Board of Councilors
The U.S.-Japan Council’s distinguished Board of Councilors consists of leaders who are recognized for their life-long contribution and commitment to strengthening U.S.-Japan relations. Their expertise guides the Council’s mission and activities.
Board Officers
Paul K. Yonamine, Chair
Executive Chairman, Central Pacific Bank
Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, Vice Chair
President & CEO, Mineta & Associates, LLC; Former Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation; Former Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC
Masaaki Tanaka, Vice Chair
Executive Chairman of the Board, Nippon Paint Holdings, Co., Ltd.
Board Members
Naoyuki Agawa
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Doshisha University
Honorable George Ariyoshi
Former Governor, State of Hawai’i
Gerald Curtis
Burgess Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Columbia University
His Excellency Ichiro Fujisaki
President, Nakasone Peace Institute; Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the U.S.
Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita
Founder, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Quality Electrodynamics
His Excellency Yasuo Fukuda
Former Prime Minister of Japan
Glen S. Fukushima
Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Honorable Colleen Hanabusa
Attorney and Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives, State of Hawaii
Ernest M. Higa
Chairman, President & CEO, Higa Industries Co., Ltd.
Nobuyuki Hirano
Chairman, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.
Honorable Mazie Hirono
United States Senate, State of Hawai’i
Yosuke Jay O. Honjo
CEO and Founder, ITO EN US Group
Masami Iijima
Representative Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mitsui & Co., LTD.
Noriyuki Inoue
Chairman of the Board & Chief Global Group Officer, Daikin Industries, Ltd.
His Excellency Ryozo Kato
Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the U.S.
Ambassador Masaharu Kohno
Special
Representative of the Government of Japan for the Middle East and
Europe; Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East
Peace
Yorihiko Kojima
Honorary Chairman, Mitsubishi Corporation
Hiroko Kuniya
Journalist; Goodwill Ambassador for Japan, UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Honorable Doris Matsui
United States House of Representatives, State of California
Koji Nagai
President and Group CEO, Nomura Holdings, Inc.
Tsuyoshi Nagano
Chairman of the Board, Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.
Hiroaki Nakanishi
Chairman of the Board, Executive Officer, Hitachi, Ltd.
Takeshi Niinami
Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer, Suntory Holdings Limited
Dr. Daniel Okimoto, Ph.D.
Director-Emeritus, Shorenstein APARC; FSI Senior Fellow and Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stanford University
John Onoda
Senior Advisor, Gagen MacDonald
W. Douglas Parker
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, American Airlines Group, Inc.
Susan Roos
Partner and CAO, Geodesic Capital
His Excellency Motoatsu Sakurai
President, Japan Society; Former Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in New York
His Excellency Kenichiro Sasae
President, The
Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA); Former Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the U.S.
Honorable John Thomas Schieffer
President & CEO of Envoy International, LLC; Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the U.S. to Japan
Mark Takano
U.S. House of Representatives, State of California
Isao Takashiro
Chairman and CEO, Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd.
George Takei
Actor, Hosato Enterprises, Inc.
Toshizo Watanabe
President, Toshizo Watanabe Foundation
Akio Yamaguchi
General Manager, IBM Japan
Kristi Yamaguchi
Founder, Always Dream Foundation
Roy Yamaguchi
Chef and Restaurateur, Roy’s
Dr. Shinya Yamanaka
2012 Nobel Laureate; Director, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University
Honorary Board Members
His Excellency Yohei Kono
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan
Honorable Walter Mondale
Former Vice President of the United States; Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the U.S. to Japan
His Excellency Kunihiko Saito
Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the U.S.
His Excellency Shunji Yanai
President and Judge,
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; Former Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the U.S.