Special Address by Kanetsugu Mike

The following is the summary of a speech that was part of the 2018 Annual Conference.

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Distinguished Speaker

  • Kanetsugu Mike, President & CEO, MUFG Bank, Ltd.

Summary

Mr. Mike began by discussing how economic ties between the United States and Japan are fundamental to the bilateral relationship. A key question that Mr. Mike posed is if the United States and Japan can continue to pave the path of success together. As a global financial institution, MUFG supports healthy economies, prosperous communities and sustainable businesses. This means supporting innovators and entrepreneurs, and MUFG’s deep interest in the U.S.-Japan relationship is a component of that. He explained that the Bank of Tokyo of California, which was founded after World War II, remains an MUFG heritage thanks to the support of the Japanese American community.

There are many ways that the U.S. and Japan have been players in the global economy. MUFG is making reforms to its business model, which can help build a resilient society and further contribute to the global economy. There are four areas where MUFG can help drive innovation. The first is to support innovators and entrepreneurs relevant to business. Private startups in Japan made billions of U.S. dollars, and MUFG supports financial technology startups through accelerator programs and collaborative efforts. The second is to launch innovative projects to make products and services more consumer friendly. The third is to make financial technology more secure. MUFG has created its own virtual currency that does not require a mining process, so it is stable, consistent and secure. The fourth is to invest in the next generation. The world needs passion and energy for entrepreneurship. In addition, diversity plays a key role because paths to the best possible future requires an understanding of different cultures and individuals. Mr. Mike expressed his confidence that the young participants and alumni of the TOMODACHI Initiative will continue to bring people from the U.S. and Japan together.

Video

Click here to see the video of the speech.