Forum Flyer – English (pdf) Forum Flyer – Japanese (pdf)

EVENT OVERVIEW
On March 11, 2011, a cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami struck Japan’s northern coastal Tohoku region of Japan, ravaging communities and transforming in an instant the world’s image of Japan. The heart-wrenching images of the disaster flashed across the world on the net and new SNS media triggered an international outpouring of compassion and support, while the courage and composure of the people of Tohoku stirred fresh admiration for the best qualities of Japan.

Yet, as the long year of recovery has passed, the drawn-out Fukushima nuclear crisis, reports of government and corporate failings both after and before the natural disaster itself, and lingering damage to a Japanese economy that had only just begun to emerge from more than a decade of stagnation has stirred new doubts about the future of the country once considered the unstoppable juggernaut of Asia. Today, Tohoku’s recovery is more than a domestic humanitarian challenge for Japan. It has taken on global import as a symbolic barometer of Japan’s ability to shake off its long malaise, and reinvent itself to once again flourish in a world transformed by new technologies and the rise of powerful new competitors. During the disaster and its aftermath, the US-Japan military alliance reasserted itself as a powerful tool for relief and recovery through Operation Tomodachi. But today, it is the emerging trans-Pacific synergy in hi-tech that is helping speed Tohoku’s recovery, and is pointing the way to new transformative possibilities for the future. The challenge today for Tohoku – and for all of Japan — is not simply to rebuild, but to transform, to emerge not just better prepared to respond to the next catastrophe, but reinvigorated and rewired to compete and flourish in the new connected world.

Our distinguished Tohoku Transformation speakers will take this moment a year since the disaster to see what has been accomplished, and to offer a preliminary sketch for what can be done in the future. Our mix of government and private-sector experts will review how Japan has overcome the immediate impact of the catastrophe, and at the powerful role the Japan-US alliance played in the recovery. They will discuss the new technologies put to the test during the disaster, and discuss what lies ahead in the drive to transform Tohoku, and Japan.

The Honorable Hiroshi Inomata, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, will update us on the Government of Japan’s responses and initiatives to transform the Tohoku region. U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Frank Clark, a key driver of the U.S. Government’s Operation Tomodachi that brought the hi-tech weight of the U.S. military into play for disaster response in the immediate aftermath of the quake and tsunami, will discuss what has been achieved and the new, long-term goals of Operation Tomodachi in the years ahead. On our transformational technology panel moderated by Dr. Richard Dasher of Stanford’s US-Asia Technology Management Center, Gaku Ueda of Twitter and Dr. Ka Ping Yee of Google will discuss how SNS and collective information technologies came to the rescue when traditional communication networks crashed during the crisis, and forecast what we can anticipate in the future. Kurion’s John Raymont discusses the new technologies going into the cleanup of the badly damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor farm. Putting the focus back on the still pressing humanitarian needs in the disaster zone, documentarian and US-Japan cultural innovator Stu Levy shares footage shot on the ground in the devastated community of Ishinomaki for his new documentary, “Pray for Japan,” while representatives of Give2Asia will update us how the Asia-focused relief organization is deploying the millions of dollars of contributions received from around the United States so support Tohoku’s medium and long-term recovery and transformation.

PANELIST BIO

US Army Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Frank Clark is a native of Hollywood, Florida. He is currently representing the U.S. at Japan’s National Institute of Defense Studies (NIDS), the leading institution in Japan dedicated to the research of national security and defense issues. Frank is writing his thesis on Lessons Learned from the Great Northeastern Earthquake Response, specifically examining the leadership, decision-making, and information-sharing aspects. LTC Clark recently finished an assignment as the Assistant Army Attaché, where his responsibilities included coordinating bilateral military meetings and events, improving bilateral military planning, and informing senior officials on respective capabilities, as well as representing these officials to the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Frank was the first U.S. person deployed to Sendai in response to the disasters that hit that area (Tohoku, or NE Japan) on 11 March 2011. This is Frank’s fourth tour in Japan; he attended a year of Japanese language training at FSI Yokohama (2001-2002), represented the U.S. at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Command and General Staff College (2002-2003), and was the first US Army Japan Liaison Officer to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Northeastern Army Headquarters in Sendai, Japan (2003-2005), where he helped coordinate with and prepare the Japanese for their ground-breaking deployment to Iraq. He maintains general fluency in Japanese. After his four years in Japan, Frank served as the Strategic Policy Plans Officer in the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan (CFC-A) Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, as well as LTG Eikenberry’s (Commander, CFC-A) writer (2005-2006). Prior to returning to Japan to work in the Defense Attaché Office, Frank served as the Chief of the Asia-Pacific Branch (and Japan Desk Officer) for Army International Affairs, Headquarters, Department of the Army, in the Pentagon (2006-2008). Frank has served almost 22 years in the military, with his first eight years spent in various Army Aviation (Air Cavalry) assignments as a helicopter pilot. LTC Clark was selected for promotion to Colonel, expected in summer 2012. Frank graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy in 1990, where he focused on European Area Studies, and he received a master’s degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University in 2001. In 2007-2008, Frank was a Fellow in MIT’s Seminar XXI: Foreign Politics, International Relations & the National Interest.

