Japan Perspectives Webinar Series: Energy, Climate, & Environmental Sustainability in the Biden & Suga Administrations

USJC will kick off the first in a three-part webinar series (January to March) focused on key “new/next normal” and post-election issues impacting policymaking in the U.S.-Japan relationship. We will hear from American and Japanese experts who will provide insights into policies, trends, and initiatives. The first webinar, to be held on Jan. 27 from 6-7 pm ET, will focus on key challenges to energy, climate, and environmental sustainability and how each administration is preparing and taking action to address them through policy measures and initiatives. Following this webinar will be a special invite-only After Session for USJC members and sponsors to discuss the dialogue and network with each other and the speakers.

After Session

Following this webinar will be a special After Session for USJC members and sponsors to discuss the dialogue and network with each other and the speakers. Please register here if you would like to attend and you will receive a separate Zoom link.

Featuring

Christine Harada (Climate & Impact Investor; Executive Council, Clean Energy for Biden)

Christine Harada is a climate and impact investor. She was formerly President of i(x) investments, a permanently capitalized holding company that invests in critical areas of human need (renewable energy, green real estate development, affordable housing, etc.).

Ms. Harada has over 20 years of success in leading government and management consulting organizations. She has extensive expertise in business strategy and translating that into operational excellence. Previously, she was a Partner with Ridge-Lane LP, a triple-bottom-line advisory that creates sustainable social value by bridging the gap that exists between private companies, investment capital, and government – across the Federal, State, and Local levels. She is also a Fellow with the Los Angeles CleanTech Incubator and serves on the Executive Council for Clean Energy for Biden.

Before returning to the private sector, Ms. Harada served as the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer for the Obama administration. In this role, she provided oversight for all sustainability-related initiatives across the federal government in energy, fleet, and acquisitions-game-changing improvements that added to our nation’s clean energy future. Her successes include developing and implementing policies to reduce the Federal government’s carbon footprint that resulted in an 18% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 23% reduction in energy use at Federal facilities and 177 billion gallons of drinkable water saved. She also was responsible for investing $4B in federal building to improve aging infrastructure and lower overall energy consumption that led to an estimated 33,700 private sector jobs and resulted in efficiency gains that will save 1.4 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Prior to her White House role, Ms. Harada was the Acting Chief of Staff and U.S. General Services Administration where she was responsible for the overall operations supporting 12,000 federal workers with an annual operating budget of $26B. While at the GSA, Ms. Harada also served as Associate Administrator, Government-wide Policy and Chief Acquisition Officer, responsible for providing oversight to $63B in Federal procurement.

Ms. Harada’s private sector experience includes over 10 years in management consulting with the Boston Consulting Group and Booz Allen Hamilton; and building satellites while at Lockheed Martin. Ms. Harada holds an MA, International Studies and an MBA, Finance, respectively, from the Lauder Institute and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an MS Aeronautics/Astronautics and a BS Aeronautics/Astronautics, respectively, from Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ken Koyama, Ph.D. (Senior Managing Director, Chief Economist, Strategy Research Unit, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ))

Dr. Ken Koyama is the Senior Managing Director and Chief Economist at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ). Since he joined the IEEJ in 1986, he has held many senior positions including Senior Research Fellow at the Energy Strategy Unit, General Manager of Energy Strategy Department, and an Honorary Associate, Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law & Policy, University of Dundee. Currently, he also serves as a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo and as an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology. 

Dr. Koyama is known for his expertise in energy security issues and the geopolitics of energy. His research in the area of energy economics and the world oil and gas market has been published extensively in national and international journals and books. He has also been featured in numerous broadcasts on BBC, NPR and others, and has served as a member of energy policy related advisory councils and committees of Japanese government on numerous occasions. Most recently, he was appointed as a Director of Japan Electric Power Exchange (JEPX). He also serves on the International Advisory Board of the Energy Academy of Europe (Netherlands) and is an International Advisor (Chair in Energy Economics) at the Energy Commission of Tenaga Nasional University (Malaysia). He was awarded the BrandLaureate’s “Brand Personality Award 2016.” 

Dr. Koyama obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Dundee, Scotland, and his BA and MA from Waseda University, Japan.

Moderator: Lorraine H. Akiba (President/CEO, LHA Ventures)

Lorraine H. Akiba is President/CEO of LHA Ventures. She is a recognized thought  leader with technical expertise and knowledge in the development of Hawaii’s renewable  and clean energy policy and both state and federal regulatory frameworks. Given her  diverse professional experience she provides senior policy advisor services in other  regulated industry sectors and expertise for development of corporate environmental,  social and governance goals and metrics for publicly traded companies. 

Ms. Akiba works with international agencies and ministries including the Government of  Barbados Ministry of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship; the Inter-American Development Bank; the Asian Development Bank; and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency on energy and economic development policy activities and engagements. 

She served from 2012-2018 as a commissioner on the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission which presides over all regulated public utility matters including electric, gas, private water and wastewater, telecommunications, water transportation and motor carrier transportation utilities. She continues to remain active with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners International Committee in peer to peer regulatory review programs sponsored by USAID and the U.S. State Department. 

Prior to this appointment, she worked in private practice as a law partner at McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP and Cades Schutte LLP. She headed the Environmental  Practice Groups at both law firms with an emphasis in environmental and natural resources law in addition to her commercial and business litigation practice. 

She holds many leadership roles in various national and international organizations including the City and County of Honolulu Resilience Strategy Steering Committee, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council Board of Directors and the U.S.-Japan Council. She also is a member of the O-Power Industry Council, the Linux Foundation Energy Advisor Group, and the U.S. DOE Research Advisory Council for the LIFT Solar project. 

Ms. Akiba previously served as member of the Advisory Council to the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute; the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and its Energy Resources and Environment Committee; the U.S. DOE and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Future Electric Utility Regulation Advisory Group and the State and Local Efficiency Action Network (SEE Network) Financial Solutions Working Group.