On November 28, 2007, the American Mitsubishi Public Affairs Committee (AMPAC) held its biannual meeting in San Francisco, hosted by the Union Bank of California, whose majority shareholder is The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. Other companies in attendance included Mitsubishi International Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Tokio Marine Management, and NYK Group Americas. Other Mitsubishi group companies, such as Mitsubishi Motors North America and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, are also regular members of AMPAC.
      AMPAC held its first meeting on June 5, 1997 and
Lively discussion at the November 2007 AMPAC meeting in San Francisco
has continued to hold meetings periodically, alternating between the east and west coasts of the United States. AMPAC provides a forum for its members to exchange information about: (a) issues that arise from time to time in connection with their respective business activities, and which have the potential to impact public perceptions about their companies either positively or negatively; and (b) general economic, political and social trends that may be relevant to the public affairs activities of the members. It also affords an opportunity for its members to learn from each other’s experience in managing public affairs for their respective companies. It is customary for AMPAC to invite an outside speaker to come and present on a topic of mutual interest. Since Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been a major theme at recent AMPAC meetings, last November the guest speaker was Ms. Juliet Ellis, the Executive Director of
A key discussion theme in November 2007 was how businesses can help resolve social and environmental problems
Urban Habitat, an Oakland, California-based environmental justice organization, who addressed the critical convergence of environmental and social issues, such as poverty and unemployment, and the role business can play in helping to resolve those issues. By learning more about the private sector’s responsibilities to society and the environment, AMPAC hopes to collectively enhance the value associated with the Mitsubishi heritage.