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| May , 2004 The katz Graduate School of Business Newsletter (English) Katz Graduate Meets Japanese Prime Minister By:Supriya Singh |
| Katz graduate Kiran Sethi had the unique experience of meeting with Japanese Prime Minister |
| Junichiro Koizumi. Sethi graduated from Katz in the class of 1988 with an MBA in the specialties of International |
| Marketing and MIS. He was also the co-founder of the International Business Club at Katz. |
| Sethi was raised in Kobe, Japan where he has returned to and resides today. |
| He is currently Managing Director of Jupiter International Corporation, |
| a specialized international trading company. |
| In August 2003, he participated in a town meeting in Kobe as a speaker along with the former Minister of |
| Special Economic Reform Zones, Yoshitada Konioke. Town meetings are sponsored by the Cabinet Secretariat |
| and are now apart of Koizumi痴 policy of listening to the voices of the public, while providing an opportunity |
| to the members of the Japanese cabinet to directly explain numerous government policies to the general public. |
| In light of Sethi痴 unique views of Japan while living there most of his life as an American citizen, |
| Sethi had been invited again at the end of February of this year to Prime Minister Koizumi痴 official residence to |
| participate as a guest speaker in their commemorative 100th Town Meeting. Discussions in the meeting revolved |
| around such topics as deregulation, tourism, the general position of Japan痴 economy, and banking. In light of |
| Japan痴 expanding responsibility in the international community, one of the main suggestions Sethi had in his speech |
| was to put an education system in place where all Japanese be truly bilingual. |
| Katz Access was able to ask Sethi a few questions about his experience. |
| Katz Access: How
did it feel to be the only American at the town meeting? |
| Sethi: It was an honor to be requested by the Prime Minister痴 Office to make suggestions and conduct general |
| discussions on the future of Japan as an ethnic Indian American. I try to portray indifference to my background |
| when in public in Japan. Such messages may lead to listeners to feel my thoughts or comments to be |
| biased and thus lose its effectiveness. |
| Katz
Access: How
did the
Japanese react to you being the only American there? |
| Sethi: There are many Americans living in Japan, but they may have been surprised with my Japanese language |
| skills and understanding of their culture. However, I hope that my opinion and comments with my unique |
| background has been perceived in a positive manner enabling listeners to reflect on the country and the individual |
| from a global perspective. |
| Katz Access: What did you mean when you pushed for an education system |
| where all Japanese are truly bilingual? |
| Sethi: The number of Japanese that are fluent in a language other than Japanese is understood to be rather low |
| in comparison to other developed countries around the world. In order for the Japanese to increase their level of |
| awareness and understanding of other cultures, while simultaneously enabling the rest of the world to gain further |
| understanding of the enlightening aspects of the Japanese culture. It is important to have effective communication. |
| Thus, I suggested the foreign language skill of the Japanese be strengthened. Moreover, language skills are effective |
| tools for enhancing direct foreign investment and tourism into Japan, which are both thought to be important parts of |
| the current cabinet痴 strategic goals. |
| Katz
Access: What
languages
do you speak? |
| Sethi: I speak Japanese and English fluently and can communicate in Hindi and Punjabi as well. |
| Katz
Access: As
far as Japan痴 expanding responsibility in the international
community, |
| how
do the
Japanese understand this responsibility? |
| Sethi: Japan understands the need to be more involved in the international community, and they are seeking ways to |
| develop a strategic alliance with the United States and numerous other countries, especially its neighbors in ASEAN. |
| Being the second largest single economy in the world, the imbalance of foreign investment and tourism is being |
| highlighted in the economic circles. This is especially so with one of its primary trading partners, |
| The United States of America. Thus, the general population senses the need to create an unique identity of |
| its own in contrast to its historic position of concentrating on maintaining a conformist society. |
| I find the Japanese people to be ever more eager to add strategic value in the corporate world. Nevertheless, |
| a continuous battle between traditional thought and new mind can be seen. An example would be Foreign Direct |
| Investment, which is aggressively welcomed by open-minded senior policy makers, but undergoing some resistance |
| from the conservative and status quo oriented politicians and business leaders. Like some other developed countries, |
| Japan is experiencing the complexities resulting from globalization and competitive advantage. But, Japan sees the |
| value added to products and services and recognizes them as a priority for corporate success and also for building |
| national identity and raising the quality of life for its citizens. |
| Katz Graduate School of Business |