Dr. Richard Dasher has directed the US-Asia Technology Management Center at the Stanford University School of Engineering since 1994 and served concurrently as Executive Director of the Center for Integrated Systems since 1998. He holds Consulting Professor appointments at Stanford in the Departments of Electrical Engineering (technology management), Asian Languages (Japanese business), and with the Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In 2004, Dr. Dasher became the first non-Japanese person ever asked to join the governance of a Japanese national university, serving on the Board of Directors and then the Management Council of Tohoku University until 2010. He regularly participates on selection and review committees of government programs for innovation in Canada, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong. Dr. Dasher also serves as a board member of privately held companies and non-profit organizations (including the Keizai Society) and as an advisor to start-up companies in the U.S., Japan, and China. He received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Linguistics from Stanford University and is co-author of the book ‘Regularity in Semantic Change’ (Cambridge University Press, 2002). From 1986 –90, he was the Director of the U.S. State Department’s advanced training centers in Japan and Korea that provide full-time language and area studies curricula to U.S. and select Commonwealth Country diplomats headed for assignments in those countries.

Hiroshi Inomata assumed his current position as Japan’s Consul General in San Francisco in August 2010. Prior to that, he was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Director-General for Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs (2008-2010). A career diplomat, Inomata has held senior positions in several MOFA bureaus, including Director of the International Agreements Division in the Treaties Bureau from 1995-1997, Director of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty Division in the North American Bureau from 1997-1998, Counselor at the Japanese Embassy in London from 1998-2001, Minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul from 2001-2004 and Deputy Director-General of the International Legal Affairs Bureau from 2006-2008. Inomata was also seconded to the Cabinet from 2004-2006, where he served as a senior advisor to the Chief Cabinet Secretary. Inomata earned a BA in Law from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan in 1978. He also studied at Oxford University from 1979-1981.

Stu Levy is an international entrepreneur, producer, director and writer across mediums including graphic novels, film, television and new media. Founder of the pioneering media company TOKYOPOP, Levy is known for his work in establishing the manga market in North America. Levy has directed two feature films, his feature documentary PRAY FOR JAPAN and his award-winning feature debut VAN VON HUNTER, along with the 8-episode docu-reality series America’s Greatest Otaku. His first major studio feature film as Executive Producer was PRIEST, released theatrically worldwide in 2011 through Sony Pictures. As a producer, he has a number of live-action and animated feature films and television shows in various stages of development, including adaptations of his graphic novels Princess Ai and Juror 13. Fluent in Japanese, Levy also serves as chair of the Producers Guild of America’s International Committee and was previously a Board Member of its New Media Council.

John Raymont is the Founder and President of Kurion, Inc. Based in Irvine, CA he has more than 35 years of experience in the domestic and international nuclear industry ranging across plant design, safety related equipment design and waste management. Previously he was the President of NUKEM Corporation and built it and its subsidiaries to about a $100 million business serving the commercial and DOE nuclear markets with more than 450 employees. He has a BS, MA and MBA, holds several patents and patent applications, and is a member of the American Nuclear Society. He has been building Kurion since 2008 with its mission to “isolate waste from the environment to support a clean, safe, and secure Nuclear Industry”. In April 2011 Kurion was selected by the Tokyo Electric Power Company to design and deliver in 5-weeks a water processing system that uses the company’s proprietary Ion Specific Media to process and remove cesium and other isotopes from the 120,000 MT (32 million gallons) of oily saline water in the turbine and reactor buildings of the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Kurion was the sole US firm in a lead position in this historic response.

Gaku Ueda is an Engineering Manager at Twitter where he is the head of both the International Engineering team and the Mobile Growth team. In a wide range of international efforts, the development of Japanese mobile phone (Keitai) version of Twitter is one of the key efforts for Japanese market. Prior to joining Twitter, he was a part of engineering team of popular internet services, such as eGroups, Yahoo Groups from 1999 to 2003. He joined Google as the second Japanese engineer and later became an Engineering Manager responsible for Google Maps and Google’s mobile products for the Japanese market. He received BE and ME of Information and Computer Science from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan in 1995 and 1997.

Dr. Ka-Ping Yee is a software engineer on the Google Crisis Response team, which is part of Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google. He was among the many Google employees who contributed to response efforts after the earthquake of March 11. Ping has been the technical lead of the Google Person Finder project since its inception after the Haiti earthquake in 2010, and he also coordinates the development of the missing person data standard known as PFIF, which he initiated after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ping was raised in Winnipeg, Canada. He received his B. A. Sc. at the University of Waterloo and completed his Ph. D. at UC Berkeley before joining Google in 2008. His research interests have included human factors, computer security, bioinformatics, electronic voting, electoral systems, and information visualization.

Founded in 1990, the Keizai Society US-Japan Business Forum is an all-volunteer business and professional networking organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of its primary purposes is to provide a venue for programs that showcase specialists with expertise on issues critical to the success of entrepreneurs and companies doing business with Japan and the U.S. Please visit www.keizai.org for more information.

Founded in San Francisco in 1905, the Japan Society of Northern California is committed to fostering US-Japan relations in a changing world. The Society holds conferences and events, networking sessions, cultural and language classes. It sponsors the annual Japan-US Innovation Awards, JSNC Award of Honor, and Japan in the Schools initiative. Please see www.usajapan.org and www.usjinnovate.org for more information.

