SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
NAJAS 2024 ANNUAL MEETING

AMBASSADOR NINA HACHIGIAN

Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, Subnational Diplomacy Unit
U.S. Department of State

Ambassador Nina Hachigian (ret) is the first U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy. In this role she seeks to bring benefits to, and learn from, local leaders in the United States, and connect them to counterparts around the world.

Before rejoining the Department, Ambassador Hachigian served as the first Deputy Mayor for International Affairs for the City of Los Angeles. In that role, she oversaw efforts that sent underserved community college students on free, educational international trips; created a new public-private partnership to attract international business and non-profits, especially to underserved communities; prepared the City for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and their legacy; hosted the Summit of the Americas; founded the first global gender equity city network; planned trade missions, and worked with international city networks to advance cutting-edge climate change programs, migrant integration, healthy cities and more.

From 2014 to 2017, Ambassador Hachigian served as the second U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During her tenure, the United States established a strategic partnership with ASEAN, held the first Leaders’ Summit in the United States, launched a Presidential initiative on economic cooperation, established the U.S.-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy and grew the youth program to over 100,000 members. She was awarded the State Department’s Superior Honor Award for her service. She is also a founder of WASA, Women Ambassadors Serving America and of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LC-WINS).

Earlier, Ambassador Hachigian was a Senior Fellow and a Senior Vice President at the Center for American Progress focused on Asia policy and U.S.-China relations. Prior to that, Ambassador Hachigian was the director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy for four years. Ambassador Hachigian served on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton White House from 1998-1999. She is the editor of Debating China: The U.S. – China Relationship in Ten Conversations (Oxford University Press, 2014) and co-author of The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise (Simon & Schuster, 2008). She writes frequently about city and state diplomacy.

Ambassador Hachigian lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

AMBASSADOR SHIGEO YAMADA

Ambassador of Japan to the United States 

Ambassador Shigeo Yamada assumed his post as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America in December 2023.

Ambassador Yamada is a long-time veteran of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His very first posting was as a Second Secretary in Washington D.C. in 1989. In 2012, he returned to Washington as Political Minister.

Prior to assuming his current post, Ambassador Yamada served as Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. In that capacity, he was Political Director for Japan’s 2023 G7 Presidency, supporting the G7 Summit in Hiroshima and the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nagano-Karuizawa.

Ambassador Yamada’s previous positions in Tokyo include Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for Foreign Policy, Deputy Director General for North American Affairs, Director for Northeast Asia, Director for Southeast Asia, and Director for the Status of U.S. Forces Agreement. He also served as a Cabinet Councillor in the National Security Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office.

In addition to his postings in Washington and Tokyo, over the course of his career he was in charge of the public and culture affairs at the Embassies of Japan in London and Beijing.

The Ambassador’s broad diplomatic assignments have led him to the realization, “The Japan-U.S. alliance is no longer just a bilateral relationship, but a global partnership.” It is this conviction that informs his perspective as Japan’s Ambassador to the United States.

Ambassador Yamada earned a BA in law from Keio University in 1987 and a BA in political science from Carleton College in Minnesota in 1989. He is married to Maki Yamada, who is currently a judge in Japan. Ambassador Yamada enjoys outdoor activities and is an avid runner.

FEATURED U.S.-JAPAN RELATIONSHIP OVERVIEW

AMBASSADOR ICHIRO FUJISAKI 

President of America-Japan Society, Former Ambassador of Japan to the United States 

Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki is one of Japan’s most experienced and respected diplomats and commentators on international relations. He is uniquely placed to illuminate the opportunities and challenges facing Japan and the Asia Pacific region in today’s economic and political climate.

From 2008 to 2012, Fujisaki served as the Ambassador of Japan to the United States. In this role, he led Japan’s negotiations with the US on security and trade issues. Fujisaki was instrumental in bridging Japan and the US following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. He frequently appeared on the broadcast media.

