PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Yoshihiro Murai, Governor of Miyagi Prefecture

The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation

Heading a prefecture which suffered heavy damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami is a big challenge but trying to rebuild one of the nation's most scenic coastal regions is a bigger challenge. But that's what Yoshihiro Murai, governor of Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan, has been doing since March 11, 2011.

Murai, 51, is coming to the club to keep club members abreast of ongoing reconstruction efforts in the prefecture, one of Japan's leading industrial centers, and what his prefecture, also famous for seafood, farm products and good sake, expects from the central government. He is trying to transform the disaster-stricken region into a major economically dynamic zone through private-sector initiatives to promote competition even for fishermen.

A native of Osaka Prefecture, Murai joined the Ground Self-Defense Force after graduating from the National Defense Academy of Japan. He served as a helicopter pilot at the SDF's Kasuminome Garrison in Sendai before studying at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management. After a stint as a Liberal Democratic Party member of the Miyagi Prefectural Assembly, he won the Miyagi gubernatorial election in 2005 as an independent.

Menu;
Fillet of Pork Cutlet with Mushroom Sauce, Parsley Potato and Green Vegetables, Seasonal Salad

Yoshihiro Murai, Governor of Miyagi Prefecture

PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Tomas Kåberger, Executive Board Chair, the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation

The speech and Q & A will be in English

Energy policy has been a crucial topic for Japan for most of its modern history. It has long been described as an energy resource poor nation, and this was a key factor that turned this nation toward nuclear power. But in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, many are turning to fresh alternatives, believing that this East Asian nation must turn a page in its energy policy in order to assure a brighter future ahead.

One Japanese public figure who has reacted to Fukushima with an ambitious new vision is Masayoshi Son, founder of Softbank and one of the nation's richest men. Son has described Japan's reliance on nuclear power as a "dangerous structural problem" which he hopes to alleviate.

Tomas Kaberger is the man that Mr. Son has brought in to lead the charge for renewable energy. This former director-general of the Swedish Energy Agency has recently become the inaugural head of the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation.

As Kaberger takes on the formidable task of smoking out the "nuclear village" and leading Japan to new directions in its energy policy, come to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan and hear what he has to say.

Menu:Rib of Beef Steak with Onion Sauce, Hashed Potato and Green Vegetables

Tomas Kåberger, Executive Board Chair, the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation

PRESS CONFERENCE
Sebastian Coe, Chair, London 2012

The speech and Q & A will be in English

Please join us as we host Sebastian Coe, one of the greatest athletes in British sporting history, and the chairman of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. After helping win the bid, Coe now has to put on the games in circumstances of unexpected financial austerity and a somewhat sour public mood.

Coe will talk about how he is approaching his mammoth task, the Paralympics (which will take place in London a few weeks after the Olympics), and the role sport can play in society and in people's lives. He will also share his thoughts about his visits to Japan's elite sporting centers, and hoe they differ from those in the UK.

Lord Coe KBE (to give his formal designation) is a double Olympic Champion and 12-time world record holder in athletics. He won gold in the 1500m and silver in the 800m at both the Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984 Games. His bitter duels with fellow champions Steve Cram and Steve Ovett introduced a whole generation of armchair athletes to the excitement of middle distance running. He retired from competitive athletics in 1990 and became a Conservative MP and Private Secretary to William Hague. In 2002 he was made a Peer – Lord Coe of Ranmore. He received a knighthood in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List.

Coe is also a Vice-President of the International Association of Athletics and controlling shareholder of The Complete Leisure Group, a non-executive director of AMT-Sybex Group, and Chair of the Sport Honours Committee.

Sebastian Coe, Chair, London 2012

PRESS CONFERENCE
Jan Vande Putte, Greenpeace International, Radioactivity Safety Advisor
Wakao Hanaoka, Greenpeace Japan, Campaigner Manager
Kazue Suzuki, Greenpeace Japan, Nuclear Campaigner Nuclear Desk

The speech and Q & A will be in English with simultaneous interpretation

It happened in Japan, so could it happen elsewhere? Last March the world watched helplessly as a major earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear disaster of the early 21st century. No less than three nuclear reactors suffered meltdowns, and increasingly we learn that several other reactors came close.

Greenpeace has reacted by examining the institutional and regulatory failures that led to the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, with an eye toward their implications for other nations. The new "Lessons from Fukushima" report was compiled by Dr. David Boilley, a nuclear physicist with the French independent radiation laboratory ACRO; Dr. David McNeill, Japan correspondent for The Chronicle of Higher Education and other publications; and Arnie Gundersen, a nuclear engineer with Fairewinds Associates.

The report offers the grim conclusion that indeed the world may see Fukushima-like events occur in other parts of the world in future years.

Discussing the report for the FCCJ are three experienced hands from Greenpeace.

Jan Vande Putte is a Greenpeace International Radioactivity safety advisor (Belgium) who is a widely experienced expert on radiation. Kazue Suzuki is a Greenpeace Japan Nuclear Campaigner who has almost two decades of experience following TEPCO and its nuclear policies. Wakao Hanaoka is a Greenpeace Japan Campaign Manager who specializes in environmental issues and their relationship to technology.

Jan Vande Putte, Greenpeace International, Radioactivity Safety Advisor

Wakao Hanaoka, Greenpeace Japan, Campaigner Manager

Kazue Suzuki, Greenpeace Japan, Nuclear Campaigner Nuclear Desk

PRESS CONFERENCE
Erwin Vermeulen, Sea Shepherd Volunteer
Scott West, Director for Investigations, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The speech and Q & A will be in English with simultaneous interpretation

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is seen by many around the world as the most aggressive of all conservationist groups. It does not hesitate to get involved in direct confrontation with authorities for what it sees as the greater interest of conservation and protection of nature. In recent years their main targets has specially been Japanese fishing boats in the South Pacific involved in what the Japanese authorities have termed, whaling for "scientific research".

One of the groups activists, Erwin Vermeulen, a professional mariner from the Netherlands who served as chief engineer on a Sea Shepherd vessel, was arrested in December by Wakayama prefecture police in Taiji, where he was involved in the Taiji dolphin campaign. He has been charged by the prosecutor's office of a minor assault for allegedly pushing an employee of the Dolphin Resort Hotel. He will appear in court on February 22 for the final verdict.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society would like to talk to the press on February 24, where Vermeulen will explain his position concerning the court case. He will be accompanied by Scott West, Director of Intelligence and Investigations for Sea Shepherd and leader of the Taiji dolphin campaign.

Erwin Vermeulen, Sea Shepherd Volunteer

Scott West, Director for Investigations, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Iwao Takayama, Head attorney of the criminal case concerning Mr. Erwin