Video Archives
The coronavirus outbreak is changing the shape of Asia. In the midst of anxiety over the spread of the virus, populism and authoritarianism are rearing their heads, and some people worry that democracy is receding.
Will Asian leaders be able to pave the way for the post-COVID era while preserving the principles of "peace and stability" and "diversity"? Will they be able to cooperate on international issues, including overcoming future pandemics? In the 26th International Conference of the Future of Asia, we will discuss how Asia can enter a new era during this time of uncertainty.
Mahathir bin Mohamad
Former Prime Minister,
K.P. Sharma Oli
Prime Minister,
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
President,
Hun Sen
Prime Minister,
Heng Swee Keat
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies,
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister,
Bilahari Kausikan
Chairman, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore
Evan Medeiros
Former Senior Director for Asia, National Security Council, U.S.
Kenichiro Sasae
President, The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)
Jia Qingguo
Professor, School of International Studies, Peking University
Damien O'Connor
Minister for Trade and Export Growth,
Zhou Xiaochuan
Vice Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia / President of China Society for Finance and Banking
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
Director, Center for Arts and Culture at NLI Research Institute
Brillante Mendoza
Filmmaker
Masayuki Yamauchi
Professor Emeritus, the University of Tokyo
Ram Prasad Kadel
Founder, Music Museum of Nepal
Thalappil Pradeep
Institute Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Yumiko Murakami
Head of OECD Tokyo CentreThe Future of Asia is an international gathering where political, economic and academic leaders from the Asia-Pacific region offer their opinions frankly and freely on regional issues and the role of Asia in the world. Held by Nikkei every year since 1995 (it has been canceled due to the new coronavirus pandemic last year), it is considered one of the most important global conferences in Asia.
Video Archives RegistrationParticipants can access Video Archives.
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Please login with steps instructed in the email from Secretariat on June 1. If you have any trouble, please contact the secretariat by email. For new registration, click here.
Video Archives opened.
Next year's 27th International Conference Future of Asia is scheduled to be held on May 26(Thu), 27(Fri), 2022.
Video Archives will open on June 1 (JST, Tentative). URL and how to watch will be sent from the secretariat via e-mail around June 1.
The 26th International Conference Future of Asia ended with a success on May 21 (Fri), 2021. We deeply thank all of your participation. The outline of the conference and overview of the sessions are posted on The Nikkei (paper and digital edition), Nikkei Asia (an English news site).
H.E. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, President, Republic of the Philippines will be giving a speech tomorrow, Friday the 21st, from 14:45.
May 20 (Thu) 9:30-18:30 (JST)
- 21 (Fri) 9:00-18:15 (JST), 2021
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Updated on November 2, 2023, 16:45 JST
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(As of May 20, 2021)
※Honorifics and titles omitted.
※English and Japanese simultaneous interpretation will be available during the forum.
※Speakers will participate online, with few exceptions. Please be aware that video and audio may be disturbed due to technical problems with internet connections or server.
DAY 1May 20 (Thu), 2021 9:30-18:30 (JST)
Conference Moderator：
Shigesaburo Okumura
Chief of International News Center and Editor-in-chief of The Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Inc.
AM
9:30 Opening
Moderator
Shigesaburo OkumuraChief of International News Center and Editor-in-chief of The Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Inc.
9:35 DAY 1-1
Moderator
Takashi NakanoSingapore Bureau Chief and Kuala Lumpur Bureau Chief, Nikkei Inc.
10:15 DAY 1-2
Moderator
Shigesaburo OkumuraChief of International News Center and Editor-in-chief of The Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Inc.
10:55 DAY 1-3
Moderator
Tomoya OnishiHanoi Bureau Chief, Nikkei Inc.
11:30 DAY 1-4
Moderator
Toru TakahashiEditor-in-chief of Editorial Headquarters for Asia, Nikkei Inc.
PM
13:20 DAY 1-5
Moderator
Toru TakahashiEditor-in-chief of Editorial Headquarters for Asia, Nikkei Inc.
13:50 DAY 1-6
Moderator
Go YamadaNikkei Senior Writer, Nikkei Inc.
14:30 DAY 1-7
Moderator
Tetsushi TakahashiEditor, Policy News Unit, Editorial Division, Nikkei Inc.
15:10 DAY 1-8
Moderator
Christopher GrimesExecutive Editor of The Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Inc.
