Seminar on ‘Nikkei Businesses and Corporate Social Responsibility’

TORRANCE — Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) will hold a seminar, “Community Building: Nikkei Businesses and Corporate Social Responsibility,” at the Toyota Meeting Hall, 3330 Civic Center Dr. in Torrance, on Monday, April 30, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Registration and refreshments begin at 9 a.m.

Takuya Hirano

Supported by the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, this seminar will focus on Japanese and Japanese American business perspectives on corporate social responsibility and local community building. Speakers will discuss how Nikkei businesses can engage in local community building programs and activities to strengthen diverse Nikkei communities as well as to promote U.S.-Japan relations.

The event will feature an onstage interview of Takuya Hirano, president of Microsoft Japan, by Kaori Iida, Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) Los Angeles bureau chief. The interview will be followed by a discussion with panelists Hirano; Yayoi Sato, manager, International Partnerships and Client Services, Los Angeles Dodgers; Mitsuyasu Shigeta, founder and owner of Shin-Sen-Gumi Group; and Yoichi Komiyama, CEO and chairman of Lighthouse. Iida will serve as moderator. The panel discussion will be in Japanese with simultaneous English interpretation.

This seminar is part of the Little Tokyo Service Center’s ongoing efforts to build bridges between diverse Southern California communities, focusing on the Japanese and Japanese American communities. Southern California is home to the largest Japanese and Japanese American population, collectively referred to as Nikkei, in the mainland United States. Within the Nikkei community, there are significant social, cultural and language differences between more assimilated Japanese Americans, who are descendants of pre-World War II immigrants, and the Shin-Issei, or post-World War II Japanese immigrants, who include naturalized American citizens, permanent U.S. residents and short-term expatriates.

Seating is limited. Tickets are $20. To RSVP and purchase tickets, visit www.ltsc.org/event/corporate-responsibility. If you prefer to order tickets by phone and pay at the door, call Yo Wakita (213) 473-1661. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Hiroko Higuchi at hhiguchi@LTSC.org.