Watch Yasuo Fukuda's Keynote Speech again:



Yasuo Fukuda graduated from Waseda University in 1959 and joined an oil company. After he left the company in 1976, Mr. Fukuda was appointed Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and assumed other positions including a board member of foundations. In 1990, he was first elected to the House of Representatives and served until 2012. During that period, he successively filled important positions in the Liberal Democratic Party: Director of the Foreign Affairs Division, Deputy Secretary-General, and Chairman of the Finance Committee. In 2000, he became Chief Cabinet Secretary and served in the Mori and Koizumi Cabinets until 2004.

In September 2007, Mr. Fukuda took office as the 91st Prime Minister of Japan. As Prime Minister, he successfully transformed the goals and objectives of the government to meet the needs of a new era and pursued such policies as the creation of a sustainable society, the designation of Eco-Model Cities, and a shift to people-centered political and administrative processes. In the foreign policy arena, Mr. Fukuda led international opinion on environmental issues at the G8 Summit, signed the fourth political document between Japan and China, and laid out a new direction for Japan-China cooperation in the 21st century.

Mr. Fukuda served as Chairman of Boao Forum for Asia from 2010 to 2018. Currently, he contributes to the international organization as Chairman of the Council of Advisors of Boao Forum for Asia.