He previously was Ambassador to the United Nations and to the World Trade Organization in Geneva (2005-08), chairing the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

As the Deputy Foreign Minister, he served as Prime Minister Koizumi’s personal representative to the G8 Summit (2002-05). He was Japan’s chief trade negotiator and headed the teams for Free Trade Area agreement negotiations with the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. During his career he initiated and headed Deputy Ministerial dialogue with China, and travelled frequently to India to lay the groundwork for large scale infrastructure projects which are currently underway.

Fujisaki remains close to Japan’s political, bureaucratic, and business circles, having served more than 40 years in the Japanese government. He is currently President of America-Japan Society, a non-profit and non-political organization with a mission to promote understanding between the United States and Japan. He is also a Distinguished Professor at Sophia University and a Visiting Professor at Keio University, both in Tokyo.

ROBERT T. KOEPCKE

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Japan, Korea, and Mongolia, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State

A member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, Robert T. Koepcke currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Japan, Korea, and Mongolia in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP). Previously, he served as Director of the Office of Mainland Southeast Asia, as well as Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff in the Office of the Secretary of State. Robert served as the U.S. Consul General in Naha, Okinawa, Japan during 2018-2021.

As a Special Assistant to the Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment (E), Robert developed the economic pillar of the Department’s quadrennial Joint Strategic Plan 2017-2022, before which he was Deputy Economic Section Chief in at the U.S Embassy in Berlin, Germany. Robert was detailed to the National Security Council during 2012-13, where he was Director for Japan and Asian Regional Economic Affairs. As Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Policy in EAP, he played a central role in the U.S. host year of APEC 2011.

Robert has also served overseas tours in Beijing, Baghdad, Tokyo, and the American Institute in Taiwan, Taipei. He holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s from Boston University. Robert enjoys introducing American culture through his love of playing and appreciating jazz music. He is married with two children, and speaks Mandarin, Japanese, German, and Spanish.

EMMA CHANLETT-AVERY

Deputy Director & Director for Security-Political Affairs, Asia Society Policy Insitute
Vice Chair,  NAJAS

Emma Chanlett-Avery is Deputy Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington, DC office and the Director for Political-Security Affairs. Previous to this post, she served for 20 years as a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, where she focused on U.S. relations with Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Thailand, and Singapore, with an emphasis on security issues and alliances. In 2023, she served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assisting the Chairman with drafting Asia policy legislation and preparing for hearings.

Ms. Chanlett-Avery was a Presidential Management Fellow, with rotations in the State Department on the Korea Desk and at the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, Thailand. She also worked in the Office of Policy Planning as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow. She is a member of the Mansfield Foundation U.S. – Japan Network for the Future and a Mansfield-Luce Asia Network Scholar. In 2016, she received the Kato Prize, awarded by Washington think tanks for strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance. She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Japan America Societies, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Japan America Society of Washington DC, and as a Trustee of International Student Conferences, Inc. Ms. Chanlett-Avery received an MA in international security policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and her BA in Russian studies from Amherst College.

AMBASSADOR DAVID SHEAR

Senior Advisor, Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies Johns Hopkins School of International Studies (SAIS)
Secretary of the Board, NAJAS

David Shear was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs from September, 2014 to June, 2016. He served as Ambassador to Vietnam 2011 to 2013.

Ambassador Shear served for 32 years in the American Foreign Service. He has also served in Sapporo, Beijing, Tokyo, and Kuala Lumpur. In Washington, he has served in the Offices of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Affairs and as the Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. He was Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in 2008-2009 and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in 2009-2011.

Ambassador Shear was a Rusk Fellow at Georgetown University’s institute for the Study of Diplomacy 1998-99. He is the recipient of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award and the Defense Department’s Civilian Meritorious Service Award for his work in U.S.-Japan defense relations.

Ambassador Shear graduated from Earlham College and has a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He has attended Waseda University, Taiwan National University, and Nanjing University. He and his wife Barbara have a first degree rank in the practice of Kendo, or Japanese fencing. He speaks Chinese and Japanese.

