PROVIDENCE — A State Department expert on Japan will deliver a public speech at the State House on Thursday on the economic and strategic challenges facing that nation.

The Rhode Island Chapter of the Japan America Society is sponsoring the lecture by James Peter Zumwalt, the director of the department’s Office of Japanese Affairs, who will soon assume the second-highest position in the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

Zumwalt, who will speak on relations between Japan and the United States and the influence of China, has had several State Department assignments in Japan over the last two decades. He speaks Japanese fluently.

His half-hour lecture will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The event is made possible through a grant from the Meridien Benefits Group. It is free to the public.

The Japan America Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strong ties between the United States and Japan.