Chicago Sister Cities International Program Chairman Jones Day
Robert W. Karr, Jr. has a broad range of experience representing and advising multinational companies in the aviation, transportation, manufacturing, construction, and technology industries, with a focus on the establishment of new enterprises, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic alliances.
Prior to beginning his law career, Karr studied and worked extensively in Japan. He studied the Japanese language and business at Nanzan University in Nagoya and law at Doshisha University in Kyoto. Karr was employed as the first American of a major Japanese construction company in Tokyo and was assigned to its general affairs, personnel, and sales divisions.
Karr is Chairman of Chicago Sister Cities International Program (appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley) and a board member for the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association (appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich). He is a member of the 2016 Chicago Olympic Committee, an executive board member of the Japan America Society of Chicago, a board member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, and a member of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a member of The Economic Club of Chicago and an advisor for the Osaka City Revitalization Committee (appointed by Mayor Junichi Seki).