WHEN: Friday, January 27, 2012 Registration and Networking: 5:30 – 6:00pm Event: 6:00 – 10:00pm	WHERE: Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club 3000 Alexis Drive Palo Alto, CA 94304
FEES: $45: Registration by 1/23/2012 (11:00pm) $75: Late Registration by 1/26/2012 (5:00pm) $100: Walk-ins (Subject to room capacity/ cash or check only)Hours d’oeuvres	DRESS: Business casual Forum Flyer – English (pdf) Forum Flyer – Japanese (pdf)

EVENT OVERVIEW
Please join us in celebrating Keizai Society’s 22nd anniversary at our Shinnenkai on Friday, January 27th at 6:00pm at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. We will be honoring co-founder/co-owner of Yoshi’s, Ms. Yoshi Akiba with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to US-Japan relations.

Yoshi Akiba is a true entrepreneurial success story whose triumph, from very humble beginnings, was driven by a deep passion for connecting with people and finding a new way, and a profound desire to give back to the community. Yoshi, orphaned during World War II, came to the U.S. to study dance and music. In 1973, Yoshi and her two best friends were a trio of struggling students who started a small North Berkeley Japanese restaurant with the name Yoshi’s. It was the combination of artistry, business sense, and spiritual beliefs which contributed to their success. Over the next nearly 40 years, Yoshi’s built itself into one of the world’s most respected venues with jazz and Japanese cuisine. In October, 2011, Kodansha published her memoir “We Can Do It.”

We will also be performing our traditional Kagamiwari (sake barrel “breaking”) ceremony. The Consul General of Japan, Hiroshi Inomata is expected to lead this tradition.

Keizai Society’s theme for 2012 is “Japan in Transformation.” It encompasses commercial entrepreneurship and new venture formation as well as social entrepreneurship, new patterns of employment, corporate reform and many other critical priorities that are already breathing new life into Japan’s business community and its other institutions.

Start off 2012 by strengthening your existing business relationships and forging new ones. Bring lots of business cards to exchange, including one to enter the drawing for the exciting door prizes. We look forward to celebrating 2012 with you at our 22nd anniversary Shinnenkai. Due to the anticipated number of attendees, early registration online (www.keizai.org) is highly recommended. We cannot guarantee that there will be room for walk-ins.

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

PARTICIPATING PANELISTS:

Mr. Robert Eberhart, SPRIE Researcher, Stanford Project on Japanese Entrepreneurship
Dr. Kenji Kushida, Research Associate in Japanese Studies, Stanford University APARC; Affiliated
Researcher, BRIE
Ms. Lisa Katayama, Journalist and Founder of the Tofu Project

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

Click to view the video

WHEN: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 Registration and Networking: 5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Event: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	WHERE: Fenwick & West LLP 801 California St. Mountain View, CA
FEES: $20: Registration by Sept 18 (11:00pm) $35: Late Registration by Sept 20 (5:00pm) $50: Walk-ins (Walk-ins welcome, but seats may be limited) DRESS: Business casual
*Proceeds from the registration fees will be donated to Keizai’s Japan Relief Fund. *Additional donations are accepted at the door or on-line: http://give2asia.org/keizaisociety   Forum Flyer – English (pdf) Forum Flyer – Japanese (pdf)

EVENT OVERVIEW

In the US, entrepreneurship is the engine that drives economic growth. Especially in Silicon Valley, people understand how this engine works: how entrepreneurs behave, how they view risk, where they get their funding, how their successes are rewarded, and what happens when their ventures fail. What about their Japanese counterparts? The conventional wisdom in the US is that Japanese entrepreneurship is not only different from the American variety but is also less vibrant, less well-funded, more risk-averse, and generally a less important “engine” for overall economic growth. Is this conventional wisdom generally correct? Or are the perceived shortcomings of the Japanese entrepreneurial system (for example, the vastly lower venture capital investment figures routinely quoted) just that — “perceived” rather than real? What business and cultural factors could explain such misperceptions, and what are the implications for cross-border entrepreneurial opportunities? Join our panelists, Robert Eberhart, Kenji Kushida, and Lisa Katayama, as they discuss the myths, reality and promise of Japanese entrepreneurship and its impact on the overall Japanese economy.

Keizai Society’s theme for the remainder of 2011 is “Recovery and Renewal – Toward a New Japan of Compassion and Growth.” Going forward, all 2011 programs of Keizai Society will be dedicated to building awareness of the crisis in Japan and sustaining Japan’s recovery efforts. Also proceeds from these programs shall be donated to Keizai’s Japan Relief Fund. Please come and find out what the real impact of the disaster is and where we go from here to recover, renew and grow again.

PANELISTS

Mr. Robert Eberhart
Mr. Robert Eberhart is a visiting scholar at Stanford’s Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship where he leads the Stanford Project on Japanese Entrepreneurship. His research focuses on comparative corporate governance of growth companies with special emphasis on Japan and the role of Japanese institutions in fostering entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Academy of Management, the International Society for New Institutional Economics, on the board of advisors to Japan’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, and an advisor to Japan’s Board of Director’s Training Institute. He serves as an academic advisor to the American Chamber of Commerce’s Task Force on New Growth Strategies and is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer in various programs at Stanford and Japan. Mr. Eberhart received a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Michigan after undergraduate studies in Finance at Michigan State University. He is a doctoral candidate in Stanford’s department of Management Science and Engineering.

