On November 12th, before the start of APEC week, the Japan Society of Northern California took part in the opening ceremony for an exciting new campus centered around global business and innovation in Palo Alto. APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a forum over 21 Asia-Pacific economies. APEC convenes once a year, and the primary focus of this forum is to promote economic growth, trade, and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. One of those members is Japan, and their Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry sponsored the creation of the innovation campus to promote and assist start-up companies in Silicon Valley.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, attended and gave a speech encouraging the younger generation to go out into the world while also mentioning how this new campus will help strengthen the connection between Japan and America.
The atmosphere was full of excitement, and those in attendance got to dine on food catered by the wonderful Hana Izumi. They also were able to enjoy a live shamisen performance.
We want to extend special thanks to Japan Society of Northern California Chairman Larry Greenwood for moderating the event, the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco for their assistance in logistics planning, and Minister Nishimura for taking the time to present on such an important topic. We’d also like to thank our guests for attending and making this event possible.
We look forward to seeing you at more Japan Society of Northern California events!
