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2020 Japan Currents Symposium
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | 11:30 am - 3:00 pm
The Business and Diplomacy of Baseball in U.S.-Japan Relations
Summer 2020 will mark the second time Japan hosts the Summer Olympic Games and baseball will return as an Olympic sport, after a 12-year hiatus. Baseball has long been a common language between the U.S. and Japan, and the countries have arguably the world’s two most recognizable professional leagues. Baseball is also big business with players like the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani influencing multi-million-dollar marketing deals and Dallas-based HKS designing a new $530 million dollar stadium in Kitahiroshima, near Sapporo. Join us for a conversation with two expert panels of executives, players, and historians on the economic and diplomatic importance of baseball within U.S.-Japan relations.
Speakers
Luncheon Program & Panel (12:00pm – 1:30pm)
Ambassador Ryozo Kato
Former Ambassador from Japan to the U.S.
former Commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball
Dale Petroskey
President and CEO at Dallas Regional Chamber
former President of National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer
Former Ambassador from the U.S. to Japan
former President of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club
Afternoon Panel (2:00pm – 3:30pm)
Robert Fitts
Baseball Historian and Award-Winning Writer
Kazuhiro Gomi
President and CEO of NTT Research, Inc.
Karin Morris
Vice President, Community Outreach, Texas Rangers
Executive Director, Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation
Matt Murton
Baseball Operations Staff at Chicago Cubs Baseball Club
former Professional Baseball Player in U.S. and Japan
Dr. Hiroki Takeuchi (moderator)
Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Sun & Star Program on Japan and East Asia in the Tower Center, Southern Methodist University
Schedule
| 11:30am – 12:00pm | Registration & Networking |
| 12:00pm – 1:30pm | Luncheon Program & Panel Session |
| 2:00pm – 3:30pm | Afternoon Panel Session |
Tickets
$45 Members*
$55 Nonmembers & General Public
$75 New Membership + Ticket
*Members’ prices apply to JASDFW, SMU students/faculty, and Cooperating Organizations
***Online registration is closed. To register, please call 469-573-6880 or email ryan@jasdfw.org***
Venue
Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum
14901 Dallas Parkway, Dallas TX 75234 (map)
About Japan Currents Symposium
This annual program brings leading thinkers from both Japan and the U.S. to explore current and looming issues that affect the critically important bilateral relationship. Topics at the luncheon have ranged from international trade to politics, security, and the globalization of Japan’s economy. From 2014 to 2019, this program was known as the Japan Update Symposium and was part of a series presented by Japan-America Societies across the U.S., made possible by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS). Starting in 2020, this program is known as the Japan Currents Symposium, again part of a series presented by Japan-America Societies across the U.S., made possible by the Embassy of Japan in the United States and NAJAS.
Lead Sponsors
Airline sponsor
Additional Support
Presented in collaboration with
Cooperating Organizations
