Japanese American Leadership Symposium 2025 | From Hiroshima to Hope: Japanese American Perspectives on Global Peace and Security

Governor Yuzaki graduated from the University of Tokyo and holds an MBA, Stanford University. At the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (presently Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)), he engaged in work on automobiles, trade with the U.S., energy, ventures, etc., and then was seconded to a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley.

After resigning from METI, he founded ACCA Networks. As Founder and Representative Director, he engaged in the diffusion of  broadband access aimed at individuals and corporate enterprises, contributing to the infrastructure of Japan’s internet industry. The company became listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2005. He won his first election in 2009 as Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture and has been reelected for four consecutive terms to date.

Derick is an ABC Network News Producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is the lead producer for the series Maui Strong 808, which highlighted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ and the U.S.-Japan Council’s purposeful program, Kibou for Maui. He also covers entertainment and breaking news stories for Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and Nightline. The five-time Emmy winner started his career in New York as an intern at ABC News, served as Assignment Editor and now Producer. Derick Believes telling Asian stories matter now more than ever and has made it his goal to spotlight Asian stories in the mainstream media. He is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and mentors young Asian journalists. Heis a third generation Japanese American and was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Long Beach State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. 

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: Yamaguchi.

Ellen Kamei is the Mayor for the City of Mountain View, CA. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Ellen represents over 86,500 residents, nationally and internationally known corporations, and a thriving small business community.  She is the daughter of a Chinese and Puerto Rican American mother and a Japanese American father born at Heart Mountain Incarceration Camp. A government affairs professional, Ellen has worked at every level of government including Capitol Hill, the City of New York, and the California State Assembly. Currently, she is part of the External Affairs Team for AT&T California. She is a Silicon Valley Business Journal Women of Influence awardee and Immediate Past President, League of California Cities Peninsula Division, representing 36 cities in the Bay Area region. Ellen earned her MPA from the University of Pennsylvania, BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government. 

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: Wakayama.

Ann is a President and CEO of American Savings Bank (ASB) and a member of its board. As a former attorney with nearly 20 years of experience in banking, Ann held various leadership roles, including EVP of Operations, where she advanced digital banking services and automation. She also developed an enterprise-wide compliance program, led the retail credit team to best-in-class fulfillment times for consumer loans, and built out the bank’s customer experience approach. Ann is active in the community, mentors emerging leaders, and serves on various boards including the U.S.-Japan Council. Ann holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics from Claremont McKenna College and a juris doctorate degree from the UC Law San Francisco. As a college student, she studied abroad at Kansai Gaidai University. She resides in Hawaii with her husband and has a daughter in college and a teenage son. 

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: maternal side from Kumamoto & Niigata, paternal side from Yamaguchi & Hiroshima.

Dawn is a litigation, arbitration, and investigations partner at Quinn Emanuel, one of the world’s leading disputes firms. She draws on decades of experience in policy and international affairs and her prior service in government as Deputy General Counsel for Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Commerce to advise clients in a variety of high-stakes disputes, including investment treaty and commercial arbitrations, internal investigations, investigations by government agencies, and national security related matters. Dawn holds degrees from Yale Law School, Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Washington. She is a U.S.-Japan Council Leader, a U.S.-Japan Leadership Program Fellow, and past President of the local Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She also leads the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Leadership Advancement Program, a professional development program for midcareer AANHPI lawyers. Dawn lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two kids. 

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: Hiroshima.