At the New Otani Hotel & Garden, Los Angeles

Wednesday, May 12, 2004
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
New Otani Hotel & Garden
120 South Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Japan America Society of Southern California presents "My Life as an Officer in the Japanese Imperial Navy," a lecture by Iwao Tomita, Senior Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Iwao Tomita is a founding partner of the international Japanese accounting firm Tohmatsu Awoki & Co. (currently known as Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu).  Tomita graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy – Paymasters' Division in 1943 and later received his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of  Pennsylvania. While in the Imperial Navy, he first served as an ensign on a battleship carrier, then as a lieutenant on a convoy-escort ship assigned to escort a fleet of cargo ships to and from Kure, Kaoshun, Shanghai, Manila Borneo and Singapore. However, more than half of those ships, including Navy destroyers, were sunk by American submarines and airplanes. 

In April 1945, Tomita became an instructor lieutenant at the Naval Academy, and later was assigned to the sweeping of mines dropped by B-29's in the west Kyushu area. From late 1945 to 1947 he was assigned to repatriation duty to return to Japan 6,000 soldiers and civilians from the Pacific Islands, Shanghai, and Manchuria. With a former admiral, Tomita founded Yuka Industries Co. in 1947, then Japan Gas Chemical in 1951 before founding Tohmatsu & Co. in 1968.

Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Japan America Society at (213) 627-6217, ext 202, or by visiting www.jas-socal.org.

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Reservations are recommended

Cost : $38 general admission; $32 discounted prices for JAS members and seniors (65+)

www.jas-socal.org

Sponsor(s): Japan America Society of Southern California