Issue:

Regular Member

Kim Sang-Woo

Feature Story News

Kim Sang-woo began his career when the then editor-in-chief of the Japan Times visited his college at Waseda University for a symposium. When the class was over, Kim walked to the podium, asked for an internship and started his first job a week later. Kim found his passion in journalism in college, and followed his peers demonstrating political activities in Tokyo. It was then when he first joined the FCCJ as a student member. After Waseda, Kim attended Columbia Journalism School in New York and returned back to Tokyo. He later worked as a news producer for NHK World for more than three years, including the era of Covid-19 pandemic. After leaving the broadcaster, he worked as a freelancer for the New York Times, a novice bartender in Seoul, and an editor-in-chief of his own independent magazines. Kim was later interviewed by GQ Japan for his publishing project. In 2023, Kim joined Feature Story News (FSN) in 2023, where he now produces television news for CGTN, DD INDIA, and PBS. Native to Korea, Kim is a quadrilingual, including in Mandarin Chinese. He has lived in Japan for 10 years and is known as "Sang" among English speakers and as "Kimu-san" by locals.

Regular Member

Jason Y. Ng

Freelance

Jason Y. Ng is a published author, a columnist, and an adjunct law professor.

Ng is the bestselling author of HONG KONG State of Mind (Blacksmith, 2010), No City for Slow Men (Blacksmith, 2013), and Umbrellas in Bloom (Blacksmith, 2016), the first book published in English to chronicle Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement of 2014. Together, the three books form a Hong Kong trilogy that charts the city's post-colonial development. Ng also co-edited Hong Kong 20/20 (Blacksmith, 2017) and Hong Kong Noir (Akashic, 2019), part of Akashic Books' award-winning series of international noir anthologies.  Most recently, he collaborated with the activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Joshua Wong on Unfree Speech (Penguin UK, 2020), a book that is part Wong's memoir and part manifesto calling for solidarity in the fight against authoritarian regimes around the world. Ng's works have been translated into many languages.

Between 2012 and 2020, Ng was a columnist for the South China Morning Post and Hong Kong Free Press. He has also contributed to the Guardian and Hong Kong Economic Journal, among others, and his articles on Hong Kong politics are frequently cited by international news organizations such as BBC News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Ng is also involved in various social causes, including freedom of expression, rule of law, and the rights of foreign domestic workers and other minority groups in Hong Kong. Between 2016 and 2019, Ng served as President of PEN Hong Kong, the local chapter of PEN International that promotes literature and defends free expression around the world. Between 2019 and 2020, he was co-convener of the Progressive Lawyers Group, a group of Hong Kong-based lawyers committed to safeguarding the city's rule of law and civil liberties.

Associate Member

Hideki Hamada

ANA Holdings Inc.

March 1986: Graduated from Waseda University (School of Education)

Business Experience

April 1986: Administration, Passenger Services, Tokyo Airport Office
March 1994: Shinjuku Sales Office, Tokyo Office
March 1997: Sales, Domestic Sales, Tokyo Office
April 1999: Sales Manager, Domestic Sales, Sales 1, Tokyo Office, Sales
April 2003: Director, Passenger Services 2, Passenger Services, Tokyo Airport Office
April 2005: Director, Passenger Services Quality, Services Support, OCC Promotion, Operations Management Headquarters
December 2006: Sales Manager, Corporate Sales, Tokyo Office
April 2010: Director, Sales Planning, Okinawa Office, ANA Sales Okinawa Co., Ltd.　
April 2011: Deputy General Manager, Okinawa Office, General Manager, Miyako Office, ANA Sales Co., Ltd. (Okinawa)
April 2012: General Manager, Kagoshima Office, ANA Sales Co., Ltd.
April 2017: Vice President, Executive Secretariat, ANA Holdings Inc.
April 2022: Senior Vice President, Executive Secretariat, ANA Holdings Inc.

Associate Member

Yohei Ishida

ANA Catering Service Co., Ltd.

March, 1983: Graduated from Keio University
(Faculty of Business & Commerce, Business and Commerce)

Business Experience

April, 1983: Joined ANA, Reservation Sales, Reservation Sales Center,
Tokyo Sales Office
March, 1986: International Administration, Sales & Marketing
July, 1988: Tariff System, International, Sales & Marketing
January, 1995: Sales Team, International Passenger Sales, Sales & Marketing
March, 1996: Manager, International Passenger Sales, Sales & Marketing
June, 1997: Manager, London Office (Marketing & Sales Europe)
July, 2001: Manager, Revenue Management, Marketing
April, 2005: Manager, Inflight Services, Office of Quality Management Support Promotion, Inflight Services
April, 2008: Vice President, Passenger Services, Inflight Services
April, 2009: Product Strategy Office, Loaned to ANA Catering Service Co., Ltd.
(Vice President, Product Development)
April, 2011: Senior Director, Product Strategy Office,
July, 2011: General Manager, Okinawa Airport Office
April, 2014: Loaned to ANA Cargo Inc. (Senior Vice President, Airline Sales)
April, 2015: Loaned to ANA Cargo Inc. (Senior Vice President, Global Marketing & Sales)
April, 2016: General Manager, Hong Kong Office
April, 2018: Senior Vice President, General Manager, Narita Airport,
President and CEO of ANA Narita Airport Services Co., Ltd.
April, 2022: President and CEO of ANA Catering Service Co., Ltd.