AMBASSADOR KURT TONG

Managing Partner, The Asia Group
NAJAS Chairman

Ambassador Kurt Tong is Managing Partner at the Asia Group, where he leads the firm’s work in Japan and Greater China. A leading expert in diplomacy and economic affairs in East Asia, Tong was a career foreign service officer for three decades. He served as consul general and chief of mission in Hong Kong from 2016 to 2019, and the principal deputy assistant secretary for economic and business affairs at the State Department from 2014 to 2016, serving as the Department’s most senior career diplomat handling economic affairs. Tong also served as deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo from 2011 to 2014, where he played a key role in setting the stage for Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and supporting Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. 

In earlier assignments, Ambassador Tong was ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2011, leading the U.S. chairmanship of the organization during one of the most productive periods for APEC. He was one of the original architects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement during the Bush and Obama administrations, including while serving as director for Asian economic affairs at the National Security Council from 2006 to 2008. Prior to that, Ambassador Tong served in Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Manila. 

Ambassador Tong is chair of the National Association of Japan-America Societies and International Student Conferences, Inc. He also serves on the boards of the Mansfield Foundation and the Japan ICU Foundation, is an advisor to Geodesic Capital, the Hinrich Foundation, and the Sasakawa Foundation, and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University.  He has a B.A. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and studied economics at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute.

MAIN PROGRAMMING

GENTA ANDO

Executive Director,  JETRO San Francisco

Special Advisor, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Government of Japan

Currently at Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) San Francisco office, Genta works to promote Japanese startups entering the Silicon Valley ecosystem as well as to support U.S. companies seeking to invest in Japan.

Genta has worked with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) since 2004. Prior to his appointment to JETRO San Francisco, he served as the Director of the Corporate System Division at METI, since 2020. He led soft-law based rule makings, including the formulation of the Guidelines for Corporate Takeovers and revision of CGS (Corporate Governance System) Guidelines. He also led tax reforms in the areas of corporate governance and M&As.

Genta also worked for the electricity market reform to liberalize Japan’s electricity market by updating the legislations. He also served at METI for trade promotion, human resources, and legal issues. Genta holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University (SIPA, 2012). He is a graduate of the University of Tokyo (School of Architecture, 2001) and Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo (2004). 

STEVE BLOOM

CEO, Portland Japanese Garden

Steve Bloom has been the CEO of Portland Japanese Garden since 2005. Beginning early in his tenure, Bloom led the formation of a comprehensive 10-year strategic plan, which has been transformational in its scope and impact. Bloom oversaw the completion of a $37 million expansion of the Garden and its facilities, created a curatorial department, expanded and improved programs in culture, art, and education, established an International Japanese Garden Training Center, formed an International Advisory Board, and has dramatically increased national and international visibility and recognition.

WILLIAM CHOU

Deputy Director, Japan Chair at Hudson Institute  

William Chou is deputy director of Hudson Institute's Japan Chair. His work at Hudson focuses on US-Japan relations and the Indo-Pacific, with an emphasis on regional partnerships, defense innovation, trade, and technology.

His forthcoming book, Made for America: Postwar Japanese Exports and the Evolution of US-Japanese Relations, examines US-Japanese security, business, and cultural relations from the perspective of Japanese commercial trade.

Dr. Chou was most recently the George P. Shultz Fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute. Prior to that, he was an America in the World Consortium fellow at the Clements Center at University of Texas at Austin. He previously worked as a researcher at the US Army's Center for Military History and the Institute for Defense Analyses, focusing on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, intelligence integration, defense planning, and counterterrorism.

He holds a BA in history from Yale University and an MA and PhD in history from the Ohio State University. In Japan, he researched for three years at the Inter-University Center and the University of Tokyo. He has been awarded several fellowships, including those from the Fulbright-Hays program, the Smithsonian, the Bradley Foundation, and the Nippon Foundation.

A native New Yorker, Dr. Chou is a former Jeopardy! champion.

