Rep. Kawasaki Visits Japan as Part of the Asian American Leadership Delegation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2015
FAIRBANKS – Representative Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) is in Japan as part of the 2015 Asian American Leadership Delegation (AALD) program. From September 25 to October 3, the Delegation will travel to Tokyo and Kyoto to meet with Japanese political, government, business, and non-profit leaders. AALD is funded by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and implemented by the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC), in collaboration with the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators.
Rep. Kawasaki is of Japanese and Chinese descent. He was born in Tokyo while his parents were on a teaching fellowship at the University of Tokyo. Rep. Kawasaki was raised in Fairbanks and earned a B.S. in biomedicine from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“By importing large amounts of Alaska caught seafood and other products, Japan is one of our most significant trading partners,” said Rep. Kawasaki. “I believe the relationships we develop through this visit will be beneficial to continuing and expanding the long-term partnership between Alaska and Japan.
After college, Rep. Kawasaki was elected to two terms on the Fairbanks City Council. He was the youngest person ever elected to the Council and the first Japanese American Councilman. Rep. Kawasaki was first elected to the Alaska State House in 2006, becoming the first Japanese American to serve as a member of the Alaska Legislature. He currently sits on the powerful House Finance Committee and has become a leader on issues like natural resource management, energy, and the environment.
During the visit to Japan, Rep. Kawasaki will be joined by five other Asian American state legislators from Michigan, Hawaii, Vermont, Maryland and Oklahoma. As part of the program, the delegates will speak at a panel discussion titled “Diversity in Leadership: The Journey of Asian American State Legislators,” discussing their varied personal and political journeys. The event will be held on Monday, September 28 at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.
For more information contact Rep. Kawasaki’s office at (907) 456-7423.
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