Teruko WADA is the Executive Director of Keidanren USA. As head of Keidanren’s Washington DC office, she leads its public affairs activities in strengthening the U.S.-Japan economic relationship and raising the profile of Japanese businesses in the U.S.
Throughout her career at Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), Ms. Wada has extensive experience with public policy advocacy both domestic and international. Prior to her current position, she was the Director of International Affairs at Keidanren headquarters in Tokyo, where she was responsible for trade policy, economic security, relationship building of Japanese businesses with regions such as the United States, European Union, and Canada, as well as policy engagement with multilateral organizations/fora including G7/B7, G20/B20, WTO, OECD/BIAC, and APEC/ABAC. Prior to her career in the international field, she engaged in policy advocacy mainly in the areas of business legislation (antitrust, corporate, civil law, consumer protections, corporate governance, and financial regulations), taxation, defense/space industrial policies, energy, and regulatory reform.
Teruko earned her B.A. in law from Waseda University and LL.M. from the Graduate School of Law and Politics of the University of Tokyo. She was granted the Fulbright Scholarship and received her LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center with distinction. She is also admitted to the New York bar.
She has been an avid volunteer for Girl Scouting for many years, serving as Chair/President of Girl Scouts of Japan for 6 years (2009-2011 & 2019-2023) and the World Board Member for World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) for 6 years (2011-2017).