Thomas P. Logan
Encyclopedia
Thomas P. Logan トーマス・P・ローガン (Tom Logan) is an American-born businessman, venture capitalist, Rotary International
Fellow (Class of 1981 from USA to Japan), former space journalist and staff member for a United States Congressman. He has served in a variety of other positions in the United States and Asia.
He began his career in 1978 as a clerical intern and assistant in Santa Monica, California to Bay Buchanan, who later became Treasurer of the United States
, at the Citizens for the Republic (CFTR). A public policy research think-tank and political action committee established by former California Governor Ronald Reagan
in Santa Monica, California, CFTR facilitated Mr. Reagan's eventual run for President in 1980. Logan went on to serve for three years as a district deputy and legislative staff aide to a United States Congressman on Capitol Hill, specializing on East Asian affairs for the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and issues relating to Airborne Collision Avoidance System
. He assisted in the drafting of H.R. 3004 and later H.R. 4304 in the House Committee on Science and Technology, (now known as House Science Committee), mandating the use of ACAS systems on all civil and military aircraft within the United States which was later passed. House Foreign Affairs-related assignments took him to refugee camps and hostile environments close to hot Cambodian-Vietnamese War
zones on the Thai-Cambodian and Thai-Laotion borders during the Hmong people
mass exodus in late 1970s and early 1980s. Upon returning to the United States, he remained active in resettlement and family reunification efforts on behalf of the Cambodian, Lao/Hmong and Vietnamese refugee communities. Comments on the human tragedies he directly witnessed in Southeast Asia were reflected in the form of his poem about Cambodia immediately following the Killing Fields period, officially entered in the Congressional Record
on January 24, 1980.
and lived for much of his pre-adult years in the beachside community of Manhattan Beach, California
in southern California. A product of private and public schools in the area, including Mira Costa High School
, he graduated in 1981 as a "Thomas P. Pike-Christopher Scholar" from Loyola Marymount University with an undergraduate degree in Philosophy. As a free-lance aerospace reporter, he was accredited to cover the Kennedy Space Center
, the Johnson Space Center, and Dryden Flight Research Center
facilities during the NASA
missions of Apollo 17
, Skylab 2
and Skylab 3
, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and the California desert Space Shuttle Enterprise
Approach and Landing Tests.
Immediately after undergraduate work, Logan competed against hundreds of American graduate students and was selected as one of ten to receive Rotary International fellowships for two years of intensive study in Tokyo, Japan. Upon being assigned to Tokyo, he studied at International Christian University
(国際基督教大学) in Mitaka, Japan
, took up residence in Chōfu
City and was hosted by the Chofu Rotary Club. He committed to further business studies in the Graduate School of Commerce in Waseda University
,(早稲田大学大学院商学研究科) a prestigious private university in Tokyo, and under noted Professor Kinichiro Toba. US Ambassador to Japan, former Senate Majority Leader and Asian advisor to President John F. Kennedy Mike Mansfield
received the new foreign exchange student briefly in August 1981 for a welcoming briefing at the US Embassy, serving him a cup of his personal trademark "Mansfield's Instant Coffee" and cautioning the overly-enthusiastic, young Logan about not only the upsides, but also the challenges of living in Japan as a 'gaijin
'.
Logan has gone on to spend a total of over 20 years in Asia, first as a graduate business and foreign language student (Japanese, Chinese and Korean languages), then as co-host of a daily English instructional program "Zoku Kiso Eigo" (続基礎英語) on NHK
National Educational Radio ("Kyoiku Hoso"), and finally serving as an expatriate executive with both The Austin Company as Japan Branch Manager of its long-standing Tokyo office, and as Vice President, Japan for the American Electronics Association. At Austin, between 1990 and 1994, successful work was awarded to Austin's Tokyo Office of nearly US$55 million worth of billings on nine major design, engineering, construction management and consulting projects in Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Okinawa, including the baggage handling system at Kansai International Airport in joint venture with Kawasaki Heavy Industries
. At AeA Japan, Logan was elected to serve on numerous technical standards policy-setting boards by the Japanese Ministry of Telecommunications as one of several non-Japanese representing foreign industry, including those covering Intelligent Transportation Systems, dedicated short-range communications, 3-G wireless system, electromagnetic interference, 2.5 gigahertz spectrum and satellite technology. On behalf of American business interests in Japan, he delivered testimony on November 5, 1999 before the Japanese Prime Minister's "Cabinet Councilor's Office on External Affairs" forum for foreign companies headed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and has appeared on CNN
, CBS Evening News
, PBS (Nightly Business News),NHK
and other media outlets on the topic of successfully reducing Japanese trade barriers to American firms. US Ambassador to Japan Tom Foley
recognized Tom Logan's efforts at AeA by letter, with specific reference to his role in helping bring about a US-Japan agreement on lowering Japanese telecom interconnectivity rates and thus opening the market further to U.S. and other foreign companies active in Japan. Later he joined in a losing battle in 2000 to keep the AeA Japan office open as American IT industry continued its preoccupation and focus on Chinese markets to the exclusion of Japanese opportunities, so-called "Japan Passing"., and despite support from Ambassador Foley. Logan also had stints as a technology and Asian competitive policy analyst for a think-tank at Los Alamos National Laboratory
