Postal Privatization – Japan’s next Big Bang?

Breakfast Seminar
Tuesday, October 11
9 am – 12:15 pm

Read the Event Summary.

Keynote Speaker
Mark J. Scher, Director, Postal Financial Services Development; Author, Small Savings Mobilization and Asian Economic Development: The Role of Postal Financial Services

Panelists
Kobo Inamura, Former Executive Vice President and Managing Executive Officer, Japan Post
Patricia Kuwayama, Vice President, Economic Research, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Naoyuki Yoshino, Professor of Economics, Keio University; Co-author, Small Savings Mobilization and Asian Economic Development: The Role of Postal Financial Services

Presider
Mark J. Scher

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi staked his political future on the outcome of the recent general elections after the initial defeat of his postal privatization bill in the Upper House.  The gamble paid off with Koizumi and the LDP winning a landslide victory that all but ensures ultimate passage of the bill.  Japan Post savings and insurance deposits alone total more than $3 trillion.  The potential redistribution of these assets is expected to have a profound impact on international equity and debt markets.  Private financial institutions, domestic and foreign, are expecting to reap significant benefits if they are ultimately able to compete to manage assets under a privatized Japan Post.  But privatization continues to polarize the nation, pitting the Prime Minister against his own deeply-divided LDP as well as opposition parties, postal workers’ unions, local governments and civil organizations.  Our distinguished group of speakers will discuss the implications and feasibility of privatization of Japan’s postal financial services.

About the keynote speaker:
Mark J. Scher is the author of the recently published book Small Savings Mobilization and Asian Economic Development: The Role of Postal Financial Services (M.E. Sharpe, 2004). Dr. Scher initiated and led the United Nations Postal Savings for Development Project, where he was an Economic Affairs Officer in the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. He is currently Director of Postal Financial Services Development and works with savings institutions and postal administrations to promote savings and international remittances through the postal infrastructure. He was Visiting Professor at Keio University and a former Professor of International Business and Management at New York University Stern School of Business.  Previously Dr. Scher was Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Financial Affairs of Japan (Kinzai). An expert on banking and the author of numerous articles, his previous books include Japanese Interfirm Networks and Their Main Banks (1997), and Mainbank shinwa no hokai (Collapse of the main bank myth, 1998). He received his PhD from the University of Manchester (U.K.)

Agenda
9:00 – 9:30 am   Registration & breakfast
9:30 am – 12 pm  Lecture & Panel Discussion
12 – 12:15 pm  Booksigning

Admission: Corporate members are entitled to a designated number of free admissions to this event, based on their company’s current membership level. These reservations must be made at least 48 hours prior to the event. Additional corporate registrants and Japan Society individual members at the Patron level and above pay the discounted corporate member rate of $10 for breakfast and lecture. Nonmember admission: $15 for breakfast and lecture.  The admission rate for academics and policy makers is $10.  When payment is required, prepayment must be made, or registration secured, with a credit card. All registrations and cancellations must be made at least 48 hours prior to the event. Substitutions are welcome.