Dr. Kenji Kushida
Dr. Kenji Kushida is a research associate at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University. He is also an affiliated researcher with the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) at the University of California Berkeley. He completed his PhD in Political Science at the University of California Berkeley, and holds Masters and Bachelors Degrees from Stanford University in East Asian Studies and Economics. Dr. Kushida’s ongoing research interests are focused on politics, institutions, and markets, mainly in Japan, Korea, and the United States. His publications include analyses of how Information Technologies are transforming services activities, understanding the emerging Cloud Computing markets, and the political economies of broadband and mobile in Japan and South Korea. He recently completed a study on entrepreneurship in Japan’s ICT sector, and plays an active role in facilitating exchange between Japanese startups and Silicon Valley. He has also authored two books in Japanese: “Baikaruchaa to nihonjin [Biculturalism and the Japanese: Beyond English Linguistic Capabilities]” and “International school nyumon [International Schools, an Introduction]”.

Ms. Lisa Katayama
Ms. Lisa Katayama is a San Francisco-based journalist who writes about Japanese culture, technology, and entrepreneurship for Wired, Popular Science, Fast Company, and The New York Times Magazine. She is also the founder of The Tofu Project, a highly curated boutique program that will bring 10 of the most successful, innovative young entrepreneurs from Japan to SF for a 7-day design and out of the box thinking crash course at the end of October.

She is also a producer for PRI’s Studio360 radio show, the author of a book called Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan, and a correspondent for Boing Boing, one of Time Magazine’s five most essential blogs of 2010, and has spoken about Japanese web culture to the BBC, CNN, ABC, Martha Stewart Radio, and at venues like O’Reilly’s ETech conference and the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. Her personal web site, TokyoMango, was a runner up for the Weblog Awards in 2009. She has a BA in International Relations and French from Tufts University and a MA in Human Rights from Columbia University. When she’s not working, she rock climbs, does triathlons, and plays the ukulele to her two dogs.

FEES:
Early Registration by 11pm on 8/9 (Tues): $25 (teens & adult), $15 (6-12 yrs old)
Late Registration by 11pm on 8/12 (Fri):$40 (teens & adult), $25 (6-12 yrs old)
Walk-ins*: $60 (teens & adult), $40 (6-12 yrs old)

*Walk-ins are welcome, but room is limited and may not be available.

Food (BBQ, dessert, and more) and beverages are included
Dress Code: Fun-Casual
Feel free to bring your own game equipment.

Event Flyer – English(pdf)
Event Flyer – Japanese(pdf)

EVENT OVERVIEW

Keizai Society presents our summer networking event on 8/14/2011 (Sun) in Washington Park, Sunnyvale! Built in 1945 it remains one of Sunnyvale’s most popular parks. This well-shaded, 12-acre, park offers lots of fun for everyone. The setting is perfect for relaxing and meeting people while enjoying delicious food. This event is ideal for both networking and catching up with old acquaintances or making new ones! Moreover, the park’s green open field also offers your family members, significant other and friends a place to enjoy outdoor activities, such as playing football, baseball, soccer etc.

Keizai Society’s theme for the remainder of 2011 is “Recovery and Renewal – Toward a New Japan of Compassion and Growth.” Going forward, all 2011 programs of Keizai Society will be dedicated to building awareness of the crisis in Japan and sustaining Japan’s recovery efforts. As our prayers continue to go out to the victims of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, let’s take this opportunity to build friendships and celebrate the progress that has been made thus far in Japan’s effort to recover.

Due to the anticipated number of attendees, early registration online (www.keizai.org) is highly recommended. We cannot guarantee that there will be room for walk-ins.

Click picture for more

GUEST SPEAKERS:
Greetings: Hiroshi Inomata, Japanese Consul General in San Francisco
Keynote: Robert Scoble, Technology Evangelist and Managing Director of Rackspace

Starting From Scratch: How a Rebuilt City Could Lead the World in Technology Integration
Robert will address this question from the perspective of someone who has traveled the world in search of the latest, greatest, and most impactful technologies. He will share some of his vision of what a “greenfield” city or town should look like by introducing us to a few of the most exciting technologies he sees coming over the horizon, discussing their likely impact on society, and exploring how they should (or should not) fit into the model 21st century community.

Introduced by Scott Ellman, CEO of USAsia Venture Partners

PARTICIPANTS:
Lukas Biewald, Founder and Chairman of CrowdFlower
Marianna Grossman, Executive Director, Sustainable Silicon Valley
James Miller, Senior Attorney Advisor at FCC / Adjunct Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law

KEYNOTE:
Kamran Elahian, Global Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Venture Capitalist

The Use of Technology in Crisis Situations
Besides having co-founded numerous successful technology companies, Kamran Elahian has
founded three non-profit organizations that use IT to connect people across borders and
improve the quality of life for people around the globe, especially in developing nations where
billions face chronic challenges in everyday life. In his keynote, Kamran will discuss how the
same technologies his organizations use to address chronic challenges can also be applied in
the aftermath of acute crises like those in Japan, and can even be deployed in advance of
disasters to mitigate the consequences.

MODERATOR:
Richard B. Dasher, PhD, Director, US-Asia Technology Management Center, Stanford University

*All proceeds will benefit children orphaned by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Donations will be made through the Keizai Society Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund (give2asia.org/keizaisociety) *Additional donations are accepted at the door or on-line: http://give2asia.org/keizaisociety

EVENT OVERVIEW

The earthquake and tsunami that stuck the northern coast of Japan in March caused unimaginable devastation.We have all been saddened by images that can only begin to convey the losses sustained by the victims – loss of life, family, hearth and home. Arguably the hardest hit among the survivors, and those least able to recover on their own, are the children who were orphaned by the crisis and its aftermath.