Associate Member

Hideki Suzuki

ANA Catering Service Co., Ltd.

First of all, I would like to thank you for entrusting ANA Catering Service (ANAC) to operate the restaurant from October 2023. My name is Hideki Suzuki, Executive Vice President in charge of ANAC's Food & Beverage Department, which is responsible for this operation. I am also in charge of ANAC head office departments such as Corporate Strategy, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting, Facilities Planning, IT, General Affairs, Production Management, and Production Engineering.

I was born in Bangalore India in May 1963 due to my father's work. It was 60 years ago, the exchange rate was fixed at 360 yen to the dollar and overseas travel was not allowed, so I heard that my parents had a lot of trouble.

I graduated from Waseda University with a Bachelor of Science and engineering degree. After graduating from university, I worked at Seikosha, which manufactured Seiko brand watches and clocks.

In 1990 I joined All Nippon Airways as a pilot trainee. Unfortunately, I became seriously ill during my training, so from 1991 I worked as a member of the ground staff in the sales department, cabin crew management department, internal audit department, and Air Japan. I have been working for ANAC since 2012.

We would like to supporting FCCJ management by higher commissions from increased restaurant sales. We will continue to improve our quality and hospitality. We look forward to your visit!
Finally, a wonderful in-flight meal awaits you. We look forward to seeing you on ANA flights!

Associate Member

Hideki Takeda

Kyoto University/Footlight

Experienced for 10 years as a CTO in a listed company, driving leadership in research and application development, achieving a fivefold revenue increase. With 20 years of experience in AI, particularly in natural language processing, initiated and managed research organizations and contributed to research and development practices. Holds a position as a visiting professor at Kyoto University's Faculty of Law. Successfully competed in the US legal tech market against foreign companies, leading to listing on Nasdaq. Presented in over 130 lectures and panel discussions on AI-related topics. Holds 58 patents and authored Chapter 7 of Cutting-edge Legal Tech Utilization: How AI and IT Are Transforming Legal Affairs (Published by Gyosei, November 2020), focusing on the latest legal tech trends in the U.S.

Associate Member

Masayuki Watanabe

Miyake & Partners

Birth Date: May 2, 1970
Occupation: Lawyer
Title: Partner
Education: University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law (1995), Columbia Law School (LL.M) (2007)
People to look up to: Father and Mother
Favorite Book: Harry Potter
Favorite Food: Sushi, Yakiniku
Favorite Sports: Yoga, Swimming

Associate Member

Aire Kork

Delegation of the European Union

Aire is the Head of Political, Press and Information Section, EU Delegation to Japan in Tokyo. She was born in Estonia, where in 2006 she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Tartu, where she majored in International Relations and Modern History. The same year she moved to Taiwan, where in 2009 she graduated from the National Chengche University with a Master's Degree in China Studies, focusing on China's policy within international institutions.

In 2011, Aire entered the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where after two years working on issues of international trade, she started as a Political Officer in the Embassy of Estonia to China in 2013. After her posting in Beijing, she further served as a Political Officer in Estonia's Permanent Representation to the EU 2016-2018 and Estonia's Embassy to the US in Washington DC from January 2018 to September 2019.

In September 2019, Aire joined the EU External Action Service. From 2019 she was posted to the EU Delegation to China, where she worked primarily on China's foreign policy portfolio until taking up her current position at the EU Delegation to Japan in 2023.

Reinstatement (Associate Member)

Masaatsu Ohga

TAK Hospitality Kyoto, Inc.

President of TAK HOSPITALITY and former Vice-President of Takenaka Corporation.

Qualifications

  • Consistently maximizes the value of ownership of both the five stars hotels and the first class offices globally. Domestic international experiences in real estate developments, property acquisitions, purchase and sales transaction, leasing assent management, and corporate restructuring in Japan and US. Professional expertise as project manager in the construction fields.
  • Keeping informed about activities, as director and adviser with private sector's experiences, with respect to the medical organization and for advising medical directors of the organization.

Education

  • December, 1990, Master of Science of Real Estate Investment and Development, New York University
  • March, 1972, Bachelor of Arts in Business and Commerce, Keio University, Tokyo

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
□April 2021-Present: Director and Senior Adviser, SUBARUKAI Medical Corporation Group
□April 2020-Present: President, TAK HOSPITALITY KYOTO
□April 2016-March 2020: Senior Advisor, TAKENAKA CORPORATION
□April 2010-March 2016: Director and Executive Vice President, TAKENAKA CORPORATION
□March 2006-March 2010: Executive Managing Director, TAK REALTY CO.
□April 1994-February 2006: General Manager, Office of Investment ＆Development, TAKENAKA CORPORATION
□April 1992-March 1994: Executive Vice President, AMTAD INC. Los Angels, CA
□October 1981-March 1992: President, AMTAD New York, NY

SKILLS:
□Licenses Real Estate Broker, New York State, US
□Language:　Japanese, English

ACTIVITIES:
□Member of THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB OF JAPAN
□KEIO JSKS RUGBY CLUB
□KEIO RENGOU MITA-KAI KEIO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
□ASHIYA COUNTRY CLUB
□Former member of the Japan America Society
□Former member of KEIDANREN POLITICAL FORUM