Japan-California Forum

Japan and California apparently don’t see eye to eye on the future of business in the next century. The two hold differing views on the influence of electronic commerce, the importance of manufacturing and the role of technology in corporate growth. A panel of economic experts is scheduled to discuss those differences at a seminar sponsored by Town Hall Los Angeles, the Japan America Society and others at noon Thursday at the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown. After the seminar, Shoichiro Toyoda, honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corp., is scheduled to offer his own views in a keynote address on the future of manufacturing in the global economy. Participating in the seminar will be Frank Gibney, president of Pacific Basin Institute; Professor Kazuo Kolke of Japan’s Hosei University and Professor John Zysman, founder of the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy. For more information, call (213) 628-8141.