Business Speaker Series

October 24, 2024
Yoko Tanaka, Executive Director
Japan National Tourism Organization, LA
A Discussion on Japan’s Tourism Strategy
View photos from this event HERE.

November 9, 2023
Kojiro Shiraiwa, CEO, Yamasa USA
Beyond Soy Sauce
View photos from this event HERE.

April 13, 2023
Naoki Kuze, President & CEO, St.Cousair, Kuze Fuku & Sons USA
The St.Cousair Story
View photos from this event HERE.

October 27, 2022
Paul Taylor, VP & General Counsel North America
Eat Well. Live Well. with Ajinomoto

October 6, 2022
Ted Homma, Founder, HOMMA
The Future of Home

May 20, 2021
Izumi Kobayashi, Chair, Mizuho Financial Group
In Conversation with Izumi Kobayashi
Joint project with Women’s Leadership Council

April 8, 2021
Naoji Takeda, General Manager, KEEN Footwear Japan
KEEN & Covid. a new business. a new life.

Oct 15, 2020
Shujiro Urata, Professor of Economics, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University
How Japan Maneuvers Within the US-China Trade Rivalry

July 21, 2020
Junki Yoshida, Owner, Yoshida Group
A Fireside Chat with Junki Yoshida

July 1, 2020
Tim Boyle, Chair, President & CEO, Columbia Sportswear
Columbia Sportswear & the Global Pandemic: How One Company is Weathering the Storm

May 1, 2020
Hiroyuki Ito, Chair, Economics Department, Portland State University
How the US & Japanese Governments Have Responded to the Covid-19 Crisis: An Economic Overview

November 19, 2019
John Jay, President of Global Creativity, Fast Retailing
Creativity Matters with John Jay
View photos from this event HERE.

October 17, 2019
Keiko Hata, Professor Emeritus, Waseda University
110th out of 149: Japan’s Continuing Struggle with Gender Equality
View photos from this event HERE.

April 25, 2019
Yoichi Mineo, General Manager, Marubeni Americas Corporation & Glen S. Fukushima, Senior Fellow, American Center for Progress
Marubeni; Past, Present & Future Opportunities
View photos from this event HERE.

January 22, 2019
Masa Yamaguchi, Lane Powell; Mari Wada, Live Your Colour; Tasha Yorozu, Yorozu Law
Setting Up an E-Commerce Business (in Japanese language)

October 2, 2018
Massimo Lazzari, President & CEO, Columbia Sportswear Japan
20 years in Japan: How Columbia Sportswear Keeps Growing in a very Competitive Market
View photos from this event HERE.

April 26, 2018
Kenji Kano, Owner, Hakutsuru Saké & Steve Vuylsteke, President & CEO, SakéOne
The Past, Present & Future of Saké in Japan, the US and The World
View photos from this event HERE.

March 29, 2018
Haruo Kurata, General Manager Ajinomoto North America & Dr. Mark Metzler, Professor of Japanese History & International Studies, University of Washington
Umami on a Global Scale: The Growth of Ajinomoto
View photos from this event HERE.

November 16, 2017
Rob Langstaff, VP International Business, KEEN Footwear
Tokyo: City of World-Leading Design
View photos from this event HERE.

October 2, 2017
John Kodachi, Kodachi Law & Tasha Yorozu, Yorozu Law Group
How to Navigate Local US Labor & Employment Law for a Successful Hiring Experience

May 11, 2017
Minoru Wakabayashi, Director & Head of Liaison Unit, StanCorp Financial Group & Dr. Ulrike Schaede, UC San Diego
Growing Together from Shared Roots: Inside the Merger of The Standard and Meiji Yasuda
View photos from this event HERE.

February 23, 2017
Sue Shinomiya, Consultant & Business Owner
Cultural Responsiveness: Getting it Right with your Japanese Business Partner
View photos from this event HERE.

January 26, 2017
Tohru Sasaki, Director of Foreign Exchange Tokyo Office, JP Morgan Chase
Dollars & Yen: Making Foreign Exchange work for your Business
View photos from this event HERE.

December 2, 2016
Shinichiro Kawazoe, General Manager & Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation of the Americas, Seattle Branch
Mitsubishi Corporation, Past, Present & Future
View photos from this event HERE.

September 9, 2016
Norman Mineta, former Secretary of Transportation
Transportation in the US & Japan in the 21st Century
View photos from this event HERE.

May 19, 2016
Kristophor Lofgren, Owner, Bamboo Sushi
Sustainable Sushi, A Recipe For Success
View photos from this event HERE.

March 23, 2016
Chris Pascoe, CFO, Quantum Biosystems & Director Tojo, JETRO San Francisco
Opportunities in the Contemporary Bioscience Industry in the US & Japan
View photos from this event HERE.