PARTICIPATING PANELISTS:

Jim French, President of Panasonic R&D Company of America
Osamu Onodera, Chief Representative, Silicon Valley Office at NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization)
Aki Ohashi, Director of Business Development for Japan at PARC (Palo Alto Research Center)

Registration and Networking: 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Event: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Venue: Fenwick & West LLP, 801 California St., Mountain View, CA

EVENT OVERVIEW
Japanese companies have historically led in sustainability and “eco” but due to recent events the domestic Japanese consumer is demanding ever more innovation in clean energy technology. Japanese companies are working to leverage this demand-driven innovation into partnerships and trade within cleantech markets worldwide. In this program we hear what Panasonic R&D USA and other Japanese multi-nationals in NEDO projects are working on and we will discuss how they are positioning themselves for success and what models they see for cooperation with U.S. and Silicon Valley based companies. We will also hear how PARC (the Palo Alto Research Center which was spun-off from Fuji-Xerox) is selling its early-stage technology into Japanese multi-nationals and how it successfully manages these relationships.

What is clean energy technology or “cleantech”?
Clean energy technology represents a diverse range of products and services which increase performance and efficiency while delivering a lower ecological impact and a lower overall cost. This includes but is not limited to the following sectors: Energy Efficiency (Buildings, Lighting, Sensors), Energy Generation (Solar, Wind, Biofuels), Energy Infrastructure (Grid Management, Transmission, Metering), Energy Storage (Fuel Cells, Batteries, Hybrids), Materials (Nano, Bio, Chemical), and Transportation (Vehicles, Logistics, Fuels) among others.

Keizai Society’s theme for the remainder of 2011 is “Recovery and Renewal – Toward a New Japan of Compassion and Growth.”  Programs of the Keizai Society will be dedicated to sustaining Japan’s recovery efforts. Proceeds from these programs are donated to Keizai’s Japan Relief Fund

PANELIST BIO

Mr. James “Jim” French, is the president of Panasonic R&D Company of America (PRDCA), a Division Company of Panasonic Corporation of North America.  Employed at Panasonic since 1995; he helped start up the Panasonic Semiconductor Development Company in Cupertino; other positions within Panasonic included the Vice President of Operations for Panasonic Technologies Inc.  (now, PRDCA).   Other than in  the Silicon Valley,  he also oversees other laboratories in Hollywood, San Diego, Boston and Princeton.

Prior to Panasonic worked at other high technology companies such as Litton Electronic Devices and Teledyne.  Mr. French has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth in 1978.  In his free time, enjoys home renovation and looking at ways to make a more sustainable environment for the current and future generations of the world.

Mr. Osamu Onodera is a senior official with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a government related organization under the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry in Japan, which is in charge of funding R&D projects in the areas of new energy, energy efficiency, smart grid and other industrial technologies including biotech, IT, and nanotechnology. Osamu is the Director of NEDO’s new Silicon Valley Office established in October 2010. Prior to his NEDO position, he was a Director in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan (METI), where he was responsible for international issues (bilateral and multilateral) in energy conservation and renewable energy development. He has been closely involved in US-Japan cooperation in clean energy including a smart grid demonstration project in New Mexico and the Hawaii Okinawa Clean Energy Partnership Osamu holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. from the University of Tokyo.

Mr. Aki Ohashi is PARC’s Director of Business Development responsible for developing and managing client relationships in the Japanese market. He is involved in all aspects of setting up projects with our Japanese partners: from the initial introductory meeting and defining of project deliverables and resources, to contracting and IP term definition. Aki works with all of PARC’s corporate clients in Japan including Fujitsu, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., and NEC Corporation, as well as our Japanese university partners and governmental organizations.

Aki earned his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. While Aki was born and raised in the United States, he has spent 4 years living and working in Japan and communicates with clients in both English and Japanese.

Keizai Society wishes to thank its sponsors:

Event support provided by:

Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California

Sustainable Silicon Valley