[70th Anniversary Special Lecture Series for Members]
The Future and Potential of Japan–India Relations: Toward Peace and Coexistence in the Indo-Pacific Region

• Speaker: H.E. Mr. Sanjay Kumar VERMA (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Japan)
  Moderator: James KONDO (Chairman, International House of Japan)
• Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 7:00 pm (JST)
• Venue: Iwasaki Koyata Memorial Hall
• Language: English (without interpretation)
• Eligibility: I-House Members only
  
• Capacity: 40 seats (Free of charge, registration required)
  




The year 2022 coincides with three celebrations: the 70th anniversary of the International House of Japan, the 75th Year of India’s independence, and the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. I-House has been actively involved in promoting exchanges with India and the Indian people since 1957, when the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru delivered a special lecture here during his State visit to Japan. To commemorate these anniversaries, we have invited His Excellency Mr. Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan to speak about the political, economic, cultural, technology/innovation, and various other aspects of Japan–India relations and the important role the two countries play in the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region. There will be a Q&A session following the presentation.

Sanjay Kumar VERMA (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Japan)
His Excellency Mr. Sanjay Kumar VERMA graduated from Patna University and continued his studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, from where he received a master’s degree in physics. He has served as Consul General of India in Milan, Ambassador of India to the Republic of Sudan, Director General of Global Estate Management, Assistant Secretary (Administration) and Director General of Cyber Diplomacy, Ministry of External Affairs, India. He has been particularly active in the fields of information technology, artificial intelligence, cyber diplomacy, and the delivery of people-centric services using interactive technologies, as well as facilitating small businesses and investors.
James KONDO (Chairman, International House of Japan)
James is an executive whose career spans technology, social, government, business, and academic sectors. In the technology arena, James is Co-Chairman of Silicon Valley Japan Platform and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Japan. He was formerly Vice President of Twitter Inc. and Chairman of Twitter Japan KK. In the social sector, he is a co-founder of TABLE FOR TWO and Beyond Tomorrow, and currently serves as a global trustee and co-chair of Asia Society Japan Center. James is Visiting Professor at the Keio University School of Medicine. He formerly co-directed the healthcare policy and social leadership program (HSP) at the University of Tokyo. In the policy sector, James was Special Advisor at the Cabinet Office and Director at the Prime Minister’s Office of the Government of Japan, and is a board member and president of Asia Pacific Initiative Foundation, a think-tank based in Tokyo. He is a graduate of Keio University and Harvard Business School and a Yale World Fellow, and was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (Davos), Asia21 Fellow by the Asia Society, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy, and Inamori Fellow by the Inamori Foundation.