A momentous election in the US in the wake of an historic impeachment, continuing US-China trade tensions even after the apparent truce, an escalation of threats from North Korea’s Kim Jong Un of North Korea, prolonged tensions between Japan and South Korea, a US-Korea dispute over host nation support, the hoopla of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and slowing global growth are just some of the factors that will make 2020 a challenging and interesting year for Japan with important implications for the US and the Bay Area.

Please come to the Japan Society’s annual Japan Outlook program on January 22, 5:30-8:00 to hear three Japan experts give their views on the political, economic and security outlook for Japan and prospects for the US-Japan relationship in 2020.   Sean Randolph, Senior Director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, which he headed from 1998-2015, has more than 40 years of experience working in business, for state and federal government agencies and for international organizations. Sean Creehan is a financial economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, who, among his many responsibilities, is the Fed’s chief Japan watcher here in the Bay Area and has been covering the broader Asian region for two decades.  Larry Greenwood is a former diplomat who has worked on trade and finance issues and Asian regional institutions over the past 40 years.

Please come to take advantage of this unusual opportunity to hear from three of the Bay Area’s top economic and foreign policy experts give their views on what to expect in 2020.

Program

5:30-6:00 Registration
6:00-7:30 Program
7:30-8:00 Reception

Venue

Morrison & Foerster LLP
425 Market St. | San Francisco, CA 94105

*No Walk-ins | Registration closes at 11:00 am on 1/22.

Speakers:

Sean Randolph
Senior Director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute

Sean Randolph is the Senior Director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, a public-private partnership of business, labor, government and higher education that works to foster a competitive economy in California and the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland and Silicon Valley. The Economic Institute produces authoritative analyses on economic policy issues affecting the region and the state, including infrastructure, globalization, energy, science, and governance, and mobilizes California and Bay Area leaders around targeted policy initiatives. Dr. Randolph previously served as President & CEO of the Bay Area Economic Forum, which merged with the Bay Area Council in January 2008, and as director of international trade for the State of California, where he developed trade strategy and directed international business programs to stimulate exports and introduce California companies to overseas markets.

Sean Creehan
Analyst of Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco – Northeast Asia, South Asia

Sean Creehan is an analyst in the Country Analysis Unit within the Division of Financial Institution Supervision and Credit (FISC) at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. In that capacity, he conducts research into Asian financial and economic issues and produces analyses of Asian foreign banking organizations. In addition, he monitors financial, regulatory, and economic developments in Asia with a special focus on Northeast Asia and South Asia. His research interests include financial inclusion, cross-border capital flows, and financial technology.

Before joining the Federal Reserve, Mr. Creehan worked as a management and strategy consultant advising clients on their investing and operating activities in Asia. His work has been published in academic and popular publications, including the Harvard International Review, the SAIS Review of International Affairs, and The Atlantic.

Mr. Creehan received a master’s degree in international economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard University. He spent a postgraduate year as a Harvard-Yenching Scholar at Peking University and speaks Mandarin Chinese and Indonesian. In addition, he is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Larry Greenwood
Board Member of Japan Society of Northern California / Senior Advisor of Bower Group Asia

Larry Greenwood assumed the position of President of the Japan Society of Northern California on March 16, 2016. Prior to joining the Society, Larry worked four years in Tokyo where he managed government relations throughout Asia for MetLife and five years in Manila, Philippines where he co-led the Asian Development Bank and was responsible for about $7 billion of development lending a year. As a career diplomat from 1976-2006, Larry enjoyed two assignments in the US Embassy in Tokyo, postings in the Philippines and Singapore, and a variety of other jobs, including a term as US Ambassador to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group. Larry is concurrently Senior Advisor to the Bower Group Asia, a DC-based consulting firm advising corporations on government policy and regulations, and a non-resident Senior Adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, one of the most prominent think tanks on international issues in Washington DC. Larry holds a BA from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida and an MALD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford Massachusetts. He speaks and reads Japanese.