Keidanren USA - Japan Business Federation

Nippon Keidanren Announces
Washington DC Office Closure

Nippon Keidanren, the Japan Business Federation, will close its Washington DC-based office, Keidanren-USA, on March 31, 2009. Keidanren USA ’s public program operations will run through February. The Keidanren-USA website will remain up through spring 2009, but will not be updated after March.

Nippon Keidanren remains committed to the Japan-US economic and trade relationship and will continue its efforts, through dialogue and coordination with American business organizations, policy leaders and U.S. government officials. Keidanren will conduct this work directly from its Tokyo headquarter offices, with the International Economic Bureau’s North America Group serving as the primary contact point. The Keizai Koho Center, Keidanren’s non-profit educational arm, will continue our outreach and education efforts, including study trips for U.S. policy experts and educators, as well as conferences on bilateral trade and economic issues and other outreach activities.

Keidanren would like to thank our many friends and colleagues in Washington DC and across the United States for working with us on the many challenges and opportunities facing this vital relationship.

Nippon Keidanren Contacts after March 31, 2009:

Atsushi Yamakoshi
Email: yama@keidanren.or.jp

Tomoko Hasegawa, North America Group, Nippon Keidanren
Email: t-hasega@keidanren.or.jp
Phone: 81-3-5204-1551; Fax: 81-3-5255-6231

Akemi Handa, International Affairs Department,
Keizai Koho Center
Email: akemi.handa@kkc.or.jp
Phone: 81-3-3201-1415, Fax: 81-3-3201-1418

February 2009 Heads Up Event: Toshio Obi, Waseda University.

For our last Heads Up program, Keidanren-USA hosted Toshio Obi, professor at Waseda University. Dr. Obi discussed the Japanese domestic political situation, prospects for the next election and its potential impact on Japan-US relations. Kent Calder, Director of the Reischauer Center at SAIS, was a discussant..

USTR Briefing at Keidanren-USA

Michael Beeman, Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Japan, and Douglas Bell, Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and Pacific, briefed Keidanren-USA on Asia trade issues. Mr. Beeman discussed the status of U.S.-Japan trade and economic engagement and Mr. Bell briefed members on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (formerly P4), a regional trade initiative.

Keidanren Chairman Mitarai's Speech on Japan and the Global Economy

At the 45th Japan-U.S. Business Conference in Tokyo, Nippon Keidanren Chairman Fujio Mitarai discussed domestic and global economic challenges facing Japan and Keidanren’s efforts to help address them. The transcript of his speech is available here.

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