ACCJ President Thomas W. Whitson and Person of the Year, Mr. Tadashi Yamamoto.

At the top of the Who's Who list in U.S.-Japan relations is Tadashi Yamamoto, this year's ACCJ Person of the Year. Throughout his professional career, Mr. Yamamoto, President, Japan Center for International Exchange, has played an indispensable role in building a strong and broad bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Japan through multi-layered foreign exchange programs including the Shimoda Conferences, the U.S.-Japan Parliamentary Exchange Program and the Trilateral Commission. Some of Mr. Yamamoto's most important contributions include founding the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) and furthering its position from a bilateral post-war facilitator into one that creates exchange programs and networks of think tanks involving Asia, the U.S. and Europe. Under his direction, the JCIE has promoted international participation of a diverse range of sectors, involving politicians, NGOs, business leaders and others from different walks of life. Mr. Yamamoto continues to advocate international discourse through a stratified approach promoting policy dialogue, parliamentary exchange and the development of corporate philanthropy.



(from left to right) ACCJ President Thomas W. Whitson, Leaders of the Year: Yoshitaka Sugihara, Chair, ACCJ Internet Economy Task Force Government and Corporate Affairs Manager, Intel K.K.; Andrew W. Silberman, Chair, ACCJ Membership Relations Committee President & Chief Enthusiast, Advanced Management Training Group; Darren K. McKellin, Co-Chair, ACCJ Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Committee Senior Global Account Manager, Premier Accounts, Regional Lead, Verizon Business, and Volunteer of the Year: Nathan Bryan, CEO, Gaijins.

At this luncheon event, ACCJ members and guests were able to meet this key player and get an inside view of the political and diplomatic ins and outs of the "most important bilateral relationship in the world, bar none."

It was also a great opportunity to meet the ACCJ's 2009 Leaders of the Year: Andrew Silberman, Chair, Membership Relations Committee; Yoshitaka Sugihara, Chair, Internet Economy Task Force; Darren McKellin, Chair, Information, Communications and Technology Committee; and our 2009 Volunteer of the Year: Nathan Bryan, CEO, Gaijins.