15:50 DAY 1-9
Asia, which has developed in harmony and tolerance of different religions and cultures, is facing a crisis of fragmentation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exchanges across borders, cultures and religions are essential for mutual understanding and the development of culture in the region as a whole. This session will look back at the origins and historical background of Asian culture, and ask leading figures in culture and the arts, as well as experts, about the importance of cultural exchange in the wake of the pandemic and ways to overcome the divisions.
17:00 DAY 1-10
To be confirmed
18:15 DAY 1-11
DAY 2May 21 (Fri), 2021 9:00-18:15 (JST)
Conference Moderator：
Shigesaburo Okumura
Chief of International News Center and Editor-in-chief of The Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Inc.
AM
9:00 DAY 2-1
Moderator
Toru TakahashiEditor-in-chief of Editorial Headquarters for Asia, Nikkei Inc.
9:40 DAY 2-2
Moderator
Shigesaburo OkumuraChief of International News Center and Editor-in-chief of The Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Inc.
10:10 DAY 2-3
US-China tensions appear to have entered a new dimension since the start of the Biden administration in the U.S. As the conflict spreads to fundamental differences over political systems and national ideologies, experts from the U.S., China, Singapore and Japan will discuss the impact on Asia’s stability and growth, and how Asia should respond to the tug-of-war between the two superpowers.
11:25 DAY 2-4
Moderator
Kaori TakahashiSenior Staff Writer, Nikkei Inc.
PM
12:30 DAY 2-5
Moderator
Ryosuke HaradaSenior Executive Editor, Nikkei Inc.
14:15 DAY 2-6
Moderator
Go YamadaSenior Writer, Nikkei Inc.
15:15 DAY 2-8
Nikkei Asia Prizes 2020 winners′ speech
16:00 DAY 2-9
Panel discussionSustainable Growth and Transformation in Asia
Moderator
Kaori TakahashiSenior Staff Writer, Nikkei Inc.
17:15 DAY 2-10
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely hampered the growth of the global economy by fragmenting the movement of people and goods. At the same time, it has provided opportunities for major changes in working styles, such as increased telecommuting, and triggered a rapid advancement in digitization, including the spread of online conference systems. How will Asian start-ups, which have emerged in diverse industries such as e-commerce, car-delivery services and fintech, survive the COVID-19 era? What are the new business opportunities created by the pandemic? What challenges to growth have emerged during this period? An entrepreneur, a venture capitalist and others will discuss how to keep innovating in the COVID-19 era.
Moderator
Takehiko "Ken" KoyanagiSenior Staff Writer, Editorial Board Member, Nikkei inc.
Secretariat of 26th International Conference
on The Future of Asia
Organizer
Corporate Sponsor
Sponsor
Official Media
General Prayut Chan-o-cha (Ret.) is the 29th Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand. He was born in Nakhon Ratchasima, a city to the north east of Bangkok, on 21 March 1954. By the age of 17, he entered Thailand’s prestigious Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and then completed a Bachelor’s of Science from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, Thailand’s prominent service academy, in 1976. From there, he went on to enjoy a distinguished military career spanning more than four decades, serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army in 2010 until his retirement in 2014.
General Prayut became the 29th Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand in 2014. After the promulgation of Thailand’s new constitution in 2017 and following general elections in March 2019, he was elected by the Parliament as Prime Minister for a second term in 2019.
During his tenure, he has emphasized the goals of ‘stability, prosperity, and sustainability’ for Thailand’s direction. This emphasizes the importance of political civility, and thus stability, to support the continuity of government policy and national development objectives, as represented by Thailand’s 20-year National Strategy. To compliment this, the Prime Minister has advocated the importance of having stable economic growth through the Thailand 4.0 agenda of an innovation and technology based economy, connectivity between local and regional markets and production bases through infrastructure upgrades, and the transformation to a digital economy. Most importantly, he has emphasized the priority of ‘leaving no-one behind’ as a core feature of the government’s policy objectives, to secure sustainable growth and a quality of life that can be enjoyed by all citizens.
He is married to Associate Professor Naraporn Chan-o-cha and they have two daughters.
Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli is currently Right Honorable Prime Minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal since 15 February 2018. He is also the Member of House of Representatives elected in December 2017, Leader of the Parliamentary Party of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) 15 February 2018, and the Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist and Leninist) since July 2014. He was also Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Ne.Ka.Pa) from 17 May 2018 - 7 March 2021.