That is why three Silicon Valley business organizations have banded together for the first time to host a joint event in support of these stricken children: The Keizai Society US-Japan Business Forum, Silicon Valley-China Wireless, and TiE. The event will explore what the entrepreneurial spirit of the Valley can do to assist with this disaster and what can be learned to prepare for and help with future disasters.

PANELISTS

LUKAS BIEWALD

Lukas Biewald is Chairman and co-founder of CrowdFlower, a crowdsourcing Internet
company that breaks large digital projects into small tasks and distributes them to workers
around the world. In a little over two years, Biewald has grown the company from two
employees to nearly 60, guiding it through two successful funding rounds. CrowdFlower
engages a workforce of nearly 1 million people to complete more than 1 million microtasks
every day on behalf of a range of Fortune 50 companies. It has garnered coverage in the New
York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, The Atlantic, Fox Business, and has
placed as a TechCrunch50 finalist. In 2010, he won the Netexplorateur Prize for creating the
GiveWork iPhone app, which allows users to perform small tasks that assist refugees and
people in developing countries. Inc. Magazine has listed him among the Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30. He is a frequent presenter as events such as Web 2.0, Where 2.0, and TEDx.
Biewald has published an array of papers on applications of crowdsourcing, including those for
ACM DEV’10, ACM’s XRDS, and SIGIR 2010. Additionally, he co-authored a chapter on
crowdsourcing gender and age stereotypes in O’Reilly Media’s Beautiful Data. He is co-creator
of several patent-pending technologies. While pursuing a Master’s degree in Computer Science
at Stanford University, Biewald won the California Institute of Technology Turing Tournament.

DR.RICHARD DASHER

Dr. Richard Dasher has directed the US-Asia Technology Management Center at the
Stanford University School of Engineering since 1994 and served concurrently as Executive
Director of the Center for Integrated Systems since 1998. He holds Consulting Professor
appointments at Stanford in the Departments of Electrical Engineering (technology
management), Asian Languages (Japanese business), and with the Stanford Program on
Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In 2004, Dr. Dasher became the first
non-Japanese person ever asked to join the governance of a Japanese national university,
serving on the Board of Directors and then the Management Council of Tohoku University
until 2010. He regularly participates on selection and review committees of government
programs for innovation in Canada, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong. Dr. Dasher also serves
as a board member of privately held companies and non-profit organizations (including the
Keizai Society) and as an advisor to start-up companies in the U.S., Japan, and China. He
received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Linguistics from Stanford University and is co-author of
the book ‘Regularity in Semantic Change’ (Cambridge University Press, 2002). From 1986 –
90, he was the Director of the U.S. State Department’s advanced training centers in Japan and
Korea that provide full-time language and area studies curricula to U.S. and select
Commonwealth Country diplomats headed for assignments in those countries.

KAMRAN ELAHIAN

Kamran Elahian is an entrepreneur who has co-founded ten companies. While three of them failed (e.g. Momenta), six have produced a total market cap of over $8 billion, and one is slated for IPO next year. As a VC, he co-founded Global Catalyst Partners with investments in the U.S., Japan, China, India and Israel. Underlying Kamran’s global vision is the conviction that modern IT can be instrumental in dissolving barriers between nations. This vision is reflected in Schools-Online, a nonprofit he founded in 1996 to connect the world, one school at a time (6400 schools in 36 countries); Global Catalyst Foundation, co-founded in 2000 to improve lives through the effective application of IT, and UN-GAID, a United Nations global forum that promotes ICT in developing countries where Kamran serves as Co-Chairman. Global Catalyst Partners website is at www.gc-partners.com and Kamran’s personal website is at www.kamranelahian.com.

MARIANNA GROSSMAN

Marianna Grossman is Executive Director of Sustainable Silicon Valley, a consortium of 130 businesses, governments and civic organizations dedicated to addressing underlying causes of key environmental pressures, building a strong economy and a socially equitable community. Previous roles include Partner for Sustainability and Innovation for Minerva Consulting;investor in high tech startups; and corporate roles in the automotive, computer and semiconductor industries. She founded the Palo Alto Unified School District Sustainable Schools Committee and was convener of the Peninsula/South Bay Working Group of California Interfaith Power and Light. She earned an MBA from Yale University and a BA, cum laude, with distinction in Policy Studies from Dartmouth College.

HIROSHI INOMATA

Consul General Hiroshi Inomata graduated from Waseda University and joined the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs in 1978. Mr. Inomata has worked in the Asian Affairs Bureau, Economic
Cooperation Bureau, North American Affairs Bureau, Minister’s Secretariat, International
Legal Affairs Bureau and Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department as well as the
Office of the Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary. His overseas assignments have included
Embassies of Japan in Bangkok, Washington D.C., London and Seoul. He began his tenure as
the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco in September 2010.

JAMES MILLER

James Miller is a Senior Attorney Advisor in the Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission, Adjunct Professor of Law at the American University,
Washington College of Law, an Affiliated Research Fellow of the Columbia Institute for Tele-
Information at the Columbia Business School, and a 2004-2006 Mansfield Fellow. At the
FCC, Mr. Miller focuses on regulatory and policy matters related to spectrum and Internet
technology. As Adjunct Professor of Law at the American University, Washington College of
Law, he teaches U.S.-Japan Comparative Law and develops programs focused on East-Asia
and technology. As a Mansfield Fellow, Mr. Miller explored Japanese regulatory policies for
broadband technology and the information society, particularly focusing on legal and
regulatory reforms and spectrum policy, in the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and
Communications Radio Policy Bureau (MIC), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
(METI), Office of Senior-Vice Minister Yoshitaka SAKURADA, and the Tokyo District and
High Court’s Administrative Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections. He is a cum laude
graduate of the Washington College of Law, American University, and holds a bachelors
degree in Economics and East-Asian studies (honors) from the University of Kansas. He is
fluent in Japanese and frequently speaks and publishes in Japanese for business, legal, and
technical audiences in Japan.

