U.S.-Japan Research Institute (USJI) Student Workshop “Japan, World, and ‘Sogo Shosha’” Date and Time: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 6:00pm-7:00pm Venue: 900 19th Street, N.W., Suite 260, Washington, D.C. 20006 Agenda Following the economic bubble, Japan has continued to struggle with frequent changes in political administrations, super strong yen and the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Japan fell from a trade surplus to a deficit country; however, Japan may be poised for change through ABENOMICS. Sojitz Corporation is a general trading and investment company, called Sogo Shosha in Japanese, which began soon after the arrival of Commodore Perry’s Black Ships in 1853. Throughout their histories, sogo shoshas have served as intermediaries between Japan and world. Along with the introduction of our business activity and recent evolution of the Japanese general trading company, we would like to discuss where Japan should go in the future. <Speaker> Masayuki Kobayashi Masayuki Kobayashi is a political and economic analyst as well Japanese Industry historian who joined the chemicals and fertilizer department of Nissho Iwai Corporation in 1998. Nissho Iwai Corporation and Nichimen Corporation merged in 2004 and became Sojitz Corporation. Mr. Kobayashi was the Assistant Manager of Sojitz Corporation’s Business Administration office from 2004-2007, and Secretariat Department from 2007-2010. He transferred to Sojitz Corporation of America’s New York office and served as Vice President of the Business Development Department from 2010-2012. Since 2012 Mr. Kobayashi has been a senior analyst at the Sojitz Research Institute and actively involved in chronicling the history of Suzuki Shoten and Sojitz. Mr. Kobayashi is a member of the editorial board of the Suzuki Shoten Archive, Trade Research Committee in Japan Foreign Trade Council and graduated from Keio University. For more information about the Suzuki Shoten Museum and Sojitz History Museum, please see http://www.suzukishoten-museum.com/ and http://www.sojitz.com/history/en/. Sponsored by NISSAN GLOBAL FOUNDATION In cooperation with Sojitz Corporation of America and the Center for Professional Exchange (CEPEX) .