Earlier Mr. Oli was appointed Prime Minister in 2015 and also Home Minister in 1994 and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2006. He was also elected Member of the House of Representatives and Legislative Parliament in 1991, 1994, 1999 and 2013 (Constituent Assembly Member).
Mr. Oli was inducted into Marxist Study Group and converted himself into a full timer political activist in 1968 and became a member of Nepal Communist Party in 1969. During the whole political career He was arrested and released 10 times, and also imprisoned in special cell for 4 years and another 10 years in other jails on unfounded charges including crime against the state and treasons.
Mr. Oli has unwavering commitment and stand for the democracy, sustainable peace, social harmony, national unity and further remains committed to Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali. Married with Ms. Radhika Shakya, he was born on 23 February 1952 in Tehrathum of Nepal.
Mr Heng Swee Keat is Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies. He is also a Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC.
Mr Heng also chairs the tripartite Future Economy Council which oversees the ongoing restructuring of our economy, through upgrading of the skills of our workers and the transformation of industry, to create even better career prospects for our people. He leads a team to oversee the design and implementation of national strategies in areas such as skills and capabilities development, innovation and productivity and the internationalisation of our companies.
Mr Heng chairs the National Research Foundation, which sets the direction for Singapore's research, innovation and enterprise strategies. In this role, he brings together the universities and research communities with businesses to create a more vibrant innovation ecosystem. Mr Heng also serves as Adviser to the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on COVID-19 and the National Jobs Council.
Mr Heng served as Minister for Education from 2011 to 2015. He also led the yearlong Our Singapore Conversation from 2012 that helped to engage more than 47,000 Singaporeans from all walks of life through dialogues.
As Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Heng launched the Singapore Together movement in June 2019 to work in close partnership with Singaporeans to design and implement policies and programmes, to create a better future together.
Before entering politics in May 2011, Mr Heng was the Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, as well as CEO of the then-Trade Development Board. Between 1997 and 2000, he was Principal Private Secretary to then-Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew. In 2001, Mr Heng was awarded the Gold Medal in Public Administration, and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2010 for his contribution to Singapore’s public service.
Mr Heng has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University. He also holds a Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
H.E. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. During this period he opened up the country to foreign investments, reformed taxation, reduced trade barriers, oversaw the privatisations of numerous state-owned enterprises and created a world-class physical infrastructure. He also sought to bridge Malaysia’s ethnic divide by increasing general prosperity.
In 1991, he launched the New Development Policy, which emphasised industrial and commercial development and the elimination of poverty. Under Tun Dr. Mahathir’s leadership, Malaysia developed into one of the most prosperous and dynamic economies in Southeast Asia, with a burgeoning industrial sector, an expanding middle class and enhanced quality of life.
In 1995, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative was introduced to make Malaysia a global player in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.
Malaysia also played a more active role in the international arena, acting as the voice for developing nations in Asia and Africa. Always with one eye on the future, Tun Dr. Mahathir unveiled Vision 2020 in 1991, a blueprint for Malaysia’s journey towards becoming a developed economy and a mature democracy by the year 2020.
Despite his retirement, Dr Mahathir has been kept busy with numerous invitations and speaking engagements locally and abroad.
He is the Honorary President of Perdana Leadership Foundation (PLF), a think-tank set up to preserve, develop and disseminate the intellectual heritage of past leaders. Tun Dr Mahathir is also the Chairman of Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War (KLFCW) and President of Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF). Both these organisations aim at promoting global peace and criminalising war.
In 2015, Tun Dr. Mahathir decided to come out of his political retirement and spearheaded a campaign to oust Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from office. Following that, Tun Dr. Mahathir and several like-minded political leaders had formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) in which he is the chairman.
Other political parties opposed to the Prime Minister had also rallied around him and elected Tun Dr Mahathir to be the chairman of Pakatan Harapan (Coalition of Hope) as well as naming him as the Prime Minister designate if they won the 14 th general election.
On 9 th May 2018, the result of the 14 th Malaysian General Election declared the Pakatan Harapan as the winner. Tun Dr Mahathir wins sworn in as the 7 th Prime Minister the following day.
In February 2020, Tun Dr. Mahathir resigned Prime Minister.
Tun Dr. Mahathir is married to a doctor, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and they have seven children and sixteen grandchildren.
Earlier Dr S. Jaishankar was President – Global Corporate Affairs at Tata Sons Private Limited from May 2018.
