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Shinkansen:
The Features and Influence of Japanese High-Speed Rail

Tuesday, April 8, 2025 | 12:50 – 1:50 PM (Lunch will be provided) 
Room 420, Geffen Hall, Columbia Business School 
645 W. 130th St., New York, NY 10027

 

Featuring:

Naohisa Kitada

General Manager, Washington DC Office, Central Japan Railway Company

 

Moderator:
David E. Weinstein, Director, CJEB; Carl S. Shoup Professor of the Japanese Economy, Columbia University

Hosted by: CJEB and Japan Business Association, Columbia Business School

Note: This event is limited to current Columbia University ID holders, Columbia alums, and CJEB affiliates. 

Talking Points:

  • The difference between the rail industries in the United States and Japan 

  • JR Central’s business, including its quality and transportation-oriented development of Tokaido Shinkansen, its detailed crash avoidance concept, the SCMaglev system—which enables commercial services at a speed of 500km/hr. (about 310 miles/hr.)—and the Chuo Shinkansen project 

  • The status and future of JR Central’s high-speed railway deployments in the U.S. as part of its overseas expansion.

Biography:

Naohisa Kitada is General Manager of the Washington DC Office of Central Japan Railway Company, so called “JR Central”, which operates the high-speed rail with the world’s largest transportation volume, “Tokaido Shinkansen,” linking Tokyo and Osaka, and 12 regional lines. Naohisa has been working for JR Central for more than 25 years. In his long career, he has experienced a variety of works related to railway business management, like in the corporate planning division, chairman’s office and so forth. Most recently, he has been in charge of overseas high-speed rail projects for around 10 years. JR Central has been promoting the deployment of its Shinkansen System and Superconducting Maglev System, mainly targeting the US transportation market. He has been engaged in projects in the fields of strategy management, intelligence activities and public & government relationships. He was assigned to his current position in July 2021 and is still engaged in the US high-speed rail projects JR Central has been supporting.

Naohisa received his Bachelor’s degree in economics from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, in 1998 and his Master’s degree in business from Purdue University in Indiana, US, in 2007. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife and two children (son and daughter).

Admission and Contact: 

You must register to attend this event in person.

Hosted by: CJEB and Japan Business Association, Columbia Business School

Special Notes:
● This event is limited to current Columbia University ID holders, Columbia alums, and CJEB affiliates. 
● This in-person-only event will not be live-streamed.
● Please be advised that this event may be photographed, so your image may appear on our website later. If this is an issue, please let us know.
● Please bring a government-issued ID or Columbia University ID to access Columbia Business School

If you have questions about the event, please contact us at cjeb@gsb.columbia.edu. 

When
April 8th, 2025 from 12:50 PM to  1:50 PM
Location
Room 420, Geffen Hall, Columbia Business School
645 West 130th Street
New York, NY 10027
United States

CENTER ON JAPANESE ECONOMY AND BUSINESS (CJEB)

Established at Columbia Business School in 1986 under the direction of its founder, Professor Hugh Patrick, and led currently by its director, Professor David E. Weinstein, the Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB) promotes knowledge and understanding of Japanese business and economics in an international context. CJEB is a research organization widely recognized for its vigorous research activities, international symposia, conferences, and lectures, held in New York City and Tokyo, which provide prominent speakers from the public and private sectors a forum for collaboration and reflection on Japan, the United States, and the global economy. For more information, visit business.columbia.edu/cjeb.