Speaking on the topic “Your Good Neighbor, Japan,” Sato is expected to cover the basics about Japan, such as geography, population and society; Japanese and American influences on each other’s culture; the history of the relationship between the two countries; and bilateral relations in diplomacy, business and trade, technology, and security. A question-and-answer session will follow.
Sato joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1991, having received a law degree from the University of Tokyo and a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has been posted to Japanese embassies in Washington, D.C., Indonesia and the Republic of Korea, and his previous assignments at MOFA headquarters have included principal deputy director of the First International Economic Affairs Division in the Economic Affairs Bureau; senior coordinator for the Grant Aid and Technical Cooperation Division in the International Corporation Bureau; director of the Development Administration Division in the International Corporation Bureau, and assistant press secretary/director of the International Press Division in the Minister’s Secretariat.
Sato’s appearance is sponsored by the Japan Information Center of the Consulate General of Japan, the Japan Outreach Initiative and Marshall University.