2021 Person of the Year Photo Gallery
Photos by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14
From left: ACCJ President Om Prakash, Nobuyuki Hirano, 2021 ACCJ President Jenifer Rogers, and ACCJ Financial Services Forum Chair Andrew Conrad
On April 25, 2022, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) recognized Nobuyuki Hirano as the 2021 ACCJ Person of the Year for his leadership and substantial contributions to the US–Japan relationship.
During a hybrid event held at Tokyo American Club and livestreamed to remote ACCJ members and guests, the former chair, president, and group chief executive officer of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) spoke about his long career.
The event began with a VIP session where ACCJ leaders greeted Hirano, after which ACCJ Governor and Financial Services Forum Chair Andrew Conrad welcomed luncheon guests and provided background about the award. ACCJ President Om Prakash delivered remarks and welcomed Hirano to the podium.
In addition to his work at MUFG, Hirano served as chair of the Japan-U.S. Business Council from 2017 to 2021, working tirelessly to promote better US–Japan business ties and to further strengthen the international business environment in Japan.
Following Hirano’s presentation and a Q&A session, moderated by Conrad, 2021 ACCJ President Jenifer Rogers presented the certificate.
The ACCJ Person of the Year Award was created in 1996 to enable the chamber to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to business and commercial relations between Japan and the United States. Past recipients include: Fujio Cho, honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation; Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten, Inc.; and Caroline Kennedy, the 30th US Ambassador to Japan.
