help in collecting donations.

The Berkeley Japan New Vision Award was established in 2009 to publicly acknowledge individuals who have influenced Japanese thoughts and viewpoints. JERO is being recognized for his contributions to bringing awareness to enka music in America. The previous winner of the Berkeley Japan New Vision Award was Clint Eastwood, who won the award for his directorial work in "Letters From Iwo Jima" and "Flags of Our Fathers", which depicted World War II battles from the perspective of both the Japanese and the Americans.

During the award ceremony, JERO, wearing a black suit, nervously greeted the crowd saying,� "I'm extremely happy to receive such an honorable award!"� Afterward, JERO held a free charity live, where he performed his hit songs "Umiyuki" and "Hare Mudai" in front of the crowd of 700.

For the last song, JERO yelled out, "Let's all sing together with all our heart� to cheer on Japan!", and performed "Ue wo Muite Arukou". Long after his performance had ended, JERO was still receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

The theater also provided a donation box as well as JERO goods for sale. All the money collected at the event was collected in co-operation with the American artist and creator's charity, "Artist Help Japan", who will be providing the funds to Give2Asia and the Mercy Corps' NGO2 Division.

Source: Oricon