PAIGE COTTINGHAM-STREATER

Executive Director, Japan-United States Friendship Commission 

Ms. Cottingham-Streater directs the work of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission. The Commission is an independent federal government agency whose mission is to support reciprocal people-to-people understanding, and promote partnerships that advance common interests between Japan and the United States.

Previously, Ms. Cottingham-Streater served as Deputy Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation where she worked for sixteen years.  In addition, she directed the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program, a Congressionally-established professional exchange for mid-level federal government employees.

Ms. Cottingham-Streater served as the Director for the U.S.-Japan Project at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, DC.  And prior to that she served as Counsel and Legislative Assistant in the office of Congressman Donald M. Payne (D-NJ), where she monitored legislative initiatives involving education, civil rights law enforcement, labor, and financial and social policy.  She was also a participant in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET), a staff attorney at the U.S. Department of Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and a law clerk at U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service.

Ms. Cottingham-Streater received her Juris Doctor from the National Law Center at George Washington University and is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association.  She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Connecticut College in Government and Asian Studies.  She has written articles for publications of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and she has spoken on U.S.-Japan relations at numerous conferences in the United States and Japan.

Ms. Cottingham-Streater is the recipient of Japan’s Foreign Minister’s Commendation in recognition of her longstanding work to strengthen U.S.-Japan relations.  The Government awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon to Ms. Cottingham-Streater in November 2022 in recognition of her contributions to the promotion of people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.

DAN DIAS

Economic & Community Development Director at City of Hillsboro

Dan Dias has over 10 years’ experience in economic development, real estate developments, land use planning, public policy, and land use entitlements. Dan is currently the Director of Economic and Community Development departments for the City of Hillsboro. In his role, Dan manages the North Hillsboro Industrial Renewal Area, the Downtown Urban Renewal Area and strategic real estate and infrastructure development projects for the City. Dan also plays a primary role in assisting on various business expansion, business recruitment, and downtown redevelopment projects.

Dan has been the City’s lead on key industrial projects including the Intel Ronler Acre MOD2 Fab expansion and 7-story office building, Adobe Systems Data Center, SolarWorld Expansion project, First Tech Regional Office Campus, Reser’s Fine Foods 300,000 square foot processing facility, and numerous mixed-use projects. Before becoming Director, Dan spent 4 years as the Development Services Manager for the Hillsboro Planning Department. Prior joining the City in 2006, Dan spent 2 years working as a Legislative Assistant in the Oregon Senate and 2 years working for a small scale home builder.

LIAM DOHN

Vice President and GM Sales, Tokyo Electron US

Liam Dohn currently serves as a VP and General Manager of Sales for Tokyo Electron with global responsibility for equipment sales, service, spare sparts and customer satisfaction. He has been with Tokyo Electron for 7 years in various functions including Business Development, Business Transformation and IT. Immediately prior to Tokyo Electron, Liam was a Mergers & Acquisitions consultant with Deloitte Consulting focused on integrations and divestitures in the Technology and Industrial markets. Liam has a foundation in Finance and Corporate Strategy after US and international assignments with General Electric and Siemens.

Before his professional career, Liam was a 1st Lt in the United States Marine Corps, 1st Marine Division, with overseas deployments to Norway, Okinawa, Korea and to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Liam has an MBA from London Business School and a BS Commerce from The University of Virginia.

JAMES GANNON

CEO, Peace Winds America

In December 2023, Jim became CEO of Peace Winds America, which works with counterparts in Japan and other countries to respond to deadly disasters and provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and others affected by war. He is also a senior fellow at the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), which he headed for two decades, creating and leading a wide range of initiatives to strengthen US-Japan relations and encourage deeper international cooperation on humanitarian assistance, global health, and democracy support. He has also served as executive director for the US JET Program Alumni Association (USJETAA), and has written extensively on US-Asia relations, global health, development, and civil society.

