“Walk in U.S., Talk on Japan”Delegation Visits Colorado and Utah (November 8-14, 2015)
2015/11/19
and delegation members
A delegation for the Japanese government project “Walk in U.S., Talk on Japan” visited the states of Colorado and Utah and gave lectures at various events from Sunday, November 8 through Saturday, November 14, 2015.
The project was started in 2014 for the purpose of increasing awareness in the U.S. of Japan’s attractiveness and current healthy state through private-sector exchange.
The delegation consisted of 5 members: Delegation Leader Mr. Ken Shimanouchi (former Ambassador to Brazil and Spain), Ms. Michiko Iwanami (Analyst at Sojitz Research Institute), Ms. Kyoko Shibata (employee of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation), Ms. Akemi Takayama (former employee of the Bank of Tokyo), and Mr. Norimichi Hayashi (former employee of Itochu Corporation).
The delegation arrived in Colorado on Sunday, the 8th. They gave lectures at Colorado Heights University and University of Colorado Boulder on Monday, the 9th, and at Pikes Peak Community College and Colorado College on Tuesday, the 10th. On Wednesday, the 11th, the delegation moved to the state of Utah. They visited the Topaz Museum and gave lectures at the University of Utah and Weber State University on Thursday, the 12th, and at Brigham Young University and a dinner hosted by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) on Friday, the 13th.
At each lecture, Delegation Leader Shimanouchi gave a keynote lecture on U.S.-Japan relations and each member gave a speech based on their experiences in Japanese culture and social situations. Afterwards, the delegation answered questions from the audience. The end result was a lively opinion exchange on Japan’s policies and economic situation, which included the promotion of women in the workplace.
The delegation also met with local government officials and members of state legislature, and exchanged opinions on Colorado-Japan and Utah-Japan relations respectively.