[Lunchtime Lecture] The New American President and U.S.-Japan Relations

  • Lecturer: Fumio Matsuo, Journalist
  • Date & Time: Thursday, December 11, 2008, 12:15-1:15 pm
  • Venue: International House of Japan
  • Admission: 3,000 yen (Discount Rate*: 2,000 yen) with a lunch ticket*
  • 2,000 yen (Discount Rate*: 1,000 yen) lecture only
  • Language: Japanese (with no English translation)

The speaker of this lecture, to be held right after the 44th president of the United States is decided, is Mr. Fumio Matsuo, who has worked as a journalist for Kyodo News, and has extensive experience covering the United States as a correspondent starting from 1964. He is well known for his article in Chuo Koron about the possibility of U.S.-China reconciliation in 1971 and was among the first to write about the influence of the neo-conservatives soon after he returned as a freelance journalist in 2002. This seasoned observer will address aspects of present and future U.S.-Japan relations, feared to be hollowing out in recent years. Mr. Matsuo is planning to visit the United States at the end of October following his visit there in June and July.

Fumio Matsuo

Fumio MatsuoBorn in 1933, Matsuo joined Kyodo News in 1956 and served as New York and Washington correspondent from 1964 to 1969. In 1971 Mr. Matsuo established his reputation as a keen observer of American politics with his article titled “Nixon’s America: Its Skillful Approach to China.” He also served as Bangkok and Washington bureau chief and president of the Kyodo Tsushin Markets. In 2002 he returned to active journalism as a specialist on the United States. His books include Nixon’s America (1972) in Japanese, and Democracy with a Gun—America and the Policy of Force (the Japanese version received the 52nd Annual Award of the Japan Essayist Club Award in 2004) in English.