Wesley Hitomo Yee

Wesley received his BA in International Studies from the University of San Francisco with concentrations in International Economics and Asian Studies in 2018 and just received his MA in Japan Studies from the Jackson School. His research interests include the political economy of Japan and the history of U.S. – Japan business relations, and he aspires to pursue a career in the U.S. – Japan business development, private sector policy research, or government relations spaces.

Wesley is also the current Communications Assistant for the Japan Studies Program and East Asia Center, where he is responsible for producing promotional materials as well as social media and website content. Wesley’s professional background includes working as a Business Initiatives Associate at the Japan Society of Northern California in San Francisco where he coordinated the Society’s premier annual technology innovation symposium and worked on the launch of a new MedTech conference program.

As a fourth generation Japanese American (yonsei) and a San Francisco native, Wesley maintains his ties to the San Francisco Japantown community by playing the taiko drums with GenRyu Arts, a local performing arts organization. He is skilled in Mandarin Chinese and Japanese languages, and in his spare time enjoys going on scenic drives and keeping up with the latest trends in his new hobby, mechanical keyboards.