Regional Mentor, Tohoku-Hokkaido Region
Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture
Kazunori Ishii is a director at the Kamaishi City Office, focused on overcoming population decline and revitalizing the local economy. He was born in Aichi Prefecture, and received a BA in Liberal Arts from International Christian University, Tokyo. In Kamaishi City, more than 1,000 people were killed by the Great East Japan earthquake on 11 March 2011. Ishii has four year experience in various projects, including the development of a comprehensive strategy based on 700 interviews called “the Kamaishi Resilient Strategy”, supporting the recruitment activities of companies in the disaster affected area in collaboration with large enterprises in Tokyo, the launch of an organization for community development, the introduction of an On-Demand Bus to rebuild the public transportation, promotion of overseas internships including Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX) of Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the development of public relations, including more than 100 exposures in the media. Ishii participated in the TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program in 2016.
Regional Mentor, Tohoku-Hokkaido Region
Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Minori Kato has a wide range of experience in the energy sector that includes Sales, Public Relations, Nuclear Power and Fuels procurement. Currently, she is a LNG Buyer, procuring LNG contracts from various countries including shale gas from the United States. At the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake, she was working at the Nuclear Power Department, producing press release materials to report and update the status of her company’s Nuclear Power Plants to the local government the public. As a working mother of two children, Kato is keen on improving awareness and work conditions for future female leaders in Japan. In 2014, she attended a leadership program in Norway designed to develop female leaders in Tohoku. In 2015, she participated TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program. She graduated from Keio University with Bachelor of Arts in Policy Management, and currently pursuing Masters study in Public Policy at Tohoku University.
Regional Mentor, Tohoku-Hokkaido Region
Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture
Ryuta Kamikokuryo is CEO of PACARE Corporation and Founder and Chairman of the NPO Idouhoiku Project, a traveling daycare that began in July 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Originally from Kagoshima prefecture, he attended university in Fukushima and returned after spending a few years in Tokyo to devote himself to the care of young children in Fukushima prefecture post-3.11. Ryuta took part in the TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Training Program supported by J.P. Morgan in 2013 when he traveled to Seattle and San Francisco as part of the NPO Study Tour that focused on NPO leaders in the Tohoku Region committed to improving the lives of those affected after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Regional Mentor, Tohoku-Hokkaido Region
Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture
Ms. Ishiyama is an alumna of the TOMODACHI FIRST (Food Innovation for Regional Sustainability in Tohoku) Program. From 2008 to 2011, Ms. Ishiyama managed planning and public relations in the marketing department of a beverages manufacturer in Tokyo. She then transitioned to media relations, media consulting and visual production for small to mid-sized businesses, and returned to the food industry in 2013. She visits farmers and creates promotional materials and provides sales and product development support based on the "producers' voices." She also enjoys hosting food events, dietary educational workshops, local tours, and farmers' markets as opportunities for producers share their message.
Regional Mentor, Kanto Region
Tokyo, Japan
Steve Sakanashi is the founder of Sekai Creator, an entrepreneurship program that trains Japanese university students to become global and entrepreneurial leaders. He is a TEDx speaker and co-founder of Zubits Japan, the Japanese expansion of a Kickstarter-backed gadget that eliminates the need to tie shoe laces. He is also a partner at Labs8, a Seattle based venture builder, where he searches for startup teams and problems with untapped potential. As a yonsei in Japan, Sakanashi is passionate about being a bridge for Japan and the US and enjoys serving as a mentor to TOMODACHI alumni in the Kanto region. Originally from Los Angeles and Seattle, he currently lives in Tokyo with his wife, Joy, and their two young sons, Isamu and Shotaro. Sakanashi participated in the TOMODACHI Emerging Leaders Program as a delegate of the 2015 Class.
Regional Mentor, Kanto Region
Tokyo, Japan & Akita, Japan
Ginger Koto Vaughn is a media specialist with a background in journalism and communications.
She is currently a professor of media and global public relations at Akita International University.
Vaughn’s career in broadcast journalism started at NHK, Japan’s sole public broadcaster where she covered business and sustainability. She later joined CCTV America as an international correspondent in Houston, Texas where she focused on energy and global business. Vaughn has served as an advisor for Japan’s Ministry of Tourism’s “Visit Japan Campaign,” set on increasing tourism. Under the US-Japan Council, Vaughn is active in the Emerging Leader Program (ELP) and the TOMODACHI Regional Mentor Program where she engages with young professionals in Tokyo. She is passionate about the outdoors and education on environmental issues and is the first American woman to climb Japan’s 100 mountains, “Hyakumeizan.”
