Tuesday, April 23, 2019, 18:15 - 20:30
|
|
 |
| Masahide Shibusawa |
The book Private Diplomacy of Shibusawa Eiichi offers an account of the last thirty years of Eiichi’s life, which were dedicated to the betterment of US-Japan relations. This evening’s presentation will examine Eiichi’s encounters with four consecutive Presidents of the United States, from Theodore Roosevelt to Warren G. Harding, and numerous leaders in business and industry. The discussion will also focus on Eiichi’s indefatigable, though ultimately unsuccessful, efforts at quelling anti-Japanese sentiment during the first three decades of the twentieth century.Masahide Shibusawa, the author and speaker, is a great-grandson of Eiichi Shibusawa and he will be also sharing with the audience his memories of the Shibusawa family.
Masahide Shibusawa was born in 1925 in London and graduated from the University of Tokyo. He is currently the Executive Director of the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation (渋沢栄一記念財団), which commemorates the work and life of his great-grand father. His previous positions include Research Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs, London; and Visiting Professor, University of Alaska, Anchorage, and Portland State University. He served as Director/CEO of Tokyo Jyogakkan School for Women, and the MRA Foundation, and was a member of the Trilateral Commission. His publications include Memoir of Shibusawa Keizo (Jitsugyo no Nihon(『父・渋沢敬三』（実業之日本社）) and Japan in the Asian Pacific Region (Chatham House, London).
Eiichi Shibusawa is known as the father of modern capitalism in Japan. Upon returning from Europe after the Meiji Restoration, Eiichi spearheaded financial reforms within the Ministry of Finance. After leaving government service, Eiichi took a leading role in the creation of 450 enterprises in fields including banking, coal mining, textile manufacturing, ship building, and public utilities, which, together with other institutions he founded, such as the Japan Chamber of Commerce and the Bankers’ Association, were indispensable to Japan’s modernization. Eiichi also assisted with the development of over five hundred philanthropic and educational institutions such as Tokyo Yoikuin (東京養育院), Hitotsubashi University, and Japan Women’s University. Eiichi was a firm advocate of gapponshugi (合本主義), the conviction that good ethics and business should be in harmony in service for the public good.
The library committee is offering a cocktail party - "Meet the Author - starting at 6:15pm, followed by a set dinner with one drink at 6:40pm (Menu: TBD). Additional wine and drinks are the complimentary of the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation. Book Break charges are 3,000 yen / 4,000 yen (members/non-members) per person. The member price is applicable to members’ guests.
To FCCJ members: Sign up now at the reception desk (03-3211-3161) or on the FCCJ website. To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve in advance, preferably by noon of the day of the event. Those without reservations will be turned away once available seats are filled. Reservations cancelled less than 72 hours in advance will be charged in full.
To non-members: Sign up now at the reception desk by email (front@fccj.or.jp). Please reserve and pay in advance by Tuesday, April 16th, 2019. Those without reservations will be turned away once available seats are filled. No refund is available unless event is cancelled for the reasons on our part. Any attendees with food restriction should inform the reception desk (front@fccj.or.jp) one day before the event.
(The talk will be in English)
