American Chamber of Commerce Japan
The American Chamber of Commerce Japan is a non-profit business organization consisting mainly of executives from American companies. Currently, the ACCJ has members that represent over 1,000 companies with offices located in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Working closely with the governments of the United States and Japan, business organizations and others, the ACCJ actively promotes activities that help achieve its mission of further developing commerce between the United States and Japan.
History
The ACCJ was established in 1948 by representatives of 40 American companies. Originally, the ACCJ had six committees and nine board members.The ACCJ claims to be Japan’s most influential foreign business organization, and serves as the primary forum for the foreign business community in Japan to identify and pursue shared interests and goals. There are more than sixty Chamber committees, subcommittees, task forces, and advisory councils that cover such diverse areas as: financial services, corporate social responsibility, marketing, independent business, healthcare services, e-business, transportation and logistics, legal services, the travel industry, and human resource management.
Programs
The ACCJ committees combined hold over 500 programs annually, and these events are exclusively attended by ACCJ members and their accompanied guests. The backbone of the annual agenda is hundreds of engagements with leading experts and shapers of policy and business trends in Japan. Speakers are drawn from the ranks of global business leaders, top U.S. and Japanese government officials, industry experts, scholars and pop culture icons. Former speakers Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe; JP Morgan Japan Director of Research, Jesper Koll; Rakuten Inc CEO, Hiroshi Mikitani; General Electric CEO, Jeffrey R. Immelt; U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO, Tom J. Donohue; former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger; U.S. Department of Energy Secretary, Steven Chu; Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood; Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano; U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, and many others have chosen the ACCJ as their forum for addressing Japan’s international business community.Advocacy
As a key stakeholder in the commercial relationship between the United States and Japan, the ACCJ works to influence the discussions that frame policy in both countries. The ACCJ issues its official positions on policy issues in Viewpoint position papers, white papers, public comments and other reports. The ultimate goal of these policy positions and the advocacy carried out to communicate them and promote their implementation is to further the mission of the ACCJ to improve the business environment in Japan for Chamber members.ACCJ Board of Governors (as of 2018)
Leadership positions within the ACCJ are held by elected officials who represent top-level Japanese businesspeople and expats in Japan from the U.S. and around the globe.| Leadership Position | Member Name | Company Title |
| President | Sachin N. Shah | Director, Representative Statutory Executive Officer, Chairman, President and CEO, MetLife Insurance K.K. |
| Chairman | Christopher J. LaFleur | Senior Director, McLarty Associates |
| Vice President—Tokyo | Amy Jackson | Japan Representative, The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America |
| Vice President—Tokyo | Peter M. Jennings | President, Japan & Korea/Associate General Counsel, Dow Chemical Japan Ltd. |
| Vice President—Tokyo | Marie G. Kissel | Senior Advisor, International Government Affairs, Abbott |
| Vice President—Tokyo | Jonathan Kushner | Vice President, Communications, McDonald's Company, Ltd |
| Vice President—Kansai | Dr. Stephen A. Zurcher | Professor & Dean, Asian Studies Program, Kansai Gaidai University |
| Vice President—Chubu | Ray Proper | IT Manager, H&R Group K.K. |
| Treasurer—Tokyo | Nancy Ngou | Executive Director, Ernst & Young Advisory Co., Ltd. |
| Treasurer—Kansai | Craig McGovern | Director of Operations, Hilton Osaka |
| Treasurer—Chubu | Chad Musick | Operations Manager ThinkSCIENCE Inc. |
| Governor—Tokyo | Eriko Asai | President, CEO and Executive Managing Director, Government Affairs and Policy, GE Japan |
| Governor—Tokyo | Ryan Armstrong | Director, Corporate Secretariat Department, Aflac Japan |
| Governor—Tokyo | Alison Jane Espley | Managing Director, Japan & Pacific Sales, United Airlines |
| Governor—Tokyo | Brett C. Gerry | Boeing Japan President, Boeing Japan K.K. |
| Governor—Tokyo | Rebecca K. Green | Principal Consultant, ERM Japan Ltd. |
| Governor—Tokyo | Yumi Goto | Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola Company Ltd. |
| Governor—Tokyo | Tad Johnson | General Manager & Representative Director, Pratt & Whitney Aftermarket Japan KK |
| Governor—Tokyo | Jenifer Simms Rogers | General Counsel Asia, Asurion Japan Holdings G.K |
| Governor—Tokyo | Arthur M. Mitchell | Senior Counselor, White & Case LLP |
| Governor—Tokyo | Ryann Thomas | Partner, PwC Tax Japan |
| Governor—Tokyo | Megumi Tsukamoto | Director, Government & Corporate Affairs, Japan, Caterpillar Japan LLC. |
| Governor—Tokyo | Hiroshi Ueki | Head of Government Affairs, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd. |
| Governor—Kansai | Patrik Jonsson | President, Eli Lilly Japan K.K. |
| Governor—Chubu | Michel Weenick | Vice President, Architecture & Construction, Asia Pacific Hilton Grand Vacations |
| President Emeritus | Debbie Howard | Chairman, CarterJMRN K.K. |
| President Emeritus | Charles D. Lake II | Chairman and Representative in Japan, Aflac Japan |
| President Emeritus | Allan D. Smith | Representative in Japan & CEO, RGA Reinsurance Company, Japan Branch |
| President Emeritus | Thomas W. Whitson | Chairman, Japan Market Expansion Competition |
| President Emeritus | Michael J. Alfant | Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fusion Systems Group |
| President Emeritus | Jay Ponazecki | |
| Executive Director | Laura Younger |