WASHINGTON, DC – Ten Japanese American leaders will travel to Japan from March 2 to 10 on the 2018 Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD) program, a week-long trip dedicated to building people-to-people connections with Japanese leaders. In its 18th year, JALD provides opportunities for Japanese Americans to establish a meaningful role in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations across all sectors of society.
The delegates will visit Tokyo, where past delegations have typically met with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and top business executives, among others. The delegates will then visit various cities in Yamaguchi prefecture, and in Yamaguchi City they will participate in a panel discussion sponsored by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC).
The delegates come from across the country and are active in their communities, engaged in U.S.-Japan relations and committed to deepening ties between Japanese Americans and Japan. USJC President Irene Hirano Inouye will accompany the delegation. The program is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and organized by USJC. The 2018 delegates are:
- Sheri Bryant (San Francisco, CA), Vice President, Strategic Business Development and Marketing, Linden Lab
- Darcy Endo-Omoto (Honolulu, HI), Vice President of Government and Community Affairs, Hawaiian Electric Company
- Monica Okada Guzman (Mangilao, Guam), CEO & Managing Director, Galaide Group, LLC
- David Inoue (Washington, DC), Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League
- Denise Moriguchi (Seattle, WA), President & CEO, Uwajimaya, Inc.
- David Ono (Los Angeles, CA), News Anchor, KABC-TV
- Lisa Sakai (Chicago, IL), President & CEO, TransAgra International Inc.
- June Taylor (Denver, CO), Executive Director and State Personnel Director, Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration
- Chris Uehara (Portland, OR), Assistant Chief, Portland Police Bureau
- Laurie Van Pelt (Oakland County, MI), Director of Management & Budget, Oakland County, Michigan
** The delegates are available to comment about their trip to Japan. Contact USJC Director of Communications Shiori Okazaki at [email protected] or 202-223-6843 to arrange interviews. For more information and biographies of all ten delegates visit: http://www.usjapancouncil.org/jald