There are many pictures of Tyler Ferris on the Web site his mother, Kimberly Forsythe, created after his death just over a year ago. In every one he is smiling, if not grinning from ear to ear.
"He was the happiest child imaginable. That's why we can be proactive about his short life. Because he made the best of it, so can we," says Kimberly between shifts at NHK in Tokyo's Shibuya, where she reads the evening news in English.
Kimberly explains that she came to Japan 16 years ago to take a hiatus from postgraduate studies and to visit her father, who was setting up a join venture with Sumitomo Metals. Her stay became indefinite after meeting her husband, Mark, a busy lawyer-turned-entrepreneur originally from Zimbabwe who is working in venture capital.