Japanese and U.S. business leaders on Thursday convened a two-day meeting to firm up private-sector ties regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election in November. The agenda items of the U.S.-Japan Business Conference in Washington included emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and energy. Jun Sawada, chairman of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., who is leading the Japanese delegation, told more than 200 participants that whatever happens politically, “We want to keep the great relationship and strong ties” between the two countries. Douglas Peterso…