Japanese Government Delegation Visits UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A delegation led by Yasuo Saito, former Japanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Russia and France, will visit The University of Alabama March 3 for a lunch and symposium on Japanese society, business, technology and culture.

The symposium, “Walk in U.S., Talk on Japan,” will be held from 12:30-4 p.m. at the Center for Materials for Information Technology, room 1000, of the Bevill Building on the UA campus.

The event is sponsored by the Critical Languages Center/Japanese program in the department of modern languages and classics and is free and open to the public.

In addition to Saito, the delegation includes Hiroshi Tsukamoto, former deputy director general for Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Tetsuo Mamada, former president of Mitsui Bussan Steel Trade Co., Ltd.; Mio Iwai, a Japanese university student; and Chitose Nagao, consulting supervisor and copywriter for Dentsu, one of the largest public relations and advertising agencies in Japan.

In two sessions, the first held from 12:30-2:50 p.m. and the second held from 3-4 p.m., the participants will discuss the Japanese economy, the 70th anniversary of World War II, prospects for the Tokyo Olympics, Japan’s energy strategy since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Japanese trading companies and investment, university life in Japan, and rediscovering the value of Japan through women, technology and culture.

The delegation was organized by the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan to deepen U.S. citizens’ understanding of Japan and to strengthen the relationship between Japan and the United States. The delegation’s visit to Tuscaloosa is part of a larger tour across the Southeast, including visits to Atlanta, Memphis and Chattanooga.

The event is supported by The University of Alabama’s Office of the President, the UA System’s Vice Chancellor for Government Relations and Economic Development, the Critical Languages Center/Japanese program in the department of modern languages and classics, Culverhouse College of Commerce, Center for Materials for Information Technology and Capstone International Programs.

Anyone interested in attending the symposium is asked to RSVP online at http://bama.ua.edu/~karizumi/WUTJ2015/.

The department of modern languages and classics is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards, including Rhodes and Goldwater scholarships.