Kazumasa Kusaka
May 30 - June 17
During his long career in public service, Kusaka was seconded to the OECD and was Japan's senior representative for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Kusaka played a central role in Asia's economic integration, promoting FTAs in the region as well as serving as a senior official negotiating the Doha development agenda of the WTO. He was head of Japan's Energy Agency and held director-general positions in technology and environmental policy in addition to trade & investment-related areas within METI. He was instrumental in finalizing the Kyoto Protocol, and developing Japan's energy and environment policies.
Early in his career when Japan's economic competitiveness was on the rise, he was exposed to the US-Japan textile trade conflict and the automotive trade conflict. Throughout the years, he has been committed to US-Japan/trans-Pacific relations, and he launched a study group which resulted in the creation of APEC in the late 1980s. In the summer of 2006, he left government service to become an executive adviser for Dentsu, Inc. He is also a special adviser to METI, and is active in regional cooperation with Asian and the Middle East.
