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Thirty years ago, Katsusada Hirose spent a year (1993–94) as a Visiting Scholar with the Global Affiliates Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC). Hirose represented Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) at APARC and worked closely with the founding director of APARC, now Professor Emeritus Daniel Okimoto. Hirose fondly recalls being able to commute by bicycle to campus. In his last position at MITI in 1999, Hirose held the post of Administrative Vice-Minister of MITI and METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and after a distinguished career with MITI and METI, Hirose became Governor of Oita Prefecture in 2003. Governor Hirose has also served as the President of the Governor’s Association of Kyushu Region since 2010.

On August 26, 2019, Okimoto organized a California-Japan Governors’ Symposium at Stanford University and invited Governor Hirose as well as Governor Ryuta Ibaragi (Okayama), Governor Heita Kawakatsu (Shizuoka), Vice Governor Yutaka Ota (Nagano), and Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki (Hiroshima). The California-Japan Governors’ Symposium was co-hosted by the Silicon Valley Japan Platform (SVJP) and the U.S.-Japan Council. Okimoto serves as Co-Chair of the SVJP Executive Committee.

On the same day as the Governors’ Symposium, SPICE officially launched Stanford e-Oita, an online course that is offered annually to high school students in Oita Prefecture and is taught by Kasumi Yamashita. Former Ambassador to Japan and former APARC Fellow Michael Armacost joined the ceremony and made opening comments, including a statement about how leaders like Governor Hirose have been pivotal in strengthening U.S.–Japan relations. Governor Hirose followed by not only recalling the invaluable intellectual experiences and opportunities to network that his year at Stanford provided him, but also fondly recalling the informal experiences like outings with Armacost at Stanford Golf Course. Stanford e-Oita would not have been possible without the vision and leadership of Governor Hirose.

I had the honor of meeting with Governor Hirose last month in his office in Oita Prefecture and learned that he will be retiring this year after serving 20 years as governor. We were joined by Superintendent Tetsuo Okamoto of Oita Prefecture. When I informed Professor Okimoto of the Governor’s upcoming retirement, he stated, “Governor Hirose is a highly respected political leader who has devoted his long career to public service as a higher civil servant in Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and as the elected Governor of Oita Prefecture from 2003 to 2023, spanning a productive era of two decades. What an extraordinary career and remarkable legacy.”

Stanford e-Oita Instructor Kasumi Yamashita added, “Empowering Stanford e-Oita high school students has been a highlight of my teaching career, and I am grateful to Governor Hirose for his unwavering support and for this opportunity.”

Professor Emeritus Okimoto, Instructor Yamashita, and I would like to wish Governor Hirose a wonderful retirement and look forward to his next visit to Stanford University.