He was Foreign Secretary from 2015-18, Ambassador to United States from 2013-15, Ambassador to China from 2009-2013, High Commissioner to Singapore from 2007-2009 and Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2000-2004.
He has also served in other diplomatic assignments in Embassies in Moscow, Colombo, Budapest and Tokyo, as well in the Ministry of External Affairs and the President’s Secretariat.
Dr S. Jaishankar is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi. He has a Masters in Political Science and an M. Phil and Ph.D in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
He is a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 2019.
He is married to Kyoko Jaishankar and has two sons & and a daughter.
Evan S. Medeiros is a professor and Penner family chair in Asia studies in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He has published several books and articles on East Asia, U.S.-China relations, and China’s foreign and national security policies. He regularly provides advice and commentary to global corporations and international media in his current role as Senior Advisor with The Asia Group.
Dr. Medeiros’ background is a unique blend of regional expertise and government experience. He served for six years on the staff of the National Security Council as director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia and then as special assistant to the president and senior director for Asia. In the latter role, Dr. Medeiros was President Barack Obama’s top advisor on the Asia-Pacific and was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy toward the Asia-Pacific across areas of diplomacy, defense policy, economic policy, and intelligence. Prior to joining the White House, Medeiros worked for seven years as a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. From 2007 to 2008, he also served as policy advisor to Secretary Hank Paulson Jr., working on the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue at the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Dr. Medeiros holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an M.Phil in international relations from the University of Cambridge, an M.A. in China studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and a B.A. in analytic philosophy from Bates College.
Bilahari Kausikan is currently Chairman of the Middle East Institute, an autonomous institute of the National University of Singapore. He has spent his entire career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his 37 years in the Ministry, he served in a variety of appointments at home and abroad, including as Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, and as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry. Raffles Institution, the University of Singapore and Columbia University in New York all attempted to educate him.
Jia Qingguo is Professor of the School of International Studies of Peking University. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1988. He has taught in the University of Vermont, Cornell University, University of California at San Diego, University of Sydney in Australia as well as Peking University. He was a research fellow at the Brookings Institution between 1985 and 1986, a visiting professor at the University of Vienna in 1997 and a CNAPS fellow at the Brookings Institution between 2001 and 2002. He is a member of the Standing Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He is also Director of the Institute for China-US People-to- People Exchange of the Ministry of Education, Vice President of the Chinese American Studies Association, Vice President of China International Relations Studies Association, and Vice President of Chinese Japanese Studies Association. He is serving on the editorial board of more than a dozen established domestic and international academic journals. He has published extensively on U.S.-China relations, relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, Chinese foreign policy and Chinese politics.
Kenichiro Sasae joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs after graduating from The University of Tokyo in 1974. His distinguished diplomatic career includes assignments as Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister, Director-General of the Economic Affairs Bureau, Director-General of the Asian & Oceania Affairs Bureau, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Ambassador of Japan to the United States. He was appointed to his present position in June 2018 to head Japan’s premier foreign affairs think tank.
Born in 1947, historian.
Major: Middle Eastern and Islamic Area Studies, History of International Relations
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
Professor, Musashino Institute for Global Affairs, Musashino University
Special Visiting Professor, Mohammed V University (Kingdom of Morocco)
Teruhide Sato was a founding member of the Japanese arm of CyberCash, a U.S. online payment company (now known as Veritrans), and a joint venture with SoftBank Corporation. During this time, in 1997, Teru was studying at the Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University. In 1999, he was co-founder of BEENOS (formerly known as netprice.com), a global internet and e-commerce business incubator.
Teru took the company public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2004 as CEO. In 2011, he co-founded Open Network Lab, one of the earliest seed accelerator programs in Japan dedicated to raising domestic startups that developed globally competitive products. In 2012, he started investing in overseas startups such as Tokopedia (Indonesia), Iyzico (Turkey), and CitrusPay (India). In 2015, he launched BEENEXT, an early stage venture capital firm in Singapore actively investing in South East Asia, India, Japan, and the U.S to support and invest in tech entrepreneurs with an ambitious vision to make a significant impact on society. Teru was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2008. Also, he is a director of Endeavor Japan, Asia Pacific Initiative, and an executive committee member of Silicon Valley Japan Platform.
Imran Khan is the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was born in Lahore in October 1952.
