FY2018 Walk in U.S., Talk on Japan Delegation visits Colorado

     On September 30th and October 1st, the FY2018 Walk in U.S., Talk on Japan delegation visited Colorado. The purpose of this project is to increase awareness about Japan’s attractiveness and the concept of “Healthy Japan Now” across the United States through private-sector exchange and was started in 2014. This visit is the third time as the FY2015 delegation and FY2017 delegation also visited Colorado in previous years.

     This year’s delegation included four members: Delegation Leader Shotaro Oshima (former Ambassador to South Korea and Chairman of the Institute for International Economic Studies), Ms. Mitsuko Takahashi (CEO of Haa Baht, INC.), Mr. Rick Liu (Tokyo Star Bank clerk) and Ms. Rie Sato (Keio University student).

     After Delegation Leader Oshima and members arrived in Colorado on September 30th, they paid a courtesy visit to Mayor Bob LeGare of Aurora and gave a public lecture in the Aurora City Council Chamber on October 1st. They also gave a lecture at the University of Colorado Denver followed by opinion exchanges with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and U.S.-Japan Council Rocky Mountain Chapter.

At the lectures and opinion exchanges, after Delegation Leader Oshima gave a keynote speech on Japan-U.S. relations, each member presented their own experiences with Japanese culture and social climate. The Q&A Session was a lively exchange of opinions with attendees asking about Japan’s policies such as women’s empowerment and Japan-U.S. business relations.