American Chamber of Commerce Japan

The American Chamber of Commerce Japan (ACCJ) is a non-profit business organization consisting mainly of executives from American companies. Currently, the ACCJ has over 3,000 members representing over 600 companies with chapters located in Tokyo, Kansas and Chubu. Working closely with the governments of the United States and Japan, business organizations and others, the ACCJ actively promotes activities that help achieve its mission of further developing commerce between the United States and Japan.[1]

American Chamber of Commerce Japan

Abbreviation	ACCJ
Formation	August 24, 1948
Type	Advocacy group
Legal status	Non-Profit
Purpose	Advocacy
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Location	Japan
President	Peter Fitzgerald
Main organ	Board of Governors
Website	www.accj.or.jp

History

The ACCJ was established in 1948 by representatives of 40 American companies. Originally, the ACCJ had six committees and nine board members.[2]

The ACCJ claims to be Japan’s most influential foreign business organization, and serves as the primary forum for the foreign business community in Japan to identify and pursue shared interests and goals. There are more than sixty Chamber committees, subcommittees, task forces, and advisory councils that cover such diverse areas as: financial services, corporate social responsibility, marketing, independent business, healthcare services, e-business, transportation and logistics, legal services, the travel industry, and human resource management.[3]

Programs

The ACCJ committees combined hold over 500 programs annually, and these events are exclusively attended by ACCJ members and their accompanied guests. The backbone of the annual agenda is hundreds of engagements with leading experts and shapers of policy and business trends in Japan.[4] Speakers are drawn from the ranks of global business leaders, top U.S. and Japanese government officials, industry experts, scholars and pop culture icons. Former speakers Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe; JP Morgan Japan Director of Research, Jesper Koll; Rakuten Inc CEO, Hiroshi Mikitani; General Electric CEO, Jeffrey R. Immelt; U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO, Tom J. Donohue; former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger; U.S. Department of Energy Secretary, Steven Chu; Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood; Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano; U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, and many others have chosen the ACCJ as their forum for addressing Japan’s international business community.[5][6]

Advocacy

As a key stakeholder in the commercial relationship between the United States and Japan, the ACCJ works to influence the discussions that frame policy in both countries. The ACCJ issues its official positions on policy issues in Viewpoint position papers, white papers, public comments and other reports. The ultimate goal of these policy positions and the advocacy carried out to communicate them and promote their implementation is to further the mission of the ACCJ to improve the business environment in Japan for Chamber members.[7]

ACCJ Board of Governors (as of 2018)

Leadership positions within the ACCJ are held by elected officials who represent top-level Japanese businesspeople and expats in Japan from the U.S. and around the globe.[8]

Leadership Position	Member Name	Company Title
President	Sachin N. Shah	Director, Representative Statutory Executive Officer, Chairman, President and CEO, MetLife Insurance K.K.
Chairman	Christopher J. LaFleur	Senior Director, McLarty Associates
Vice President—Tokyo	Amy Jackson	Japan Representative, The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
Vice President—Tokyo	Peter M. Jennings	President, Japan & Korea/Associate General Counsel, Dow Chemical Japan Ltd.
Vice President—Tokyo	Marie G. Kissel	Senior Advisor, International Government Affairs, Abbott
Vice President—Tokyo	Jonathan Kushner	Vice President, Communications, McDonald's Company (Japan), Ltd
Vice President—Kansai	Dr. Stephen A. Zurcher	Professor & Dean, Asian Studies Program, Kansai Gaidai University
Vice President—Chubu	Ray Proper	IT Manager, H&R Group K.K.
Treasurer—Tokyo	Nancy Ngou	Executive Director, Ernst & Young Advisory Co., Ltd.
Treasurer—Kansai	Craig McGovern	Director of Operations, Hilton Osaka
Treasurer—Chubu	Chad Musick	Operations Manager ThinkSCIENCE Inc.
Governor—Tokyo	Eriko Asai	President, CEO and Executive Managing Director, Government Affairs and Policy, GE Japan
Governor—Tokyo	Ryan Armstrong	Director, Corporate Secretariat Department, Aflac Japan
Governor—Tokyo	Alison Jane Espley	Managing Director, Japan & Pacific Sales, United Airlines
Governor—Tokyo	Brett C. Gerry	Boeing Japan President, Boeing Japan K.K.
Governor—Tokyo	Rebecca K. Green	Principal Consultant, ERM Japan Ltd.
Governor—Tokyo	Yumi Goto	Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola (Japan) Company Ltd.
Governor—Tokyo	Tad Johnson	General Manager & Representative Director, Pratt & Whitney Aftermarket Japan KK
Governor—Tokyo	Jenifer Simms Rogers	General Counsel Asia, Asurion Japan Holdings G.K
Governor—Tokyo	Arthur M. Mitchell	Senior Counselor, White & Case LLP
Governor—Tokyo	Ryann Thomas	Partner, PwC Tax Japan
Governor—Tokyo	Megumi Tsukamoto	Director, Government & Corporate Affairs, Japan, Caterpillar Japan LLC.
Governor—Tokyo	Hiroshi Ueki	Head of Government Affairs, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd.
Governor—Kansai	Patrik Jonsson	President, Eli Lilly Japan K.K.
Governor—Chubu	Michel Weenick	Vice President, Architecture & Construction, Asia Pacific Hilton Grand Vacations
President Emeritus	Debbie Howard	Chairman, CarterJMRN K.K.
President Emeritus	Charles D. Lake II	Chairman and Representative in Japan, Aflac Japan
President Emeritus	Allan D. Smith	Representative in Japan & CEO, RGA Reinsurance Company, Japan Branch
President Emeritus	Thomas W. Whitson	Chairman, Japan Market Expansion Competition
President Emeritus	Michael J. Alfant	Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fusion Systems Group
President Emeritus	Jay Ponazecki
Executive Director	Laura Younger

External links

• The American Chamber of Commerce Japan (ACCJ) website
• The American Chamber of Commerce Japan (ACCJ) official Facebook page
• The American Chamber of Commerce Japan (ACCJ) official Twitter page
• The American Chamber of Commerce Japan (ACCJ) LinkedIn page
• The American Chamber of Commerce Japan (ACCJ) YouTube page

References

1. "ACCJ: About the ACCJ". ACCJ. Archived from the original on 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
2. "ACCJ: History". Archived from the original on 2013-02-23. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
3. "ACCJ: Committees". Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
4. "APCAC". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
5. "ACCJ:Events". ACCJ. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
6. "Secretary Locke". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
7. "ACCJ:Advocacy". Retrieved 18 May 2012.
8. "ACCJ Leadership". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.