BA (Hons), Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Keble College, Oxford University. 1971-92, Member, Pakistan Cricket Team including longest playing career of any cricketer since 1945; 1982-92, Captain, including team that won 1992 World Cup, Melbourne. 1996, established Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf political party; 2002, Member of Parliament, Mianwal constituency, Pakistan; 2007, arrested when demanded restoration of judiciary and reinstatement of judges. Former Chancellor, Bradford University, UK. Prime Minister since August 2018. Founder and President, Imran Khan Foundation, raised funds for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts after Pakistan floods. Conceived, planned, and mobilized people to build Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Pakistan's first and only cancer hospital that provides 75% free healthcare and was built on public donations, where he is currently President. Chairman, Namal Education Foundation. UNICEF Special Representative. for Sports. Author of: Imran: An Autobiography; All Round View; Indus Journey; Warrior Race. Recipient of awards: Pride of Pakistan; Hilal-e-Pakistan, highest civil award in Pakistan; only sportsman to be included in Hall of Fame and only sportsman to be awarded honorary fellowship of Keble College, Oxford University.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as the 7th Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka following the Presidential Election held on 16th November 2019.
President Rajapaksa took his oath of office within the sacred precincts of the historic Ruvanvaliseya Stupa in Anuradhapura on 18th November 2019. He is the first non-career politician and the first former military officer to be elected to the highest office in the land. He won 52.25% of the total votes cast at the election, garnering over 1.3 million votes more than his closest rival. He contested from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party.
The son of former Cabinet Minister D. A. Rajapaksa and brother of the 5th Executive President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was born in 1949 and educated at Ananda College, Colombo. He joined the Sri Lanka Army in 1971. During his military service, he earned a Masters Degree in Defence Studies from the University of Madras, and underwent advanced training in Pakistan, India and the USA. Having commanded many anti-terrorist operations in the North and East of Sri Lanka during the conflict, he was awarded the Rana Wickrama Padakkama and Rana Sura Padakkama medals for gallantry and excellence in combat. He also received commendations from the President of Sri Lanka and the Commander of the Army for his bravery in action. After retiring from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1991, he studied Information Technology at the University of Colombo and later migrated to the United States of America, where he worked as an IT professional at the Loyola Law School, California, before returning to Sri Lanka in 2005.
Following the election of his brother as President in November 2005, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was entrusted with the position of Secretary to the Ministry of Defence. In this capacity, he rendered yeoman service to the nation by overseeing the defeat of the brutal LTTE terrorist organization that had been active in the country since the mid-1970s. In December 2006, he narrowly escaped assassination in the course of his duties when an LTTE suicide bomber drove an explosives laden vehicle into his car. Unbowed, he continued to play a pivotal role in strategizing, planning, coordinating and providing the wherewithal to the Armed Forces and the Police to combat the LTTE until its defeat in May 2009, which brought peace to the country after nearly thirty years. In recognition of his contribution to Sri Lanka through his role as the Defence Secretary, he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Colombo.
At the conclusion of the conflict, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was instrumental in the swift restoration of normalcy to the conflicted affected areas. He oversaw the military’s involvement in demining, reconstruction, and resettlement in the North and East, as well as the rehabilitation and reintegration to society of former LTTE cadres. Whilst overseeing the transition of the military and law enforcement agencies to a peacetime role, he initiated a range of activities to consolidate national security and strengthen the country’s intelligence apparatus. He also undertook significant capacity building within the various state bodies coming under his purview, including the Department of Immigration & Emigration, the Registration of Persons Department, the Civil Security Department and the Coast Guard.
With the return of peace and the increasing focus of the Government on accelerating economic growth, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administrative portfolio was augmented to include responsibility for Urban Development. As the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, he launched an ambitious, far reaching and remarkably successful programme to transform the country’s urban landscape. Under his stewardship, many longstanding issues that had long bedeviled Sri Lanka’s urban spaces were systematically addressed and resolved. Strengthening flood control and drainage management, provision of quality housing to those in underserved settlements, increasing the availability and quality of public open spaces, restoration of heritage buildings, rapid improvements to roads and pavements, the development of public amenities, and efficient garbage disposal were amongst his many accomplishments during this period. His work was instrumental in altering perceptions about the country, with Colombo being hailed as one of the most beautiful and well-managed cities in South Asia. The transformation of its urban spaces also helped attract significant foreign investments to Sri Lanka.
