Muneo Takashi Named Chief Executive Director of Japan's Midwest Tr...( CHICAGO April 9 -- Mr. Muneo Tak...),Health

CHICAGO, April 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mr. Muneo Takashi has been named to head the Chicago office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO Chicago). As the new Chief Executive Director, Takashi follows Taka Tsuchiya, who returned to Japan after completing his assignment in Chicago.

As Chief Executive Director, Takashi will oversee the JETRO Chicago office in its activities designed to facilitate business development between Japan and companies in the 12-state Midwest region.

Mr. Takashi, 58, joined JETRO in 1974, following his graduation from Chuo University's Faculty of Law. He also holds a Master's Degree in International Politics from Aoyama Gakuin University (1996).

Mr. Takashi served as Director of Public Relations at JETRO Singapore from 1984-1988, and was the Director of the Import Activities Division in JETRO's Import Promotion Department from 1996-1999. In this capacity he was in charge of supporting and implementing JETRO's national Export-to-Japan campaigns. He organized import promotion exhibitions in the IT, environmental equipment and healthcare products industries, in addition to receiving automotive parts missions from abroad. Takashi also played a key role in organizing Eco-Japan, an international exhibition that took place at the 1997 Kyoto conference on climate change.

From 2001-2005, Mr. Takashi was the Executive Director of the JETRO Los Angeles office. In 2005, he became Chief Director at JETRO's Akita Prefecture office, a post he held until being assigned to JETRO Chicago.

"As I had travelled to Chicago several times during my assignments at JETRO Tokyo Headquarters and JETRO Los Angeles, I now feel quite at home," Takashi commented. "I am familiar with the position of the Midwest as the center of U.S. manufacturing and commodity trading, and now as home to numerous technology clusters. I am extremely excited to be here to help promote JETRO's mission: to strengthen the economic relationsh
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