Regional Mentor, Kanto Region
Tokyo, Japan
Atsushi Suhara works at the Human Resource Development Department of ICNet Limited, an international development consultancy firm, where he works to cultivate human resources both in Japan and other counties (especially in developing counties), organize study tours and internship programs in mainly Asian countries for college students and young professionals who are willing to work globally in the future; and conduct trainings to introduce technical knowledge for professional aid workers (especially NGO/NPO staff in Japan). Suhara mainly manages these training programs for NGO workers, manages business and creates study tours for graduate students at Keio University’s Executive MBA program, and supports JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program that targets fishery workers in Asia and Africa. Prior to his current position, he worked as a development support and emergency response officer with ADRA Japan, where he supervised and managed several development aid programs in Nepal. Suhara is also a registered medical coordinator for the Japan Disaster Relief Team (JICA JDR). Suhara was born and raised in Chiba and currently lives in Tokyo. Suhara participated in the TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Program supported by J.P. Morgan in 2015.
Regional Mentor, Chubu-Hokuriku Region
Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
Tsutomu Sugano is the founder, President and CEO of ACT FREAK Inc. that aims to change the way people think and work in Japan. The company trains people with disabilities to enhance their employment opportunities, and also offers English lessons through cooking or doing an event. Tsutomu began his company in 2014 by providing business training to new employees and people with disabilities. Prior to starting his own business, Tsutomu worked as a production engineer at Toyota Motor Corporation for ten years after graduating from Chuo University with a major in mechanical engineering. Tsutomu participated in the TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program in 2014.
Regional Mentor, Kansai Region
Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Yuko Nakaoka is the SelectUSA Commercial Specialist at the U.S. Consulate General, Osaka-Kobe. She is responsible for promoting and supporting foreign direct investment (FDI) from Japan to the United States. Yuko has over ten years of experience in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations. She joined the U.S. Mission in October 2015 after working at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), Kansai Chapter for seven years as the Operations Manager. Born in Nishinomiya, Yuko grew up in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture. Her family lost their home in the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake and relocated to Takarazuka during reconstruction following the disaster. Yuko has in depth experience working at Japanese and international organizations in Japan and the U.S., but she calls Kansai home. Yuko participated in the TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program as a mentor in 2014 - 2015. She was also selected and attended the Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative (JWLI) Fellows Program in Boston, Massachusetts in 2015 funded by the Fish Family Foundation.
Regional Mentor, Chugoku-Shikoku Region
Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture
Naoto Ishida joined the Hiroshima Prefectural Government in 2003 and is currently Chief of the Management Planning Division where his responsibilities focus on assisting the Constructing Bureau to improve management by drawing up new strategies and monitoring the progress of projects. Prior to his current position, Naoto gained valuable experience over ten years through assignments in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Bureau, Regional Tax Office, Health & Welfare Bureau, and the Commerce & Industry & Labor Bureau. In 2015, Naoto was dispatched to a megabank where he researched mainly on currency management of global companies. In 2013, Naoto was selected as one of the first delegates of the TOMODACHI-Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program. Naoto holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kyoto University.
Regional Mentor, Kyushu Region
Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture
Shotaro Kurata was born and raised in Kyushu, studied in Tokyo, and has worked for Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) since 2005. Since early June 2016, he was assigned as a deputy manager of JR Kyushu Hospital to lead the administrative improvement project team. Prior to being transferred to the Hospital, he was in charge of international affairs for four years as an assistant manager of the Strategy Management Department at JR Kyushu. At that position, he established and maintained the connection with other railway companies overseas such as NS in Netherland and SRT in Thailand. Kurata has also attended international conferences such as ITF held in Leipzig, Germany to represent the company. Kurata received an MBA in 2012 at Simon Business School, University of Rochester, in N.Y. focused on Corporate Strategy.
Regional Mentor, Okinawa Region
Naha, Okinawa Prefecture
Mai Taira has been in the Human Resources field for over ten years, and she currently serves as the principal advisor on youth and adult civilian dependent misconduct program for USAF, Kadena Air Base. Her career background consists of working in most aspects in HR with hospitality management experiences at MGM Grand hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, she is an active member of American Exchange Program Alumni of Okinawa (AEPAO) and enjoys sharing her overseas experiences with young Okinawan students on study-abroad opportunities and hosting Asakatsu English coffee socials to encourage local populace with participating in U.S.-Japan bilateral activities. Taira holds two Bachelor degrees: B.A. in Humanities from University of the Ryukyus and B.S. in Hospitality Management from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
New Otani Garden Court 12F
4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0095 Japan
