US-Japan Forum to Discuss Future of High-Speed Rail, Friday, September 19

The 9th US-Japan Future Forum will be held Friday, September 19, 2014 at San Jose State University’s Boccardo Business Complex, Room 202. Experts will meet to discuss the future of high-speed rail in California and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Japanese Shinkansen bullet train. This free forum, which runs from 11:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m., is open to anyone. A lunch reception is included. Registration is available until Thursday, September 18, by emailing your name and affiliation to rsvp@usjapanforum.org

"The US-Japan Future Forum has been held annually to discuss the evolving relationship between the U.S. and Japan and our shared goal of a prosperous future,” said Yuji Ide, president of the US-Japan Forum, which is co-sponsoring the event with San Jose State University and the Mineta Transportation Institute. “We would like to work together to solve the many issues regarding the development of high-speed rail in California and the US.”

Keynote speeches by Dan Richard, chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority, and Masaki Ogata, vice chair of the East Japan Railway, will be followed by a panel discussion. Several presentations, along with student discussions, will detail the status and future of high-speed rail, its management, environmental issues, economy, safety, next-generation technology, and other facets of this rapidly growing transportation mode.

Attendees will meet many current and future leaders, including Masato Watanabe, the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco; Karen Philbrick, Ph.D., and Rod Diridon, the present and emeritus executive directors of the Mineta Transportation Institute; Chris Jochim, chair of the Humanities Department of San Jose State University; Masayuki Izutsu, director of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in San Francisco; Ben Tripousis, Northern Regional director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority; Matsuo Uemura, vice president, International Cooperation, for Iwate University; and students and faculty from 12 Japanese universities.

Participating universities and students include Iwate University, Tohoku University, Chiba University, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo Dental College, Takushoku University, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Shiga Medical University, Shimane University, The University of Tokushima, Fukuoka Institution of Technology, and San Jose State University.

Supporters include the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Japanese University Network in the Bay Area.

Tweet this: US-#Japan Forum to discuss high-speed #rail Sept. 19, San Jose (CA) State University. Free registration at rsvp@usjapanforum.org

ABOUT THE US-JAPAN FORUM

US-Japan Forum’s goal is to maintain and strengthen the innovation and friendship between the US and Japan. With the help of Japanese researchers, entrepreneurs, engineers, educators, lawyers, and accountants in Silicon Valley, California, US-Japan Forum was established in 2014 as a Japanese organization in the United States. It maintains an office at 2322-A Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95051, USA. 

ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) conducts research, education, and information transfer programs regarding surface transportation policy and management issues, especially related to transit. Congress established MTI in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. MTI won national re-designation competitions in 2002, 2006 and 2012. The Institute is funded through the US Secretary of Transportation’s Research and Technology Office, US Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration, the California Department of Transportation’s Division of Research, Innovation and Systems Development, and public and private grants. In 2006 the US Department of Homeland Security selected MTI as a National Transportation Security Center of Excellence. The internationally respected members of the MTI Board of Trustees represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI, the lead institute for the nine-university Mineta National Transit Research Consortium, is affiliated with San Jose (CA) State University’s College of Business.