RADM (Ret.) JAMES KELLY

Vice President, John Manjiro-Whitfield Commemorative Center for International Exchange U.S., (CIE-US)

During his 36-year U.S. Navy career, Jamie spent 9 years in Japan (Atsugi and Yokosuka). He held commands of an A-6 Squadron VA-115 (Japan), the USS Sacramento, the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, and the USS Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group in Japan. His final assignment was as Commander U.S. Naval Forces Japan. In this capacity he oversaw key U.S.Japan Alliance priorities, among them managing the first forward deployment of a nuclear-powered warship, the USS George Washington, outside the U.S. He was the longest serving CNFJ ever, and was recognized by the Japanese Government with the Emperor's Order of the Rising Sun, gold and platinum stars.

He and his wife, Commander Amy Warrick USN (Ret), reside in Port Ludlow on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula with their two four-legged "children" - Doberman's Hayley and Kenji, and are members of the Japan America Society of the State of Washington. Jamie was President of CIE-US from January 2018 through 2023. He and Amy hosted a "Big Sister" from Hiroshima during Seattle's Grassroots Summit in 2018 and did a home-stay in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture during the 2019 Summit, attended the 2022 Summit in Obuse, Nagano Prefecture and Tokyo, and recently in the USA attended the Grassroots Summit Central Ohio in Columbus in 2023. Yes, he loves Japan!

HIROYUKI KOJIMA

Director General, Japan Foundation New York 

Throughout his career at the Japan Foundation, Hiroyuki Kojima has had rather extensive experience in Asia-related programs, including overseas assignments in the Philippines, China, and South Korea. Prior to the current appointment in New York, he served as the Managing Director of the Global Partnerships Department at the Japan Foundation's Tokyo Headquarters for two years, where he oversaw intellectual dialogue and grassroots exchange programs between Japan and the United States. Read his welcome letter from the Japan Foundation, New York.

He holds a B.A. from Kyoto University and an M.A. in Cultural Policy from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). He is one of the co-authors of Kokusai Bunka Koryu wo Jissensuru (Practicing International Cultural Exchange; Hakusuisha, 2020).

THERESA KULCZAK

Executive Director, Japan-America Society of Indiana 

Theresa Kulczak has served at the Japan-America Society of Indiana (JASI) since 1988 as one of its founding staff and as Executive Director since 1990. Theresa lived in Japan for six years (1981-1987), for three years as an account executive with an Osaka advertising agency supervising the Middle East accounts for Sanyo Electric Trading Co., and for three years as an English instructor in Niigata Prefecture and Kyoto through the Catholic Church. She also helped establish the Far East Office of Converse, Inc., in Osaka. In 2009, she was appointed by Governor Tomikazu Fukuda of Tochigi Prefecture as an “Ambassador for Global Friendship.” 

Theresa was selected as the Midwest representative to Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's Roundtable in 2007. Through her work with JASI, Theresa has facilitated key Japan initiatives and has provided support to many Indiana communities and companies, and Japanese business facilities and individuals. She received the Sagamore of the Wabash award from Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels in 2012, and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays from the Emperor of Japan in 2017 for her continued efforts to strengthen the relationship between Japan and Indiana. The International Center recognized her during its Fiftieth Anniversary in 2023 as a “50 for 50” community leader who has significantly contributed to a more global Indiana. Theresa is a graduate of Purdue University.

DR. SATU LIMAYE

Executive Director, the East-West Center, Washington, D.C. Office 

Dr. Satu Limaye is Vice President of the East-West Center and the Director of the East-West Center in Washington and Research Program. He created and directs the Asia Matters for America initiative and is the founding editor of the Asia Pacific Bulletin. He is also a Senior Advisor at CNA Corp (Center for Naval Analyses). He is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from Oxford University (Magdalen College) where he was a George C. Marshall Scholar. He has also been a Henry R. Luce Scholar and Abe Fellow (Japan Foundation, Social Science Research Council, & American Council of Learned Societies).

