Team Cook, Bezos, and Dimon All Attend US-Japan Dinner

Japanese Side Business Figures Including Son Jeong-ui and Megan Lee Attend
First State-Level Visit by Japanese Prime Minister Since 2015

At the White House state dinner attended by U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, key figures from the business world, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, gathered in full force.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to Bloomberg and other foreign media on the 10th (local time), the guest list for the dinner hosted by President Biden immediately after the U.S.-Japan summit included not only CEO Cook but also Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Jamie Dimon, chairman of JPMorgan Chase known as the "Emperor of Wall Street," and Larry Fink, chairman of BlackRock.

Also attending were Brad Smith, vice chairman of Microsoft (MS), who announced the day before a plan to invest $2.9 billion (about 4 trillion won) over the next two years to expand cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) businesses in Japan, and Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of semiconductor manufacturer Micron. Japanese business figures included Masayoshi Son (Japanese name: Son Masayoshi), chairman of SoftBank Group, Ken Kobayashi, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and former president of Mitsubishi Corporation, and Myungwon Lee (American name: Megan Lee), CEO of Panasonic North America.

The attendees enjoyed a three-course meal including pickled salmon and ribeye steak, paired with wines from Washington and Oregon. The media reported that although Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to the U.S. came after the peak of the spring cherry blossom season, the dinner was themed around spring, decorated with butterfly ornaments and a Japanese-style garden, creating a fitting atmosphere.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

This is the first official state visit by a Japanese prime minister since 2015. At the summit held prior to the dinner, the focus was on strengthening defense and security cooperation between the two countries as "global partners." This included forming a consultative body to discuss joint development and production of weapons, as well as upgrading the command and control system between U.S. forces and the Japan Self-Defense Forces to enable rapid response to regional threats posed by China and North Korea. Additionally, the two leaders unveiled plans to enhance cooperation and investment in the technology sector.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister Kishida met with senior executives of American companies, including Gary Con, IBM vice chairman; Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer; and Ted Colbert, CEO of Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security division, urging them to invest in Japan in advanced technology fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing. Google announced on the 10th that it plans to invest $1 billion (about 1.3 trillion won) to lay two new undersea communication cables connecting the U.S., Japan, and various islands across the Pacific.

[Image source=UPI Yonhap News]

This is the fifth state dinner held for a foreign leader during President Biden’s term. President Biden also invited key figures from the American labor movement, including David McCall, president of the United Steelworkers (USW), and Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW). Notably, the USW, to which McCall belongs, has voiced opposition to Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel, drawing attention.

At a press conference immediately following the summit, the two leaders showed clear differences in stance regarding Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel. Prime Minister Kishida said, "It will be a good discussion for both countries," and "the process will proceed according to the law," while President Biden reaffirmed his existing opposition, stating, "I will keep my promise to American workers."

Other attendees at the dinner included actor Robert De Niro, Olympic medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.