James David Blum received an undergraduate degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University in 1974. After college, he spent a year as a translator and intern for The Look Japan, Ltd. in Tokyo.
Mr. Blum returned to the United States to attend the University of Chicago Business School, where he earned his MBA.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, where he presently resides, Mr. Blum is an executive for a family investment firm. He has continued as a student of Asian Affairs and has maintained a constant interest in foreign policy.