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Best of 2014: Japanese Minister Visit

Secretary of Defense and UNO alum Chuck Hagel and Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera. Photo courtesy the Department of Defense

Secretary of Defense and UNO alum Chuck Hagel and Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera. Photo courtesy the Department of Defense

It was a special year for UNO in 2014 with countless events, achievements, special guest visits and national recognitions for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The university's global engagement efforts came full circle in July with a visit to campus by the Japanese Minister of Defense, Itsunori Onodera.

On his way to visit with current U.S. Secretary of Defense and UNO alum Chuck Hagel in Washintgon, D.C., Onodera stopped at the UNO College of Business Administration's (CBA) Mammel Hall to learn about the STRATCOM Leader Fellowship Program which was housed in the building.

After arriving in D.C., a very special surprise was captured on camera at the Pentagon as Hagel gifted Onodera Maverick tennis gear to thank him for stopping by his alma mater. Onodera is an avid tennis fan. You can watch video of the presentation here.

"Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera Visits UNO"

July 2014

This week Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera made a surprise visit to the UNO campus as part of a United States trip to meet with his American counterpart, U.S. Secretary of Defense and UNO alumnus Chuck Hagel (’71).

While on campus, Mr. Onodera received a tour and visited Mammel Hall, which housed the STRATCOM Leader Fellowship Program earlier this year. The program, which is a partnership between UNO and the United States Strategic Command, provided graduate-level education and research to a select number of civilian security and defense experts over the course of 15 weeks.

Mr. Onodera was appointed to the role of Minister of Defense in December 2012 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Prior to his role as Minister of Defense, Onodera was a member of the Japanese House of Representatives (1997 – 2000, 2003 – 2012) and served as a guest professor at Tohoku Fukushi University.

As Minister of Defense, Onodera is second in line, behind prime minister Abe, in the Japanese government’s chain of command.

Photos from the Visit

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Meeting UNO College of Business Admnistration Associate Dean Dr. Lynn Harland, and College of Information Science & Technology Dean Dr. Hesham Ali

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Meeting UNO International Studies & Programs Dean Thomas Gouttierre

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