ROBERT SCOBLE

Robert Scoble is an American blogger, technical evangelist, and author. Mr. Scoble is best known for his blog, Scobleizer, which came to prominence during his tenure as a technology evangelist at Microsoft. In addition to pioneering blogging within Microsoft, he was instrumental in Microsoft’s Channel 9, a site devoted to the company’s developer community. Currently, he is Managing Director of Rackspace, where he works with the Rackspace sponsored community site Building 43. He previously worked for Fast Company, where he founded FastCompany.TV and served as its Executive Officer and video blogger. Mr. Scoble
is co-author of Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with
Customers with Shel Israel.

SCOTT ELLMAN

Scott Ellman is CEO of USAsia Venture Partners, a management consulting firm that
provides strategic marketing, alliance, and business development services to US and Asian
companies. Previously, Scott held senior positions at several high technology pioneers where,among other things, he managed some of the companies’ most important alliances such as
those with Hitachi, Toshiba, Oracle, NEC, Dell, IBM, and HP. He was also the co-founder and
VP of Marketing at the for-profit division of SeniorNet.org, a world leader in teaching older citizens how to use computers and the Internet. Scott was instrumental in every step of the company’s evolution, from co-writing the business plan and raising venture capital to forging strategic partnerships with eBay and IBM. Scott is a strategic advisor to several technology companies (and Keizai Society) and a member of the Japan-US Innovation in Business and Technology Advisory Council. He holds MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s of science in applied mathematics and economics from Brown University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, the university’s highest academic honor.

About Keizai Society US-Japan Business Forum
Founded in 1990, the Keizai Society US-Japan Business Forum is an all-volunteer business and professional
networking organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of its primary purposes is to provide a
venue for programs that showcase specialists with expertise on issues critical to the success of entrepreneurs
and companies doing business with Japan and the U.S. Please visit www.keizai.org for more information.

About Silicon Valley-China Wireless
Founded in 2000, Silicon Valley-China Wireless Technology Association (SVCWireless) is the leading US-
Asia wireless industry non-profit association in Silicon Valley, now with more than 4,000 members. As a
premier Silicon Valley technology organization, SVCWireless promotes entrepreneurship, innovation, and
networking with a focus on building a bridge between the wireless industries in Asia and the United States.
Please visit www.svcwireless.org for more information.

About TiE
The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs,
corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. There are currently 13,000
members, including over 2,500 charter members in 56 chapters across 13 countries. TiE’s mission is to foster
entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of
wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next
generation of entrepreneurs. Please visit www.tie.org for more information.

Dr. Masahiko Aoki, Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Professor of Economics Department &
Senior Fellow of Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research, Stanford University
Director of VCASI, the Tokyo Foundation

Dr. Burton Richter, Paul Pigott Professor of Physical Science & Senior Fellow of
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University
US Department of Energy’ s Nuclear Energy and Energy Research Advisory Committee
Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics

Dr. Tatsujiro Suzuki, Vice Chairman, Japan Atomic Energy Commission

Mr. Michio Harada, Deputy General Consul of Japan, San Francisco

WHEN: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Registration and Networking: 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. Event: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.	WHERE: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR) 650 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304
FEES: $20: Registration by May 21 (11:00pm) $35: Late Registration by May 23 (5:00pm) $50: Walk-ins (Walk-ins welcome, but seats may be limited)  DRESS: Business casual	ONLINE LIVE CAST Online live cast provided via Ustream FEES:FREE for those who rsvp before 5/22/2011 at 5:00p.m. (PDT) Log-in instructions for the live cast will be sent on 5/23/2011 to those who registered
*Proceeds from the registration fees will be donated to Keizai’s Japan Relief Fund. *Additional donations are accepted at the door or on-line: http://give2asia.org/keizaisociety   Forum Flyer – English (pdf) Forum Flyer – Japanese (pdf)

EVENT OVERVIEW

As the Japanese citizens work hard to recover and rebuild after the March 11 disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and the nuclear catastrophe, the country and the world have been trying to sort out and learn from the resulting energy and economic impacts. What and how much will this disaster further worsen the country’ s already fragile and deflationary economy? Recent releases of economic data do not bode well at all. Record falls were seen in the month of March: the outputs across industries fell at 15.3% and household spending dropped at an annual rate of 8.5%. Overall exports have decreased a lot more than the imports. This increased gap points to one certain consequence — Japan’ s trade surplus will drop tremendously. Some of the worst hits were the automobile industry: Toyota’ s and Nissan’ s outputs plunged over 50% while Honda’ s domestic output went down as much as 63%. As the world’ s third largest economy, the economic impacts go beyond Japan’ s borders as the nation is one of the biggest exporters and traders in the world. How may this crisis affect the global recovery from recent financial crisis there and in the US? The effects of the nuclear reactors catastrophe are not just limited to the human and environmental costs, but also to the very core of the country’ s heavy reliance on nuclear energy and the intimate connection between nuclear energy and industrial activities. For example, many factories had to shut down due to power outage from the nuclear reactors meltdown, leading to the aforementioned drop of industrial output.