Following the change in Government in Sri Lanka after the Presidential Election in 2015, Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from his position as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. Prior to his entry to active politics, which took place with his nomination as Presidential Candidate by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in August 2019, he founded Viyath Maga, an organization that brought together professionals committed to a better future for the country, and the Eliya organization, which sought to increase public awareness about critical issues pertaining to them.
Hon Damien O'Connor believes every New Zealander, regardless of their background or family situation, deserves the opportunity to realise their full potential and participate in their community and society. Damien stands for the values of equality and opportunity, and for the responsibility we owe to each other to maintain these values.
Damien’s background in farming and adventure tourism drives his view that we need well-paid, sustainable jobs and industry growth to improve our future. He is a passionate advocate for rural communities and for a thriving agricultural sector. Damien was first elected to Parliament in 1993 and has served as a Minister in both the fifth and sixth Labour Governments, and spokesperson in Opposition for a variety of roles, including Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety, Tourism, Immigration and Health.
In the 2020 Labour Government, Damien O’Connor was appointed Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Land Information, and Minister for Rural Communities.
Damien is an active sportsman and represented Buller at athletics. He has won West Coast Young Farmer of the Year and enjoys sports including skiing, white water rafting, jet boating, motorsports and playing rugby for the New Zealand Parliamentary Team.
Brillante Mendoza is a living natural treasure. He is one of the most prominent and important Filipino filmmakers today.
His debut film, Masahista (The Masseur) immediately won the Golden Leopard Award in the 2005 Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. In the same year, he founded Center Stage Productions (CSP), an independent film production outfit that aims to rebrand Filipino cinema by producing meaningful and relevant films.
He is the first Filipino to compete and won in 3 major international film festivals. His film, Captive, competed in the coveted Berlin International Film Festival in 2012, while Tirador (Slingshot) won the Caligari Film Award in 2007. Thy Womb, on the other hand, won the La Navicella Venezia Cinema Award in the equally prestigious Venice Film Festival in 2012, while Lola was nominated for the Golden Lion in 2009.
But his most notable achievement is when he won the elusive Best Director in the well renowned Cannes Film Festival for the film, Kinatay in 2009. The year before, his film, Serbis (Service) was nominated for the acclaimed Palme d’ Or Award thus earning him France’s most prestigious cultural award -- the “Chevalier dans |’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters).
In 2016, his film MA' ROSA won the Best Actress Award (Jaclyn Jose) in Cannes Film Festival. The film was also the Philippines' entry to 2017 Academy Awards--International Film Feature category. His most recent film MINDANAO which won the best actress award and the Henry Barakat Award at the 41st Cairo International Film Fest has also been selected as the Philippines’ official entry to the 93rd Oscars’. The year before, VERDICT, the film which he produced for his mentee was also the Philippines’ representative to the Oscars’.
As a long-time mentor and advocate of film literacy in the Philippines he has made it his mission to train and develop new generations of Filipino artists – thus he established Sinag Maynila, a film festival that supports Filipino filmmakers; the Brillante Mendoza Film Festival @SM which aims to educate the youth on art films which were held at different schools and universities all over the country; the Brillante Mendoza Film Foundation which served as a center for honing new Filipino creators and producing socially relevant films.
To this day Brillante Mendoza continues to pursue his dreams in having Filipino films elevated into the stage of global cinema.
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Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been Malaysia’s 8th Prime Minister since March 2020.
He is the President of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU), Member of Parliament for Pagoh and Member of Johor State Legislative Assembly for Gambir.
He also chairs Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Malaysia, entrusted with growing the nation’s long-term wealth by growing financial assets and diversify revenue sources for the nation. He is also the Chairman of Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputera, the parent company of Malaysia’s most prominent fund manager, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB).
Before becoming Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin held various Ministerial appointments, including being the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Education, Minister of International Trade and Industry, Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and Minister of Youth and Sports. He was also the two-term Chief Minister of Johor State from 1986-1995. During his time as the Minister of Education in 2013, he initiated the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, the most comprehensive and biggest manifestation of Government’s transformation in getting the best returns in human capital to drive all national development aspirations.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin graduated from Universiti of Malaya with a Bachelor of Economics and Malay Studies in 1971. He grew up in the State of Johor and subsequently joined the Johor State Public Service after graduation.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was born on 15 May 1947. He married Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman in 1972 and has 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughters.
He enjoys golf, creative arts and travelling.
