Robert “Skipp” Orr, former U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank and a key figure in the U.S.-Japan relationship, died Aug. 12 at the age of 68, friends of the family have said. Further details were not immediately available.
Orr enjoyed a long and distinguished career in business, government and academia. He is credited with opening up Japan’s cell phone market in the 1990s as a Motorola Inc. executive, and he served as president of Boeing Japan Co. from 2002 to 2007. During his time at Boeing, the 787 Dreamliner was developed, with 35% of the components made in Japan. Between 2007 and 2010, he was chairman of the board of the Panasonic Foundation.
He also served as vice chairman of the National Association of Japan-America Societies.