This forum’s distinguished panel of speakers will share with us their thoughts on both the economic and energy impacts in Japan and beyond. Mr. Michio Harada will give us an update on the current situation in Japan as well as the government’s various initiatives in helping up the citizen locally and abroad. He will help us understand the various governmental and non-profit organizations’ efforts in recovering and rebuilding the affected areas from ground zero and up. Dr. Tatsujiro Suzuki will join us from Tokyo to give us an update on the current nuclear situations in Fukushima, Japan. He’ll also talk about some of the top priority actions and policies being considered by the government and the people. Dr. Masahiko Aoki will take it a step further and discuss about the overall economic impacts and its implications in recovery in both near and long terms. He will speak about ways governments can do to treat the economic blow in Japan and US. Dr. Burton Richter will discuss about the lessons we can learn from this nuclear disaster and how we can avoid any future incident and thus its direct negative impacts on the economy in Japan and other parts of the world (e.g. US, Europe, India, China, etc.). He will share with us his thought on what sound and practical policy should be instituted to ensure safer nuclear energy production and use.

Keizai Society’s theme for the remainder of 2011 is “Recovery and Renewal – Toward a New Japan of Compassion and Growth.” Going forward, all 2011 programs of Keizai Society will be dedicated to building awareness of the crisis in Japan and sustaining Japan’s recovery efforts. Also proceeds from these programs shall be donated to Keizai’s Japan Relief Fund. Please come and find out what the real impact of the disaster is and where we go from here to recover, renew and grow again.

PANELISTS

Dr. Masahiko Aoki
Dr. Masahiko Aoki is the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Professor Emeritus of Japanese Studies in the Economics Department, and senior fellow of Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University. He is a theoretical and applied economist with a strong interest in institutional and comparative issues. His preferred field covers the theory of institution, corporate governance, the Japanese and Chinese economies, and modularity. Dr. Aoki’s most recent book, Toward a Comparative Institutional Analysis, was published in 2001 by MIT Press. This work develops a conceptual and analytical framework for integrating comparative studies of institutions in economics and other social sciences based on game-theoretic apparatus. His research has been also published in the leading journals in economics, including the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies, the Journal of Economic Literature, and Industrial and Corporate Change. Dr. Aoki is president of the International Economic Association (2005~2008) and a former president of the Japanese Economic Association. He is a fellow of the Econometric Society and the founding editor of the Journal of Japanese and International Economies, as well as an associate editor and member of the scientific advisory committees for various professional journals. He was awarded the Japan Academy Prize in 1990, and in 1998 he received the 6th International Schumpeter Prize. Between 2001 and 2004, Dr. Aoki served as the President and Chief Research Officer (CRO) of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), an independent administrative institution specializing in public policy research in Japan. He was formerly an assistant professor at Stanford University and Harvard University and served as both an associate and full professor at the University of Kyoto before returning to Stanford in 1984 after 16 years of absence. He became professor emeritus in 2004 to focus on research as well as be engaged in various international activities. Dr. Aoki graduated from the University of Tokyo with a BA and an MA in economics and earned a PhD in economics from the University of Minnesota in 1967.

Dr. Burton Richter
Dr. Burton Richter is the Paul Pigott Professor in the Physical Sciences, Stanford University and Director Emeritus at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. His research interest has centered on experimental particle physics with high-energy electrons and electron-positron colliding beams. Dr. Richter has received numerous prestigious awards including the Nobel Prize in Physics (1976) and the E. O. Lawrence Medal of the Department of Energy (1976). He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society; a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of The American Physical Society (President, 1994). He was President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (1999-2002). He has served on many advisory committees to governments, laboratories and universities, including the US Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, Laboratory Operations Board, US Nuclear Energy Task Force (2000-2006) and chaired the US National Research Council’s Board on Physics and Astronomy. Currently, he is a member of US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy and Energy Research Advisory Committee and serves on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Advisory Board. He is a member of the French Commissaire a l’Energie Atomique (CEA) Visiting Group and the Jason Group. Dr. Richter is interested in industry and its use of science and technology and has been a member of the General Motors Science Advisory Committee, chairman of the technology advisory board of an artificial intelligence company, a member of the Board of Directors of Varian Associates and Varian Medical Systems, AREVA Enterprises, and Litel Instruments. Since 1999 Dr. Richter has been devoting an increasing amount of time to issues relating to energy and sustainable development. Often on national TVs and newspapers, Dr. Richter wrote an influential book on energy and climate published in 2010 – Beyond Smoke and Mirrors, Climate Change and Energy in the 21st Century. In 2005, he was named Senior Fellow, Center for Environmental Science and Policy at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Dr. Richter received his BS and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Tatsujiro Suzuki
Dr. Tatsujiro Suzuki is Vice Chairman of Japan Atomic Energy Commission, Japan. He was Associate Vice President of Socio-economic Research Center at Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Senior Research Fellow at Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), and Visiting Professor in Graduate School of Law and Politics at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Suzuki received his BS in nuclear engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Tokyo, and MS degree in Technology and Policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He joined the Boston Consulting Group (Tokyo) in 1978 and then moved to International Energy Forum in Tokyo as a Senior Researcher. He was a Visiting Scientist in 1986 at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) in MIT. While at CEEPR, he also served as Associate Director for the International Program on Enhanced Nuclear Power Plant Safety from 1988 to 1992. During his stay in MIT, Dr. Suzuki joined the Center for International Studies (CIS) as Research Associate in 1993 until he returned to Japan and joined CRIEPI in 1996. He was selected as an Abe Fellow (1995-96) and a Visiting Fellow at Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex, in 1995 and 1996. He was Visiting Associate Professor of “Sociotechnics of Nuclear Energy” (sponsored by Japan Atomic Power Co.) of Department of Quantum Engineering and Systems Science, the University of Tokyo, in 1997 – 2000. His major research interests are: nuclear energy policy, science and technology policy, energy and environment policy. Dr. Suzuki is a member of Japan Atomic Energy Society, Research Planning and Management, Public Policy Society, and served as consultant to both government and private institutions in energy and environmental policy fields. He is a member of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.

