Japan America Society of Southern California Presents THE FUTURE OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Japan America Society of Southern California (JASSC) and the Port of Los Angeles will present the Fourth Annual U.S.– Japan Green Conference: THE FUTURE OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN CALIFORNIA at The Omni Los Angeles Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on May 27, 2010.  The conference will take place from 2:00pm to 5:30pm, and will be immediately followed by a networking reception from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.  Special guest and keynote speaker, Norman Y. Mineta, 14th U.S. Secretary of Transportation, will lead a discussion on high-speed rail in California.

Additional speakers include:  Richard Katz, member of the board of the California High-Speed Rail Authority and past chair of the California State Assembly's Transportation Committee;  Michael R. Kodama, executive director of the Orangeline High Speed Rail Project;  Robert E. Galbraith, Transportation Systems Division, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products;  Masaki Ogata, executive vice president of the East Japan Railway Company (Tokyo), and;  Becky Johnson Sabin of Siemens Corporation.

With the passage of Proposition 1A on the November 2008 ballot, California voters approved funding for the nation's first high-speed train system that will link the state's major cities while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  In January this year, President Barak Obama pledged $2.3 billion in federal economic-stimulus funds with a large portion of the money tagged for a statewide high-speed rail line project for high-speed rail in California.  

As world leaders for energy conservation and high-speed transportation systems, Japan and Europe have much to offer California as the state moves forward with its plans for high-speed rail.  High-speed has both proponents and critics.  "With a goal of reduction of the use of natural resources and the elimination of hazardous pollutants, this conference will provide California's transportation industry an excellent opportunity to share an effective dialogue," said Robert Brasch, chairman of JASSC.  

Conference admission is $50 per person and entrance to the networking reception.  Reservations are recommended and can be made online at  www.jas-socal.org  or by calling (213) 627-6217, ext. 202.

About Japan America Society of Southern California  

The Japan America Society of Southern California was founded in 1909 to build economic, cultural, governmental and personal relationships between the people of Japan and America.  It is the West Coast's premier educational and public affairs forum dedicated to the United States–Japan relationship.  JASSC is a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit, charitable education organization and is supported by 130 Japanese and American corporate members and 2,000 individual members.  For more information, please visit www.jas-socal.org.

About the Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves.  As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues.  A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars.  For more information, please visit www.portoflosangeles.org.

SOURCE Japan America Society of Southern California