Former Japanese ambassador to speak at UTSA on Sunday, Nov. 9

Ken Shimanouchi

Ken Shimanouchi

Share this Story

(Nov. 6, 2014) -- Ken Shimanouchi, the former Japanese ambassador to Spain and Brazil, will be the keynote speaker for "A Conversation on U.S.-Japanese Relations." The free, public event will be at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 9 in the H-E-B University Center Harris Room (2.212) on the UTSA Main Campus. A reception will follow the event.

The event is sponsored by the UTSA Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in collaboration with the Japan America Society of San Antonio, which strive to increase awareness of U.S.-Japanese relations and to promote positive interactions between the two countries.

Shimanouchi will speak on the Japanese economy and future economic growth of Japan and the United States. A self-described "foreign-service brat," Shimanouchi spent his elementary and junior high school years in the United States with his father, a diplomat with the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

After graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1971, Shimanouchi joined the Japanese Foreign Ministry, where he had nine overseas assignments over 21 years including a five-year stint in the United States. He retired from public service in 2010 after serving as the Japanese ambassador to Spain and Brazil.

After his keynote address, Shimanouchi will be joined by three other guest speakers to discuss environmental, military, business, international ties and other issues.

The additional speakers at the event will be:

  • Keikiro Hata, a retired Air Force lieutenant general, who lived in the USA as an exchange instructor for two years at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. He also served as a member of the working group for review of the guidelines for U.S.-Japan defense cooperation. Hata will discuss how we can avoid becoming unwillingly involved in a confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region in the future by demonstrating the strength of the U.S.-Japan military ties.
  • Yoko Chivers, who holds an M.B.A. from the City University of New York (CUNY) and specializes in the fields of environment, energy and natural resources at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., a Japanese bank. She also has experience working at the United Nations and Citibank in New York. Chivers develops projects overseas in relation to climate change issues and sees a lot of potential for the USA and Japan to cooperate in the field of climate change.
  • Yohei Komatsuzaki is a senior at Keio University who is majoring in law. He spent much of his childhood in Hawaii and is now the Japanese Executive Committee chair of the 66th Japan-America Student Conference (JASC). Representing the younger generation, Komatsuzaki believes the younger generation has a unique role to play in fostering stronger international ties, especially between Japan and the United States. These bonds are essential not only for bridge building and communications, but also in supporting the promotion of peace over the long term.

------------------------------

For more information, email Makiko Fukuda.

Learn about the UTSA Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

Connect online with UTSA on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

 

 

Events



Spotlight

UTSA Bold Promise CTA

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.