Palo Alto, CA – On August 26, the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) and the Silicon Valley Japan Platform (SVJP) will convene the California-Japan Governors’ Symposium at Stanford University. This symposium, part of USJC and SVJP’s Governors’ Circle initiative, will bring together prefectural governors and business delegations from Japan to discuss strategic ways to strengthen economic cooperation and business development between Silicon Valley and Japan. The participating prefectures are Hiroshima, Nagano, Oita, Okayama and Shizuoka. For more information and the most recent schedule of this event, click here.
The following leaders from Japanese prefectures will speak on a governors’ panel:
- Governor of Oita, Katsusada Hirose
- Governor of Okayama, Ryuta Ibaragi
- Governor of Shizuoka, Heita Kawakatsu
- Vice Governor of Nagano, Yutaka Ota
- Governor of Hiroshima, Hidehiko Yuzaki
Governors Hirose (Oita), Ibaragi (Okayama) and Yuzaki (Hiroshima) will also join experts to speak on a panel themed on education. They will explore issues at the intersection of education and global citizenship, as well as ways to promote STEM and STEAM education, especially for young women.
Governor Kawakatsu (Shizuoka) and Vice Governor Ota (Nagano) will join experts in speaking on a panel themed on healthcare. They will explore the application of AI and machine learning to healthcare, especially in terms of facing an aging society, rising costs, and a shift in priorities toward prevention and wellness. Both panels will discuss ways to further U.S.-Japan collaboration in those respective fields.
Other speakers include Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of the State of California, and Ambassador John Roos, Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
The tentative schedule on August 26 is as follows. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided. Japanese business delegations will also showcase their products and services at a closed event the following day.
1:00 – 1:30 pm Opening Session, including: Welcome Remarks by Amb. Roos & Keynote Speech by Amb. Kounalakis
1:30 – 2:30 pm Japanese Governors’ Panel
2:40 – 3:40 pm Education Session
3:50 – 4:50 pm Healthcare Session
4:50 – 5:00 pm Closing Remarks
5:00 – 6:30 pm Networking Reception
This event follows the success of the Governors’ Meeting in Silicon Valley in July 2014. USJC has held many programs focusing on regional collaboration, such as governors’ meetings in Honolulu and Tokyo, and regional summits in Kona and Houston. SVJP, which was founded following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Silicon Valley in 2015, has continued to welcome governors’ delegations to Silicon Valley.
Media Information
Date & Time: Monday, August 26 (1:00-5:00pm with a reception to follow)
Location: Arrillaga Alumni Center, Stanford University, 326 Galvez Street, Stanford, CA 94305
About the U.S.-Japan Council: www.usjapancouncil.org
About the Silicon Valley Japan Platform: https://en.svjp.org/
Registration: For media registration, please visit: bit.ly/CJGS_Media