The Japan-America Society of the State of Washington (JASSW) invites you to a special seminar exploring how cross-Pacific partnerships are shaping the future of AI and technology. Through a lineup of dynamic presentations from leading corporations and universities in both Japan and Washington State, this program will spotlight groundbreaking collaborations that are driving innovation, opening new business opportunities, and strengthening U.S.–Japan ties.
Whether you’re in business, academia, or simply curious about the future of AI, this is your chance to gain exclusive insights, connect with global leaders, and be part of the conversation on international collaboration in technology.
Thursday, November 6, 2025 | 6:00 – 9:00 pm (Doors open at 5:30 pm)
Venue: Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004)
Ticket: FREE for JASSW Members
Not a member yet? Register here to become a member.
Individual Membership Annual Fees
$60 Regular | $30 Senior | $20 Students | $75 Family
Featured Speakers & Spotlight Presentations
The seminar will feature Spotlight Presentations, with each speaker sharing insights from their organization. Through dynamic contributions from leading global corporations and universities, the program will highlight initiatives that are driving innovation, creating new business opportunities, and strengthening U.S.–Japan ties.
Darren S. Coil – Sr. Director, Account Technology Strategist & CTO, Microsoft Corporation
Darren Coil is a senior technology executive at Microsoft, specializing in AI-driven transformation and innovation for global enterprises. Based in Seattle, he works closely with Japanese and American companies to drive digital transformation, operational excellence, and cross-border collaboration. With more than three decades of experience at Microsoft, Intel, Schneider Electric, and other multinational firms, he has led major cloud and AI initiatives for clients including Mitsui, Panasonic, Mercedes, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Starbucks, and ZF. He is recognized for his ability to bridge cultures and business practices, having negotiated and executed technology strategies in more than 30 countries.
Coil will share how Copilot and Microsoft’s cloud solutions are driving transformation in partnership with Japanese and U.S. enterprises.
Masaki Kawakami – General Manager, MKI (U.S.A.), Inc.
Masaki Kawakami is General Manager of MKI (U.S.A.), Inc., where he oversees Mitsui’s U.S.-based IT operations and drives technology strategy. With more than 20 years of experience in enterprise networking and infrastructure, he has held senior engineering and project management roles across corporate, public sector, and carrier services.
In his current role, Kawakami leads corporate IT operations—including infrastructure, applications, and helpdesk—while advancing new initiatives in generative AI. His projects with Copilot and Azure AI Foundry are designed to improve efficiency and maximize data value across Mitsui and its global group companies.
Akihisa Hirosawa – Lead AI Engineer, Mitsui Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.
Akihisa Hirosawa is Lead AI Engineer at Mitsui Americas, where he develops enterprise-scale AI solutions and leads initiatives applying large language models (LLMs) to business operations. His expertise includes designing agent-based AI architectures, assessing emerging tools, and integrating generative AI into enterprise environments. In addition, he contributes to core IT infrastructure projects in cloud, networking, and cybersecurity.
Hirosawa brings over a decade of technical experience and a strong research background. He holds a master’s degree in Integrated Life Science from the University of Tokyo, where his work combined laboratory and computational approaches in molecular biology.
Representing Mitsui, one of Japan’s leading global trading and investment companies, Kawakami and Hirosawa will share how AI is being applied to enhance efficiency and drive innovation across Mitsui’s global operations in diverse industries.
Prof. Tetsuya Sakurai – Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research, University of Tsukuba
Tetsuya Sakurai is Professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems at the University of Tsukuba and serves as Director of the university’s Center for Artificial Intelligence Research. His research focuses on mathematical algorithms, including knowledge discovery and data analysis in latent spaces, as well as neural network computation and advanced AI algorithms. He has made significant contributions to eigenvalue analysis algorithms, for which he received the 2018 (Heisei 30) Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan.
Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1961, Sakurai earned his doctorate in engineering from Nagoya University in 1986. Over his career, he has published extensively on computational mathematics and AI methodologies, bridging theoretical advances with real-world applications.
Sakurai will share insights from the Cross-Pacific AI Initiative (X-PAI), a long-term partnership launched in 2024 between the University of Tsukuba and the University of Washington, with support from both the Japanese and U.S. governments. In collaboration with global technology leaders such as NVIDIA and Amazon, X-PAI aims to advance AI research, talent development, entrepreneurship, and social implementation.
Anne Szeto – Director, Academic Research Initiatives (ARI)
Anne leads the Academic Research Initiatives (ARI) team at Amazon. ARI drives a global portfolio of academic research investments to accelerate foundation technology innovation. Anne has held various roles in her almost 20-year career at Amazon, including building and executing the strategy for the global science community. She holds graduate degrees in econometrics and Slavic culture and languages.
Representing AWS, Szeto will highlight AI innovations and opportunities for collaboration to advance digital transformation and strengthen U.S.-Japan technology ties.
General Timeline
5:30 PM Doors Open
6:00-7:45 PM Seminar Program
- Greetings by Consul General Makoto Iyori
- Spotlight Presentations & Q&A
7:45-9:00 pm Networking Reception
- Wine, Sake, and soft drinks served