Yoshimoto Mitsuhiro began his career as an architect in 1981 and he became a consultant and researcher in cultural fields in 1985. Since then, he has been engaged in international studies on cultural policy, research on creative city development, survey on Cultural Olympiad, master planning of cultural institutions, and consultation for public art projects. These latter include Tokyo Opera City, National Art Center Tokyo and Tokyo International Forum, which rank among the top cultural developments over a couple of past decades in Japan.
Currently, he is the Director of Association for Corporate Support for the Arts, Trustee of International House and Council Board Member of Arts Council Tokyo. He is recently involved in planning Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad as a core member of Culture and Education Committee at the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as being Chairman of the Executive Committee for Tokyo 2020 Cultural Program of Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Since Yumiko joined OECD in 2013 as the head of OECD Tokyo Centre, she has been at the forefront of policy discussions between OECD and governments, businesses and academia in Japan and Asia, covering a wide range of economic policy issues. She has been leading discussions with various stake holders in Japan and Asia, particularly in the areas of Corporate Governance, tax guidelines, gender diversity, education, international trade and innovation. Prior to joining the OECD, Yumiko held a number of leadership positions as a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Yumiko has diverse professional experiences, ranging from banking in New York and London to UN Peace Keep Operations in Cambodia. Yumiko has an MBA from Harvard University, MA from Stanford University and BA from Sophia University. She sits on the Japan Advisory Board of Harvard Business School as well as several advisory committees of the Japanese Government. She is the author of a bestseller book, “Turning Demographic Challenges into Economic Opportunities”. (Japanese only) Ranked #1 at Amazon Japan, economics category.
Yasuyuki Sawada is a Japanese national. He holds a Doctorate degree in Economics and a Master's degree in International Development Policy from Stanford University, USA; a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Tokyo, Japan; a Master's degree in Economics from Osaka University, Japan; and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Keio University, Japan.
Mr. Sawada is a Professor in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Earlier, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo; an Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Korea University; a Research Associate at the Australia-Japan Research Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; and a Visiting Researcher at the Asian Development Bank Institute. Previously, he did part-time research work in a variety of institutions, such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Research Institute; the World Bank; Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA); Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS); Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE); International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines; International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Sri Lanka; Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry (RIETI) in Japan; and Japan Society of Promotion of Science (JSPS), where he led a number of large-scale development policy evaluation projects in Asia and other developing countries.
Mr. Sawada's research fields are macro- and micro-development economics, microeconometrics, economics of disasters, and field surveys and experiments. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed research articles on diversified topics pertaining to Asia and other developing countries ranging from macro development issues, such as long-term economic growth and structural change, sovereign debt sustainability, foreign aid, trade, ageing and social security, and natural and man-made disasters to micro issues of poverty, education, infrastructure, microenterprises, microfinance, health, and disabilities. He conducted his research using a variety of methods, such as calibration, microeconometrics, and field experiments, in collaboration with governments, international institutions, NGOs, and private firms.
Mr. Sawada is a highly qualified global macro- and micro-economist with deep hands-on field experience. He has expertise on how to measure and maximize development impacts of projects, and has led multiple policy-oriented research projects that cut across a wide range of sectors and themes. His publications are extensive and well acclaimed. His engagement in policy-oriented research projects under different institutions will contribute well to the role, especially in the design and implementation of ERCD’s vision to support ADB’s development goals.
Dr. Zhou Xiaochuan was born in January 1948. He is Vice Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia and China’s Chief Representative to the Boao Forum, President of China Society for Finance and Banking.
He received a PhD degree in system engineering in economics at Tsinghua University in 1985. Between 1979 and 1985, he did research and policy analysis for the reform of China’s economic system and in a large number of economic subjects. From November 1986 to September 1991, Dr. Zhou was a member of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System. In the period, he was also a member in the State Council Leading Group on Program of Restructuring the Economic System and a Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Economic Structural Reform in 1986 and 1987; from December 1986 to December 1989, he was Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation (which is now the Ministry of Commerce). From 1991 to 2002, he served on a number of positions, including as Vice President of the Bank of China, Administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China, President of the China Construction Bank, and Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. From December 2002 and March 2018, he was Governor of the People’s Bank of China. From January 2003 to June 2018, he was Chairman of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People's Bank of China. From March 2013 to March 2018, he was vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Dr. Zhou Xiaochuan is a member of the Group of Thirty (G30) and Chinese Economists 50 Forum.