He publishes and speaks widely on Indo-Pacific regional issues and supports various US government, foundation, fellowship, and professional organizations. He recently served on the Center for New American Security (CNAS) Task Force on the US-Philippines Alliance, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Senior Study Group on the North Pacific, Project 2049 Study Group on the US-Australia Alliance, and Global Taiwan Institute-Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation project on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. He serves on the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) Advisory Council and editorial board of East Asian Policy (East Asia Institute, National University of Singapore) and regional editor of Global Asia (East Asia Foundation, ROK).

JESSYCA LIVINGSTON

Executive Director, US JET Program Alumni Association  

Jessyca Livingston has served as executive director of the US JET Program Alumni Association (USJETAA) since January 2023. She leads USJETAA’s work to support the nearly 40,000 American alumni of the JET Program, as well as its predecessor, the Monbusho English Fellowship Program. Prior to taking the helm of USJETAA, Jessyca was Programs and Membership Manager at the Japan-America Society of Colorado, and she also worked for seven years as the JET Coordinator at the Japanese Consulate in Denver, CO.

Jessyca has a long history of leadership in the JET community. After returning to the US, she served as treasurer for the Rocky Mountain JET Alumni Association Rocky Mountain (JETAARM) chapter for two years, and then as JETAA USA Country Representative for another two years, helping guide the JET community through its response to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2012, she led the establishment of the JETAA USA Board of Advisors, and she also served as a founding board member for USJETAA when it was launched in 2015.

GRAHAM MORRIS

Executive Director, Japan-America Society of Oregon, Co-Host Society

Born and bred in the UK, after leaving college qualified in sports science and recreation management, Graham hopped around the Middle East, Papua New Guinea and Australia before finding himself teaching English in Japan. Sandwiched between were periods involved in operating major sports festivals in the UK and Europe, then in the US. In 2008 he moved to Oregon to run a large annual multicultural festival, which allowed him to dive headfirst back in cultures from around the world. In 2015, this led back to him former interest in the culture of Japan, when he started as the Executive Director of JASO.

ASAKO NAGATOMO

Program Director, NHK World Japan

Asako joined NHK in 2012, starting a carrier at its Hiroshima Bureau as a program director. She has worked on a variety of programs, ranging from travel shows to sports documentaries. The most memorable project involved covering international conferences aimed at banning nuclear weapons, documenting the behind-the-scenes story with ICAN, the citizen group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Since 2020, she has been in charge of promotion and marketing of NHK WORLD-JAPAN to reach viewers around the world. Her personal recommended programs from NHK WORLD-JAPAN are “Anime Manga Explosion” and “Ramen Japan.”

KAZUO OKAMOTO

Executive Director, AJS Tokyo 

Kazuo Okamoto is the Executive Director of the America-Japan Society Inc. (AJS) & National Association of America-Japan Societies (NAAJS). He was born in Kamakura in 1963 and majored in political science at Waseda University. Since being employed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1985, he has been engaged in defense, graphic arts industries, overseas strategy and finally group company management both in Tokyo HQ and London over 34 years, which was culminated in the Brexit negotiation with the U.K. prime minister in Downing 10 representing the Japanese industries when he was CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe. Since 2019, he has exclusively dedicated himself to the America-Japan Society. In his private life, he has once loved holding a master-built Stratocaster but now has completely switched to grabbing Titleist instead.

ANTHONY PAHIGIAN

Senior Advisor, International Expositions, U.S. Department of State

Anthony Pahigian has spent more than 30-years as a U.S. diplomat in a variety of roles in Washington, Europe, the Americas and Central Asia.  He currently serves as a Senior Advisor in the State Department’s International Expositions Unit.  While serving as Counselor for Public Affairs at Embassy Astana, Anthony was dual-hatted as the Deputy Commissioner General of the U.S. pavilion at Expo 2017. 

BETH PORTER

Principal, BCP Nonprofit Consulting

Beth Porter is an accomplished nonprofit professional with over 30 years of experience during which she served as Executive Director of two different organizations. She has worked, consulted, and volunteered with a variety of education, human services, arts and culture, and environment organizations, supporting both development and program management.

