Panelists:

Dr. William Chou (Moderator), Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Hudson Institute's Japan Chair

Mr. Riley Baldree, Policy Advisor at U.S. Department of Commerce

Mr. Tomoaki Ichida, Managing Executive Officer, MOL

Ms. Teruko Wada, Executive Director, Keidanren USA

Mr. Sang H. Yi, Deputy Administrator at U.S Department of Transportation Maritime Administration

Mr. Ryan Shaffer (Host), President, JASWDC

Please note, this event will be held off the record.
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Panelist Bios:

Dr. William Chou:

William Chou is a senior fellow and deputy director of Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair. His work at Hudson focuses on the United States’ relationship with Japan and other Indo-Pacific issues, especially economic security, trade and investment, and regional partnerships. Dr. Chou’s recent projects include analyses of the Nippon Steel–US Steel partnership, economic security cooperation among the US, Japan, and the European Union, automotive and critical mineral supply chains, and US industrial and trade initiatives around the world.

Dr. Chou writes and speaks regularly on policy issues, with his analysis appearing in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Politico, The Washington Post, Nikkei, The New York Times, and the Financial Times.

He holds a BA in history from Yale and a PhD in history from the Ohio State University, with a dissertation and book manuscript on Cold War US-Japan commercial and diplomatic relations. He is a former fellow at the Smithsonian, the Clements Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Tokyo. He began his career as a research analyst at the Institute for Defense Analyses during the Iraq War.

A native New Yorker, Dr. Chou is a former Jeopardy! champion.

Mr. Riley Baldree:

Riley Baldree serves as the Policy Advisor to the Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, he supports the Department’s efforts to reshore American manufacturing, strengthen U.S. industrial competitiveness, and advance strategic initiatives that enhance the nation’s economic security. His work focuses on developing critical industries and expanding the domestic production capacity essential to U.S. leadership in the global economy.
 
Earlier in his career, Baldree worked in data consulting, advising political campaigns on targeting strategies, voter analytics, and data‑driven approaches to improve outreach and operational efficiency.
 
Baldree holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and International Affairs from Florida State University. He speaks Portuguese and Russian.

Mr. Tomoaki Ichida:

Tomoaki Ichida has been a Managing Executive Officer of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “MOL”) since April 2023, responsible for The Americas Area. He also holds the post of president of MOL (Americas) Holdings, Inc. In addition, he established a corporate venture capital called “MOL Switch” in May 2023 and has been leading the company as CEO to invest in the climate tech area by collaborating with startups.

He joined MOL in 1992 and began his career in the human resource division. After a few months, he transitioned to the container ships business, where he worked for about nine years, including a four-year stint at MOL's subsidiary in Thailand.

In 2001, he returned to MOL Tokyo headquarters and was placed in charge of the human resource division again. In 2004, he was transferred to the Tanker Division and started his career in the Energy business section. He was in charge of chartering, operation, and fleet planning in methanol tankers and clean product tankers business in a managerial role. During this period, he was seconded to MOL's subsidiary in London in 2011 and was appointed as General Manager of the Tanker Division. After that, he was seconded to Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd. in 2018 and assigned as General Manager of the Corporate Planning Division. During his assignment at Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd., he established e5 Lab Inc., which develops and promotes electrification and digitalization in shipping, and he served as CEO of the company for five years. The company successfully delivered the world's first battery-driven tanker in 2022, followed by three vessels with battery propulsion.

In 2020, he returned to MOL Tokyo headquarters and took the role of General Manager of the Energy Business Strategy Division, and in 2022 he was appointed as Executive Officer of MOL. He was promoted to Managing Executive Officer of MOL in 2023.

He graduated from the Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University in March 1992.

Ms. Teruko Wada:

Teruko WADA is the Executive Director of Keidanren USA. As head of Keidanren’s Washington DC office, she leads its public affairs activities in strengthening the U.S.-Japan economic relationship and raising the profile of Japanese businesses in the U.S.

Throughout her career at Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), Ms. Wada has extensive experience with public policy advocacy both domestic and international. Prior to her current position, she was the Director of International Affairs at Keidanren headquarters in Tokyo, where she was responsible for trade policy, economic security, relationship building of Japanese businesses with regions such as the United States, European Union, and Canada, as well as policy engagement with multilateral organizations/fora including G7/B7, G20/B20, WTO, OECD/BIAC, and APEC/ABAC. Prior to her career in the international field, she engaged in policy advocacy mainly in the areas of business legislation (antitrust, corporate, civil law, consumer protections, corporate governance, and financial regulations), taxation, defense/space industrial policies, energy, and regulatory reform.

Teruko earned her B.A. in law from Waseda University and LL.M. from the Graduate School of Law and Politics of the University of Tokyo.  She was granted the Fulbright Scholarship and received her LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center with distinction. She is also admitted to the New York bar.

She has been an avid volunteer for Girl Scouting for many years, serving as Chair/President of Girl Scouts of Japan for 6 years (2009-2011 & 2019-2023) and the World Board Member for World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) for 6 years (2011-2017).

Mr. Sang H. Yi:

Sang H. Yi is the Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD) at the U.S. Department of Transportation. As Deputy Administrator, Mr. Yi oversees MARAD's responsibilities that provide critical infrastructure and support for the nation’s commercial and military maritime sectors.  

Before joining MARAD, Mr. Yi served in the U.S. House of Representatives for almost 15 years. He most recently served as the Director of Investigations for the House Committee on Homeland Security, where he led congressional oversight and investigations related to various national security matters, including transportation and maritime security. He previously served as the Chief Investigative Counsel and Subcommittee Staff Director for the House Committee on Natural Resources. Mr. Yi began his congressional career at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he ultimately served as Senior Policy Advisor. Prior to his congressional career, he served in the Intelligence Community.

In addition to Mr. Yi’s federal service, he served his local community as a Councilman in Fairfax, Virginia. First elected in 2018, he served on the City Council for two terms. For more than two decades, Mr. Yi served as an officer in the Navy Reserve and held a U.S. Coast Guard issued Merchant Marine license.

Mr. Yi holds a B.S. in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Mr. Ryan Shaffer, JASWDC (Host):

Ryan Shaffer has served as president of the Japan America Society of Washington DC since February of 2019. He previously served as Director of Programs and Development at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, where he oversaw integration of programmatic efforts to advance shared interests in U.S. relations with Japan and other NE Asian Partners.  

Mr. Shaffer was the founding director of the Mansfield Foundation’s U.S.-Japan Space Forum and the U.S.-Japan Nuclear Working Group and has produced a variety of publications on the topics. Prior to joining the Mansfield Foundation, Mr. Shaffer served as a research analyst for the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan.

Mr. Shaffer, who was raised in Portland, Maine, has an MSc in Asian politics from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and a BS in environmental policy from Bates College. Mr. Shaffer sits on the Board of Directors of the Western Pacific Fellowship Project and serves as an advisor to the Sake Brewers Association of North America.  He is the founding member of the committee to commemorate the father of Japanese baseball, Horace Wilson.