in New Mexico in the mid-1990s, and as a business consultant successfully involved in certifying large 200-ton construction cranes with the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare for export to the Japanese market for the Manitowoc Company, Inc., and further served five years in economic development in Northern Virginia for Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). He was co-author of a series of Japanese articles in the monthly "Chiiki Kaihatsu" on N.P.O. Regional Leadership and Development of the Suburban Washington, D.C. Area . Since late 2006, Tom Logan has been a venture capitalist with TNP On The Road, the V.C. subsidiary of TNP Partners Corporation in Yokohama
, Japan, and is an occasional speaker before Rotary Clubs in the United States and Asia. In 2008 he completed the "Venture Capitalist Development Programme" at the premiere business school, the Indian School of Business
(ISB) in Hyderabad, India, and in 2010 a similar course directed by the Japan Venture Capital Association
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
Fellow (Class of 1981 from USA to Japan), former space journalist and staff member for a United States Congressman. He has served in a variety of other positions in the United States and Asia.
He began his career in 1978 as a clerical intern and assistant in Santa Monica, California to Bay Buchanan, who later became Treasurer of the United States
Treasurer of the United States
The Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
, at the Citizens for the Republic (CFTR). A public policy research think-tank and political action committee established by former California Governor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in Santa Monica, California, CFTR facilitated Mr. Reagan's eventual run for President in 1980. Logan went on to serve for three years as a district deputy and legislative staff aide to a United States Congressman on Capitol Hill, specializing on East Asian affairs for the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and issues relating to Airborne Collision Avoidance System
Airborne Collision Avoidance System
An airborne collision avoidance system is an aircraft system that operates independently of ground-based equipment and air traffic control in warning pilots of the presence of other aircraft that may present a threat of collision. If the risk of collision is imminent, the system indicates a...
. He assisted in the drafting of H.R. 3004 and later H.R. 4304 in the House Committee on Science and Technology, (now known as House Science Committee), mandating the use of ACAS systems on all civil and military aircraft within the United States which was later passed. House Foreign Affairs-related assignments took him to refugee camps and hostile environments close to hot Cambodian-Vietnamese War
Cambodian-Vietnamese War
The Cambodian–Vietnamese War was an armed conflict between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Democratic Kampuchea. The war began with isolated clashes along the land and maritime boundaries of Vietnam and Kampuchea between 1975 and 1977, occasionally involving division-sized military formations...
zones on the Thai-Cambodian and Thai-Laotion borders during the Hmong people
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
mass exodus in late 1970s and early 1980s. Upon returning to the United States, he remained active in resettlement and family reunification efforts on behalf of the Cambodian, Lao/Hmong and Vietnamese refugee communities. Comments on the human tragedies he directly witnessed in Southeast Asia were reflected in the form of his poem about Cambodia immediately following the Killing Fields period, officially entered in the Congressional Record
Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
on January 24, 1980.
Personal and career background
Thomas P. (Tom) Logan was born in Inglewood, CaliforniaInglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
and lived for much of his pre-adult years in the beachside community of Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...
in southern California. A product of private and public schools in the area, including Mira Costa High School
Mira Costa High School
Mira Costa High School is a four-year public high school located in Manhattan Beach, California, United States that first began operating in 1950. It is the only high school in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District...
, he graduated in 1981 as a "Thomas P. Pike-Christopher Scholar" from Loyola Marymount University with an undergraduate degree in Philosophy. As a free-lance aerospace reporter, he was accredited to cover the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
, the Johnson Space Center, and Dryden Flight Research Center
Dryden Flight Research Center
The Dryden Flight Research Center , located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. Dryden, a prominent aeronautical engineer who at the time of his death in 1965 was NASA's deputy administrator...
facilities during the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
missions of Apollo 17
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
, Skylab 2
Skylab 2
-Backup crew:-Support crew:*Robert L. Crippen*Richard H. Truly*Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr*William E. Thornton-Mission parameters:*Mass: 19,979 kg*Maximum Altitude: 440 km*Distance: 18,536,730.9 km...
and Skylab 3
Skylab 3
Skylab 3 was the second manned mission to Skylab. The Skylab 3 mission started July 28, 1973, with the launch of three astronauts on the Saturn IB rocket, and lasted 59 days, 11 hours and 9 minutes...
, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and the California desert Space Shuttle Enterprise
Space Shuttle Enterprise
The Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the atmosphere. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight...
Approach and Landing Tests.
Immediately after undergraduate work, Logan competed against hundreds of American graduate students and was selected as one of ten to receive Rotary International fellowships for two years of intensive study in Tokyo, Japan. Upon being assigned to Tokyo, he studied at International Christian University
International Christian University
There are several rankings related to ICU, shown below.-Alumni rankings:According to the Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings and the PRESIDENT's article on 2006/10/16, graduates from ICU have the 24th best employment rate in 400 major companies, and their average graduate salary is the 4th best in...
(国際基督教大学) in Mitaka, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, took up residence in Chōfu
Chofu, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C...
City and was hosted by the Chofu Rotary Club. He committed to further business studies in the Graduate School of Commerce in Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
,(早稲田大学大学院商学研究科) a prestigious private university in Tokyo, and under noted Professor Kinichiro Toba. US Ambassador to Japan, former Senate Majority Leader and Asian advisor to President John F. Kennedy Mike Mansfield
Mike Mansfield
Michael Joseph Mansfield was an American Democratic politician and the longest-serving Majority Leader of the United States Senate, serving from 1961 to 1977. He also served as United States Ambassador to Japan for over ten years...
received the new foreign exchange student briefly in August 1981 for a welcoming briefing at the US Embassy, serving him a cup of his personal trademark "Mansfield's Instant Coffee" and cautioning the overly-enthusiastic, young Logan about not only the upsides, but also the challenges of living in Japan as a 'gaijin
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
'.
Logan has gone on to spend a total of over 20 years in Asia, first as a graduate business and foreign language student (Japanese, Chinese and Korean languages), then as co-host of a daily English instructional program "Zoku Kiso Eigo" (続基礎英語) on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
National Educational Radio ("Kyoiku Hoso"), and finally serving as an expatriate executive with both The Austin Company as Japan Branch Manager of its long-standing Tokyo office, and as Vice President, Japan for the American Electronics Association. At Austin, between 1990 and 1994, successful work was awarded to Austin's Tokyo Office of nearly US$55 million worth of billings on nine major design, engineering, construction management and consulting projects in Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Okinawa, including the baggage handling system at Kansai International Airport in joint venture with Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
. At AeA Japan, Logan was elected to serve on numerous technical standards policy-setting boards by the Japanese Ministry of Telecommunications as one of several non-Japanese representing foreign industry, including those covering Intelligent Transportation Systems, dedicated short-range communications, 3-G wireless system, electromagnetic interference, 2.5 gigahertz spectrum and satellite technology. On behalf of American business interests in Japan, he delivered testimony on November 5, 1999 before the Japanese Prime Minister's "Cabinet Councilor's Office on External Affairs" forum for foreign companies headed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and has appeared on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
, PBS (Nightly Business News),NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
and other media outlets on the topic of successfully reducing Japanese trade barriers to American firms. US Ambassador to Japan Tom Foley
Tom Foley
Thomas Stephen Foley was the 57th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1989 to 1995. He represented Washington's 5th congressional district for 30 years as a Democratic member from 1965 to 1995....
recognized Tom Logan's efforts at AeA by letter, with specific reference to his role in helping bring about a US-Japan agreement on lowering Japanese telecom interconnectivity rates and thus opening the market further to U.S. and other foreign companies active in Japan. Later he joined in a losing battle in 2000 to keep the AeA Japan office open as American IT industry continued its preoccupation and focus on Chinese markets to the exclusion of Japanese opportunities, so-called "Japan Passing"., and despite support from Ambassador Foley. Logan also had stints as a technology and Asian competitive policy analyst for a think-tank at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
in New Mexico in the mid-1990s, and as a business consultant successfully involved in certifying large 200-ton construction cranes with the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare for export to the Japanese market for the Manitowoc Company, Inc., and further served five years in economic development in Northern Virginia for Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). He was co-author of a series of Japanese articles in the monthly "Chiiki Kaihatsu" on N.P.O. Regional Leadership and Development of the Suburban Washington, D.C. Area . Since late 2006, Tom Logan has been a venture capitalist with TNP On The Road, the V.C. subsidiary of TNP Partners Corporation in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan, and is an occasional speaker before Rotary Clubs in the United States and Asia. In 2008 he completed the "Venture Capitalist Development Programme" at the premiere business school, the Indian School of Business
Indian School of Business
The Indian School of Business is a business school in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. It offers a Post Graduate Programme in Management , a Fellow Program in Management, and a Post Graduate Programme in Management for Senior...
(ISB) in Hyderabad, India, and in 2010 a similar course directed by the Japan Venture Capital Association