Over the course of her career, Beth has raised millions of dollars from foundation, corporate and individual sources, always with an eye towards creating a diversified and sustainable funding program. Beth has two decades’ experience managing boards and has served as an active and engaged board member for a number of organizations.

In her consulting work, Beth partners with Executive Directors to support them in planning, board management, development efforts and special projects.

ANITA RAJAN

General Director, JAMA, USA

Anita Rajan assumed the role of General Director of JAMA USA in May 2022.  As General Director, Anita is the organization’s spokesperson in the United States. She leads JAMA’s U.S. public and government relations, including outreach to Congress, U.S. government agencies, the media and various industry stakeholders.

Previously, Anita gained nearly twenty years of experience at Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America, Inc. (MRDA) in the government and regulatory affairs areas, and most recently served as Manager of Government Affairs within MRDA’s Government and Industry Relations Department.  

She earned a M.A. in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) focusing on International Politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.  Anita was born and raised in New Jersey

JOSEPH RITTER

Director of Sales at JSR Micro

Joe Ritter has served as commercial lead for semiconductor materials and capital equipment companies for over 25 years.  Joe started his career at AZ Electronic Materials managing global accounts.  He then transitioned to the capital equipment industry, progressing to Vice President of Sales and Sales Operations for Cymer, the leading supplier of laser technology for the semiconductor lithography industry.

Joe is currently Director of Sales at JSR Micro, managing US Sales and Sales Support organizations.  He is located in San Diego, California.

He received his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

MARISA RODRIGUEZ

Manager, North American Japanese Gardens Association

Marisa Rodriguez is Manager of NAJGA. Marisa joined the NAJGA team in 2018, first as a volunteer, then as a part-time employee. She is very excited to join NAJGA as a full-time staff member and help build on the work of her predecessors to grow the organization into a strong multi-national network of Japanese garden professionals and enthusiasts.

Prior to joining the NAJGA Team, Marisa had been the Operations Assistant at the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego from 2009-2019. Marisa holds a BA in Community Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an MA in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego.

JACOB SCHLESINGER

President & CEO, The United States-Japan Foundation

Jacob M. Schlesinger is president and CEO of the United States-Japan Foundation, an organization that gives grants and runs a fellowship program dedicated to bolstering relations between the two countries.  Jake began that job after a year and a half at Stanford DCI, as a Fellow and Continuing Fellow. During his time at Stanford, he studied the threats and challenges to democracy, in the U.S. and around the world. 

Before DCI, Jake worked for more than 30 years as a reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal (the Journal) in Washington, DC, Tokyo, and Detroit.  At the Journal, he covered economics and economic policy, chronicled elections and summits, trade wars and market crashes, labor strikes, the 9/11 terror attacks in the U.S., and Japan’s March 2011 triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Jake was the Journal’s Tokyo bureau chief, deputy Washington bureau chief, and global financial regulation editor.

He is the author of “Shadow Shoguns: The Rise and Fall of Japan’s Postwar Political Machine”, published in 1997 by Simon & Schuster. While writing that book, he was a fellow at Stanford’s Asia-Pacific Research Center. He was later a Stigler Center Journalist in Residence at the University of Chicago. 

Jake was a member of the Journal team winning the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting on the dot-com bubble and crash. In 2014, he was given Stanford’s Shorenstein Journalism Award, presented annually to a reporter helping global audiences understand the complexities of the Asia-Pacific region. 

Jake grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, and has a BA in economics from Harvard. He lives in Washington with his wife, Louisa Rubinfien, a professor of Japanese history. They have two daughters, one currently working at the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence, the other doing graduate studies in chemical physics at the University of Minnesota.

RYO TAKEHARA

Deputy Director at Japan Foundation Los Angeles

Ryo Takehara is the Deputy Director at Japan Foundation Los Angeles, overseeing Japanese Language and Arts and Culture programs. Before assuming his current role in December 2020, he worked at Japan Foundation Headquarters in Tokyo, where he served in finance department and Japanese Studies Department.

