John Roos
Encyclopedia
John Victor Roos is the United States Ambassador to Japan
. Before accepting the ambassadorship from President Barack Obama
, Roos was the CEO
of Silicon Valley
-based law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
.
.
as United States Ambassador to Japan. This led to some criticism in Japan because of Roos' lack of diplomatic experience and any obvious connection to Japan. After hosting Roos at the White House and appearing before reporters with him, Obama said that he chose Roos because "after careful consideration I made the determination that the person who I thought could best do this is somebody with superb judgment, somebody with an outstanding intellect, somebody who is a very close friend of mine and a close adviser," referring to Roos. Roos said that Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati was "intimately involved" with several topics of interest to Japan, including software growth, the rise of the Internet and the emergence of biotechnology, clean technology and renewable energy. Roos also said that the close bilateral relationship between the two countries would remain unchanged regardless of who won the August 30, 2009, Japanese general elections
On August 7, 2009, the U.S. Senate
confirmed Roos by unanimous consent
. On August 16, 2009, Roos was formally sworn in as the new ambassador. Three days later he and his family arrived in Japan and on August 20 he presented his credentials to Emperor Akihito
.
On August 6, 2010, Roos attended the peace memorial ceremony in Hiroshima
, the first US Ambassador to Japan to do so.
, before he went on to college at nearby Stanford University
and Stanford Law School
. Roos is married to his wife Susan, and has two children, David and Lauren.
United States Ambassador to Japan
The United States Ambassador to Japan is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States to Japan. Since the opening of Japan by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, in 1854, the U.S. maintained diplomatic relations with Japan, except for the ten-year period following the attack on...
. Before accepting the ambassadorship from President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, Roos was the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
-based law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is a law firm in the United States that specializes in business, securities, and intellectual property law. The firm's Chairman, Larry Sonsini, is well known as an attorney and advisor to technology companies....
.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Roos was hired by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 1985, having previously worked for O’Melveny & Myers in the early 1980s. In 2000 he was promoted to managing director of professional services. Roos was named as the new CEO of the law firm in February 2005. During his tenure as CEO Roos reportedly fundraised over $500,000 for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaignBarack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
.
Ambassadorship
In May 2009 Obama named Roos as his choice to replace the departing Tom SchiefferTom Schieffer
John Thomas Schieffer, known as Tom Schieffer , is an American diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2005 to 2009 and as U.S. Ambassador to Australia from 2001 to 2005. Schieffer is a friend and former business partner of President George W. Bush. He is the younger brother of Bob...
as United States Ambassador to Japan. This led to some criticism in Japan because of Roos' lack of diplomatic experience and any obvious connection to Japan. After hosting Roos at the White House and appearing before reporters with him, Obama said that he chose Roos because "after careful consideration I made the determination that the person who I thought could best do this is somebody with superb judgment, somebody with an outstanding intellect, somebody who is a very close friend of mine and a close adviser," referring to Roos. Roos said that Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati was "intimately involved" with several topics of interest to Japan, including software growth, the rise of the Internet and the emergence of biotechnology, clean technology and renewable energy. Roos also said that the close bilateral relationship between the two countries would remain unchanged regardless of who won the August 30, 2009, Japanese general elections
Japanese general election, 2009
A general election in Japan was held on August 30, 2009, for all 480 seats of the House of Representatives of Japan, the lower house of the Diet of Japan....
On August 7, 2009, the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
confirmed Roos by unanimous consent
Unanimous consent
In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house, is a situation in which no one present objects to a proposal. The chair may state, for instance: "If there is no objection, the motion...
. On August 16, 2009, Roos was formally sworn in as the new ambassador. Three days later he and his family arrived in Japan and on August 20 he presented his credentials to Emperor Akihito
Akihito
is the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In...
.
On August 6, 2010, Roos attended the peace memorial ceremony in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, the first US Ambassador to Japan to do so.
Personal
Roos grew up in San Francisco and graduated from Lowell High SchoolLowell High School (San Francisco)
Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
, before he went on to college at nearby Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
. Roos is married to his wife Susan, and has two children, David and Lauren.