Ritesh Agarwal is a young entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of OYO Hotels & Homes. He believes that everyone deserves a safe hygienic and comfortable living space, irrespective of their budget and founded OYO in India in 2013 to achieve this aim. Today, the company is the leading technology and revenue growth platform for 100K+ small hotels and homeowners globally. OYO is backed by leading investors, including the SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Ventures, Hero Enterprise, and China Lodging Group, amongst others. Ritesh was the first Asian resident to be accepted to the Thiel Fellowship.
Member of the House of Representatives
Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP)
Kanagawa 2nd Electoral District (elected eight times)
Born: Dec.6, 1948
Born on April 4, 1951 in Kampong Cham Province, upon completion of his local primary schooling, in 1965 Mr. Hun Sen came to Phnom Penh to continue his secondary education.
In 1970, Cambodia was plunged into war. Responding to the appeal of Prince Sihanouk to Cambodians to join the war against the imperialists, at the age of 18, Mr. Hun Sen joined the struggle movement, which liberated the country on April 17, 1975.
One day before the victory, on April 16, 1975, Hun Sen was wounded in the left eye. Recovered from months of treatment, on January 5, 1976, he married Bun Rany. They have six children.
Witnessing the Pol Pot regime’s policy of genocide, in 1977 he left his beloved family again to lead a movement aimed at liberating Cambodia and its people from the genocidal regime.
From 1979 to 1993, Mr. Hun Sen held various positions in the Cambodian administrations – the People’s Republic of Kampuchea and then the State of Cambodia. As Foreign Minister in 1979, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister from 1981 to 1985, and then as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister from 1985 to 1991, Mr. Hun Sen brought about several remarkable achievements, laying the basis for the implementation of peace, national reconciliation, and the development of Cambodia. Through his willing contribution and efforts, Mr. Hun Sen proved an indispensable architect of the Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia.
As a result of the implementation of the Agreement and the 1993 national elections, from 1993 to 1998 Hun Sen served Cambodia as the Co-Premier of the first coalition government. In this position, he again proved to be an earnest defender of national achievements and of the Paris Peace Agreement. His achievements in this period included carrying out the win-win policy which ends the Khmer Rouge’s threat and unifies Cambodia.
In July 1998, the general election brought victory to the Cambodian People’s Party, of which Hun Sen was the Vice President. He became the sole Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Samdech Hun Sen again led the CPP to a victory in the July-2003 general elections. On July 15, 2004, the National Assembly re-elected him as Prime Minister. On September 25, 2008, after winning the general elections of July 27, 2008, Samdech Hun Sen was re-elected as Prime Minister for the next five-year term (2008-2013). On September 23, 2013, Samdech Techo Hun Sen was re-elected as Prime Minister for the next five-year term(2013-2018).
On August 15, 2018, based on the official results of the National Assembly elections held on July 29, 2018, participated by 83.02% of registered voters, the National Elections Committee announces the Cambodian People’s Party winning a full-house 125 seats in the National Assembly to continue leading the country for another 5 years (2018-2023).
On September 6, 2018, in its first session, the sixth legislative term National Assembly carries out package voting through which confidence is granted for Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was born on March 28, 1945 in Maasin, Southern Leyte to Vicente Duterte and Soledad Roa who were both civil servants. His mother was a public school teacher while his father was a government worker.
The President traces his roots to the Visayas. He spent his early years in Danao, Cebu, the hometown of his father. But his lineage has also direct ties from Mindanao as his mother hails from Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte while his paternal grandmother was a Maranao.
In 1949, when Duterte was four years old, his family resettled in the then undivided Davao where his father Vicente later entered the political arena and was elected governor of the province and served from 1959 to 1965.
He graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the Lyceum of the Philippines University and obtained a law degree from San Beda College of Law in 1972. He passed the bar exam that same year. He served as special counsel and later on became a city prosecutor at the City Prosecutor·s Office in Davao City from 1977 until 1986, when he was appointed as OIC Vice Mayor of Davao City.
He ran and successfully won the mayoralty post in 1988. Since then, he has not lost an election. He is among the longest-serving mayors in the Philippines and has been Mayor of Davao City for seven terms, totaling more than 22 years. He has also served as vice-mayor and as congressman of the city's first congressional district.
On May 9, 2016, Duterte Zon a landslide victory as the Philippines' 16th President. He Zas officially proclaimed by a joint session of the Philippine Congress on May 30, 2016. He is the first Mindanaoan President and the first local chief executive to be elected straight to the Office of the President.
