Silicon Valley and Japan: A Conversation with Ambassador John Roos

Japan has long been known as a technology giant, and remains highly entrepreneurial, despite slowed competiveness in the years following the financial crisis of the 1990s. How can Japan continue to reinvigorate its economy? What steps can Japanese and Silicon Valley-based actors take to facilitate long-term, beneficial partnerships?

Ambassador John Roos, who served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2009-13, will explore trends of entrepreneurship in Japan, and compare it to those in Silicon Valley. Roos will address the networks, knowledge sharing patterns, and key challenges, such as political and societal barriers to growth, that both Japan and the United States face. During his tenure as ambassador, Roos focused on innovation and trade issues, including Japan’s announcement to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He built many relationships and established constructed dialogue surrounding those issues.

This event will feature Roos in conservation with Ambassador Michael H. Armacost, a Shorenstein Distinguished Fellow, who also served as a U.S. ambassador to Japan (1989-1993).