Mr. Michio Harada
Mr. Michio Harada joined the Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979 and has been involved in foreign services for nearly 30 years. His assignments in overseas have included the Japanese Embassies and Consulates in New York, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. His domestic assignments in Tokyo have included North American affairs, security issues, World Trade Organization affairs, and international law and legal affairs. In his most recent assignment as Director of the Maritime Security Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he worked to develop and implement Japan’s anti-piracy efforts off the coast of Somalia, including the Anti-Piracy Measures Law. He came to San Francisco as Deputy Consul General in August 2010. Born in Okayama, Mr. Harada graduated from Okayama University where he majored in law. His personal interests include golf and California wines.

Keizai Society would like to offer its sincere condolences and prayers to the victims and offers its support to those affected by the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that stuck the northern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011.

We are all saddened by the images of loss of life, family, homes and everything else. We would like to offer compassion and support to the survivors and have setup the Keizai Society- Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund.

We invite you to join us in providing much needed aid to the survivors.

»Donate

Given the magnitude of this devastation, Keizai Society has decided to postpone the planned program to a future date. Instead, we would like to offer our venue this Thursday as a place for all of us to come together and share our stories. This event shall be offered free of charge and will be the kick-off event of our fundraising effort for disaster relief.

Our originally planned panel for the Entrepreneurship topic, Robert Eberhart, Kenji Kushida, and Lisa Katayama will be available for interactive sessions with you entitled “Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Tragedy and how we can support Japan as Keizai Society and as a member of US-Japan community.”  

We are also planning to join together in a silent prayer for the victims of this tragedy.  We hope sharing your stories with other members will help you get through these difficult times and comfort you, as well as give you strength and hope. Let’s discuss constructive ideas on how to support Japan at this time.

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED

Keizai Society encourages you to join us.

Due to the change of the program and the nature of this event, Keizai Society will offer the following options to those who have already paid:

1. Refund: Please contact sayuri@keizai.org to request a refund

2. Donate: Allow Keizai Society to donate the proceeds (not tax deductible) to a relief fund under the name of the Keizai Society.

Note: if we do not hear from you, it will default to option 2.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US TO SHARE THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ON MARCH 17, BUT YOU ARE NOT YET REGISTERED:

Please register free of charge by 5PM, Wednesday, March 16th so we will have your name tag ready.
» REGISTER NOW

**Please note that there will be no UStream for the Forum on March 17.

*** The event that was scheduled on March 17, 2011 “Re-examining the State of Japanese Entrepreneurship” will be postponed.

PARTICIPATING PANELISTS:

Mr. Robert Eberhart, STAJE Fellow, Stanford Project on Japanese Entrepreneurship
Dr. Kenji Kushida, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford University APARC, Graduate Researcher at BRIE
Ms. Lisa Katayama, Journalist at Popular Science, Wired, Fast Company, PRI’s Studio360,
The New York Times Magazine

EVENT OVERVIEW
Please join us in celebrating Keizai Society’s 21st anniversary at our Shinnenkai on Friday, January 28th at 6:00pm at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. We will be honoring Former United States Ambassador Michael Armacost with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to US-Japan relations.

Ambassador Armacost began his career in academia, as a professor of government at Pomona College. In 1969, he was awarded a White House Fellowship, and was assigned to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of State. Following a stint on the State Department policy planning and coordination staff, he became a special assistant to the U.S. ambassador in Tokyo from 1972-74, his first foreign diplomatic post. Thereafter, he held senior Asian affairs and international security posts in the State Department, Defense Department, and the National Security Council. From 1982 to 1984, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, and was a key force in helping the country undergo a nonviolent transition to democracy. In 1989, President George Bush tapped him to become ambassador to Japan, considered one of the most important and sensitive U.S. diplomatic posts abroad.

We will also be performing our traditional Kagamiwari (sake barrel “breaking”) ceremony. The Consul General of Japan, Hiroshi Inomata is expected to lead this tradition.

Keizai Society’s theme for 2011 is “US-Japan Business: The Next Generation—Your Key to Success Throughout Asia.” We will highlight emerging new areas in which we see exciting things happening in Japanese businesses or among US firms doing business in Japan. The areas of focus will be entrepreneurship, new technologies, and US-Japan partnerships with developing third country business (e.g. in China).
Due to the anticipated number of attendees, early registration online (www.keizai.org) is highly recommended. We cannot guarantee that there will be room for walk-ins.

Start off 2011 by strengthening your existing business relationships and forging new ones. Bring lots of business cards to exchange, including one to enter the drawing for the exciting door prizes. We look forward to celebrating 2011 with you at our 21st anniversary Shinnenkai.