LOS ANGELES — About 200 people representing a wide range of fields in the United States and Japan got together recently in Los Angeles to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion programs in today's difficult economic times.

The symposium, "Leading and Navigating Tsunami Culture Across the Pacific," also provided an opportunity for leaders, present and future, to share insights on business advantages and how to succeed in a constantly changing, borderless world.

The third forum of its kind, it was organized by the nonprofit Global Organization for Leadership and Diversity. The first was held in 2007 in Los Angeles and the second in 2008 in Tokyo.