Hosted by	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan Institute for Transport Policy Studies (ITPS), Japan Japan International Transport Institute (JITI) Council for Global Promotion of Railway, Japan Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) (Supported by The Nippon Foundation)
Date	14th January 2011, 13:30〜18:00
Location	Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza (Los Angeles, CA)
Numbers of attendees	Approx. 400

　In January and October of 2010, the Obama administration announced an allocation of $10.4 billion in federal fund grants to help turn the U.S. vision of high speed rail (HSR) into reality. The distributed funds will be used for the development of HSR, which has proven to be an effective, energy-efficient way to move large numbers of people quickly over long distances.

　The High Speed Rail Seminar in California was held in order to contribute towards developing the HSR project in the region through Japan’s 46 years of experience with HSR. The U.S. transport specialists, including Former Secretary Mineta, and California State transport specialists noted that the preparation of a HSR network would hold the key to mitigate congestion in both highways and airways and to vitalize the California State economy.

　Issues for introducing HSR and the economic benefits derived from HSR were also discussed. Four Japanese private enterprises presented their technology, safety, and operational experience of the Japanese HSR ‘Shinkansen’ system, They also explained the economic benefits of HSR, such as job creation and regional development, as well as measures against earthquakes. The seminar explored the future California HSR project through the presentation and discussion.

Opening Remarks	Sumio Mabuchi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Masafumi Shukuri, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, representing Minister Mabuchi) Ichiro Fujisaki, Ambassador of Japan to the United States Satoshi Seino, President and CEO, East Japan Railway Company / Acting Chairman, Council for Global Promotion of Railway Kenichi Fukaya, Vice-Chairman, ITPS
Keynote Remarks	Norman Mineta, Former Secretary of Transportation and Vice Chairman, Hill & Knowlton Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City of Los Angeles U.S. Congressman Jim Costa, California 20th District U.S. Congresswoman Laura Richardson, California 37th District State Assemblymember Fiona Ma, Speaker pro tempore, California 12th District State Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani, California 17th District State Assemblymember Warren Furutani, California 55th District Roelof Van Ark, CEO, California High-Speed Rail Authority
Presentations	Yuki Tanaka, Director, International Affairs Office, JITI Satoshi Seino, President & CEO, East Japan Railway Company Tsutomu Morimura, Senior Executive Director, Central Japan Railway Company Toshihiko Aoyagi, Managing Director, Director General, Railway Operations Headquarter, Kyushu Railway Company Yoshinori Kanehana, Executive Officer and Vice President, Rolling Stock Company, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

photograph（pdf file：130KB）