LEE Suet-Fern     IPBA President

Shiro Kuniya     IPBA 21st Annual Meeting and Conference, Kyoto/Osaka     Host Committee Chair

Kunio Hamada     The First President of the IPBA

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Welcome to Kyoto/Osaka and to the 21st Annual Meeting and Conference of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association. This Conference brings us back to our roots and founding in Japan, in a city steeped with history and tradition. This 21st Annual Meeting and Conference also represents a key anniversary in the history of the IPBA.

The Kyoto/Osaka Host Committee, chaired by the IPBA President-Elect, Shiro Kuniya, has put into place an extraordinary educational and social programme, that focuses, at this historic site and venue, on the future. The Conference theme of "Innovation" will be considered from legal, business and policy perspectives, and will be a catalyst for innovation, collaboration and diversity within the IPBA and its members.

The Kyoto/Osaka Conference will also host a landmark joint special session with APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), a very influential intergovernmental agency, which facilitates economic growth, economic and technical cooperation, and liberal trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, the IPBA Annual Conferences are much more than educational and thought-provoking events. As ever, IPBA Conferences represent unsurpassed opportunities for business lawyers to expand their networks of professional relationships and to come to the forefront of the latest developments in the law and practice in the Asia-Pacific region. As ever, the IPBA Conferences allow one to enjoy a level of collegiality and friendship which is a hallmark of the IPBA.

I look forward to welcoming you to this historic location and an exceptional 21st Annual Meeting and Conference in Kyoto/Osaka.

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It is truly an honor and pleasure to welcome you to IPBA’s 21st Annual Meeting and Conference from April 21 to 24, 2011 in Kyoto/Osaka, Japan, a place rich with history, culture and natural beauty.

This conference also proudly marks the 20th anniversary of the IPBA, which was founded here in Japan in April 1991. Since then, the IPBA membership has grown remarkably in number and infl uence. Today, the IPBA has over 1,400 members from 65 different jurisdictions, all sharing a commitment to the development of laws and the best legal practices in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Innovation” is this year’s conference theme. It was inspired by the IPBA’s desire to strengthen its role as an agent of change in the Asia-Pacific region. In this spirit, the various committees have put together an exciting palette of programs with notable speakers and social activities providing ample opportunities to bond and exchange new ideas, strategies and solutions.

We are also very excited to host the very first joint session between the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the IPBA. This special session is the first step of a collaborative partnership between APEC’s government leaders and IPBA’s lawyers to help promote trade and cross-border investments in the Asia-Pacific region through joint activities that aim to develop professional legal services and legal infrastructures.

All these and more are in store for you! May you have an enjoyable, meaningful and memorable time here in Japan.

Sincerely,

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It is with great pleasure to welcome you to the 21st Annual Meeting and Conference of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association. It has been 20 years since I welcomed the members of IPBA to our 1st Annual Meeting and Conference in Tokyo back in 1991. Twenty years is a signifi cant milestone for any organization, especially an organization focusing on the Asia-Pacific region which during the past 20 years has developed and advanced more than any other region in the world in many ways.

The goal of the founders of IPBA including myself was to create the region’s most friendly, prominent and diverse bar association on a modest scale so that both local and expatriate business lawyers in the region may participate freely, benefit intellectually and enjoy each other’s company greatly. For such purposes, certain innovative provisions are incorporated in its Articles of Association. IPBA has achieved and surpassed that goal beyond my wildest dreams through the great efforts of the founders and other leaders that have faithfully and tirelessly guided and supported the organization and a large group of loyal members that has kept coming back to annual conferences and other gatherings for the past 20 these years. I am confi dent that the current and future leaders of IPBA and its faithful members will continue this great legacy for many more decades to come.

The agenda of the Kyoto/Osaka Conference includes a full range of cutting edge business and legal topics reflecting the Conference theme of “Innovation” as well as a range of social events that take full advantage of the beauty and history of Kyoto. I look forward to seeing all of my IPBA family members in April and meeting new members that are so vital in continuing to keep this organization friendly, strong, vibrant and relevant in this ever-changing world of ours.