2020 USJC Public Symposium

• Welcome Remarks: Suzanne Basalla, President & CEO, U.S.-Japan Council
• Special Remarks: Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America
• Moderator: Dianne Fukami, President, Bridge Media, Inc.
• Moderator: Debra Nakatomi, President, Nakatomi & Associates, Inc.
• Distinguished Panelist: Thomas Iino, Board Member, First Choice Bank; & USJC Legacy Council Chair

The USJC Public Symposium kicked off with the first installment of the “Japanese Americans & Japan: Legacies” series. This video series highlights the careers and life journeys of prominent Japanese American leaders who are pioneers in developing the U.S.-Japan relationship. Through their stories, attendees learned about the role of Japanese Americans in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations, and the ways Japan has contributed to Japanese American identity and community. This first dialogue in the series featured USJC’s Founding Board Chair, Thomas Iino.

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• Introduction: Royanne K. Doi, Corporate Governance Specialist
• Moderator: Linda Calhoun, Founder and Executive Producer, Career Girls
• Yumi Hosaka Clark, Vice President, Head of Product, Visa
• Aila Gomi, Material Engineer, Azek/TimberTech
• Nanami Kono, Director, SUNDRED Corporation
• Judy Marlinski, Head of Product & Advisory Solutions, Fidelity Institutional
• Special Remarks: Kelly Kay,  Executive Vice President & CFO, Toyota Research Institute

A roundtable with inspiring women role models in the U.S.-Japan space who will have a conversation about the “power of story” and how the act of stepping up and sharing personal journeys empowers oneself and the next generation.

• Introduction: Norman Nakasone, Senior Vice President & Manager, Small Business Market, Central Pacific Bank
• Moderator: Craig Ishii, Integrated Marketing Communications Manager, Beckman Coulter
• Lynn Miyahira, Account Director, iQ 360; President, Hawaii United Okinawa Association
• Jeffrey Moy, Senior Program Director, National Collaborative for Health Equity; National President, Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)
• Jon Osaki, Executive Director, Japanese Community Youth Council

Exemplary leadership and how nonprofit organizations in the Japanese American community are managing leadership succession and membership continuity to incorporate a multi-generational perspective for long-term sustainability.

• Introduction: Leona Hiraoka, Senior Advisor, Snider Strategies, Inc.
• Moderator: David P. Janes, Senior Advisor to the President for Institutional Development, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University; Managing Director, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Foundation
• Special Remarks: Kosei Kobayashi, Deputy Managing Director & General Manager, Membership, International House of Japan
• Amir Pasic, Ph.D., Dean, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
• Katsuji Imata, President, Social Impact Management Initiative Japan (SIMI); Managing Director, CSO Network Japan

The historical role of public and private funders in strengthening U.S.-Japan ties through creating philanthropic institutions, and the global and social trends that are directing foundational giving and nonprofit missions today.

• Introduction: William Tsutsui, Reischauer Distinguished Professor, Harvard University
• Moderator: Paige Cottingham-Streater, Secretary-General, U.S. CULCON Panel & Executive Director, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission
• Patsy Yoon Brown, Executive Director, Japan-America Society of Houston
• Cameron McKinney, Artistic Director, Kizuna Dance
• Jim Reed, President, YKK Corporation of America
• Kyoko Yoshida, Executive Director, U.S./Japan Cultural Trade Network, Inc. (CTN)

A multi-sector look at developing bilateral partnerships and people-to-people relations by investing in local communities and cultural and educational exchanges.

• Introduction: Yuko Kaifu, President, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles
• Introduction: Joshua Morey, President, The J. Morey Company, Inc.
• Moderator: Rob Fitts, Author & Baseball Historian
• Moderator: Yuriko Gamo Romer, Director of Diamond Diplomacy, Flying Carp Productions
• Duane Kurisu, Minority Owner of the San Francisco Giants; Chairman and CEO, aio Group
• Matt Murton, Formerly Hanshin Tigers and Major League Baseball Player (retired)
• Don Nomura, Sports (Baseball) Agent
• Jim Small, Senior Vice President, International, Major League Baseball

Baseball legends and aficionados will compare and contrast American and Japanese culture through the playing, management and business of baseball, and share their observations, stories and anecdotes about the sport’s role in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations.

This session is co-hosted by the U.S.-Japan Council and JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles.

JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs, London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo, conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It seeks to nurture a deeper understanding of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles offers a place of new discovery that transcends physical and conceptual boundaries, creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs.

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles
6801 Hollywood Blvd. Level 2 and 5,
Los Angeles, CA 90028
JapanHouseLA.com
@JapanHouseLA #JapanHouseLA

• Special Remarks: Colbert Matsumoto, Chairman, Island Insurance Company, Ltd.
• Danielle Higa, Fund Development Manager, Densho
• Steve Sakanashi, Director of Marketing & Global Strategy, Matchbox Technologies
• Kira Teshima, Associate, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
• Closing Remarks: Suzanne Basalla, President & CEO, U.S.-Japan Council

Closing out the USJC Public Symposium, we look to our young leaders for a message of hope and call-to-action around building strong and resilient communities. Three accomplished alumni of the USJC Emerging Leaders Program will share their inspiring stories of family legacies, personal growth, and investing in the next generation of leaders.

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