Press Release

For Immediate Release

JASWDC Board Appoints Ambassador George Glass as Honorary Patron

WASHINGTON, DC: The Japan-America Society of Washington DC is pleased to announce that George Glass, Ambassador of the United States of America to Japan, will serve as an Honorary Patron of the Society. In this role, Ambassador Glass joins the Society’s current Honorary Patron, H.E. Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America.

Ambassador James P. Zumwalt, Chairman of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, welcomed Ambassador Glass saying, “The Society deeply appreciates its strong and historic partnership with US Embassy Tokyo, and we are truly honored that Ambassador Glass has joined the Society as an Honorary Patron. Having our ambassador serve alongside Ambassador Shigeo Yamada of Japan in this role is an important boost to our Society’s work nurturing US-Japan civil society ties, and it demonstrates the critical role that people-to-people ties play in the United States-Japan relationship.”

Ambassador Glass was confirmed by the Senate to be US. Ambassador to Japan on April 8, 2025. He previously served as US Ambassador to Portugal from 2017 to 2021 during the first Trump Administration. Glass is a prominent American businessman with expertise in finance, investment banking, and technology. Most recently, he served as an advisor to Reltio, a data management company based in Redwood Shores, California. Earlier he was a partner in MGG LLC, an enterprise that developed apartment complexes and rental homes.

Mr. Glass was Founder, President and Vice Chairman of Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon. He was also Director of Fixed Income and Institutional Sales, Gallagher Capital Corporation and US Treasury and Agency Bond Trader for the Investment Division of US National Bank in Portland. He has been recognized for contributions to higher education, in particular his roles as a Trustee to the University of Oregon and as a Trustee of the Oregon Health Sciences University.

Mr. Glass earned a B.S. from The University of Oregon. His honors include the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, the Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, the Knighted Order of Prince Henry the Navigator presented by the President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the Knighted Order of Immaculate Conception of Vila Vicosa Portugal presented by the Duke of Braganca.

About the Japan-America Society of Washington DC

The Japan-America Society of Washington DC is a 501(c)(3) educational and cultural non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Japan and the US at the grassroots public diplomacy level. Our programming aims to bring Japanese and American people closer together in the Nation’s Capital area.

Media Inquiries

William Denton, Communications Manager
wdenton@jaswdc.org