JUN TAKEI

Policy Director & Principal Engineer, Intel Corporation

Jun Takei has been an ICT industry leader from the 1990s, as a contributor to multiple standards in communication and internet technologies. In the 2000s, he increased his focus on cyber-security and has actively contributed to international cyber-security technology dialogues. Recently he is focused on defining a model for the cyber-security threat landscape and possible protection mechanisms across the ICT product life cycle, from design to decommission/recycle.

He is currently in the Global Government Affairs Group in Intel Corporation as a technology policy director. He is based in Portland Oregon U.S.A.

He received his Master's degree from University of Electro Communications in Tokyo and Ph.D from Keio University.

KIYOSHI TANIGAWA

Executive Director, Keidanren USA 

Kiyoshi Tanigawa is the Executive Director of Keidanren USA. As head of Keidanren’s Washington DC office, he leads its public affairs activities in strengthening the U.S.-Japan economic relationship.

Mr. Tanigawa joined Keidanren more than two decades ago and has engaged in public policy advocacy throughout his career. Prior to his current position, he was responsible for energy and climate change policy, deeply engaged in policymaking at both the national and international levels, as well as initiating various projects by the Japanese business community. He is also noted for his expertise in such areas as industrial policy, regulatory reform, innovation, trade, and Asian affairs.

Mr. Tanigawa earned his B.A. in economics from the University of Tokyo, and holds master’s degrees from the University of Tokyo, Columbia University, and the London School of Economics and Political Science, with scholarships from the Fulbright and Rotary Foundation.

JOSHUA WALKER

President & CEO, Japan Society 

Joshua W. Walker, PhD became President & CEO of Japan Society in December 2019. Previously, he worked at Eurasia Group, the world’s leading political risk analysis firm, where he served as global head of strategic initiatives and Japan in the Office of the President. Prior to that, he was CEO and president of the USA Pavilion of the 2017 World Expo in Astana, Kazakhstan; founding dean of the APCO Institute; and senior vice president of global programs at APCO Worldwide, a leading global strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C. Before joining the private sector, he worked in numerous roles at various U.S. government agencies, including the State Department and the Defense Department.

Dr. Walker is Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, and professor of Leadership and the American presidency at George Mason University and the Reagan Foundation. He was also Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and co-founded the Yale Journal of International Affairs. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond, a master’s degree from Yale University, and a doctorate from Princeton University. Dr. Walker grew up in Japan where his parents still serve as missionaries, came to the United States when he was 18, and is bicultural and bilingual.

ANDREW WYLEGALA

President, NAJAS

Andrew Wylegala began as President of the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS) in March 2023. He brings a strong background in international commercial promotion and policy in Asia and a passion for the U.S.-Japan grassroots relationship. Beginning his Japan immersion as a high school exchange student in Saitama Prefecture and as a member of the Japan-America Student Conference, Andrew excelled in his career as a senior foreign service commercial officer, including serving as Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, 2012-2017, and earlier in Hong Kong and Seoul. As a Professor of Practice at the National Defense University, he taught economics and industry analysis to security policy practitioners. Most recently, Andrew served as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, growing that organization through the challenges of the pandemic and Cross-Strait tension. As a Presidential Management Fellow early in his career he worked at Treasury, USTR and the USITC, as well as on personal (Senate) and committee (House) staff.  An avid bike rider, “Andy” and his wife are excited to be settling back in Washington D.C. He looks forward to traveling from this home base as he gets to know and collaborate creatively with the nation-wide JAS community.

MASA YAMAGUCHI

Chair, Japan American Society Oregon, Co-Host Society

Yamaguchi's two-year term will conclude late spring of 2025. He has served on the JASO Board since 2012, and his involvement on the Business Committee began in 2011. Lane Powell's involvement with JASO goes back more than two decades and the firm continues to be an active supporter of the organization.

JASO is a member-based, volunteer-driven, non-profit organization consisting of corporations and individuals in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Their mission is to develop business and community by strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship.