CLAUDIA SARMENTO, 42, is a seasoned Brazilian journalist with a solid career working for some of the most prestigious news organizations in Brazil. She has been a journalist since 1990, when she started as a reporter with Rio de Janeiro’s Radio Globo after graduating from PUC (Catholic University). Claudia has held different positions since, such as reporter at Folha de Sao Paulo, one of Brazil's leading newspapers, and reporter, writer, assistant editor and senior editor at O Globo, one of the country’s most prestigious dailies. Sarmento is married to a Brazilian executive and has a 4-year-old daughter. The family has just moved to Tokyo, where Sarmento now works as a stringer for O Globo, writing features and political news. In 1993, Sarmento and her husband moved to Moscow, from where she reported on major changes Russia was facing after the era of perestroika. When she returned to Rio, O Globo invited her to join the international desk. Sarmento started there as a reporter and soon became assistant editor and then editor, leading the coverage of various stories, such as political turmoil in Latin America and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From 2007 until her move to Japan, she was the editor in charge of a weekly entertainment magazine published by O Globo.

MING CHU YANG is a Tokyo-based correspondent for Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA). Before joining CNA in January 2006, she was a special assistant at the Asahi Shimbun’s Taipei bureau for seven years. Her other public-communications experience includes working as a coordinator at TVBS cable station responsible for Japanese programming and as a Japanese-language instructor at two different universities.
Yang has translated many Japanese books into Chinese in the past several years. She received a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Her special interests are national security and foreign
policy in Asia. She is also interested in politics, economics, culture and multimedia. Yang’s reports on what's happening in Japan are often quickly picked up by the Taiwanese media and disseminated via Chinese-language media throughout the world.

JIM O’CONNELL is a freelance photographer who has been living in Tokyo for more than 10 years, working as an IT engineer for much of that time. An avid amateur photographer for more than 30 years, he has spent the last several years working exclusively as a professional photographer. His two-year project documenting Kabukicho has been exhibited in Japan and the United States and will be released in book form in late 2010. O’Connell’s professional projects have included CD and magazine photography for Columbia Music Entertainment, advertising and product photography, as well as portraiture. Most recently he has been working with The New York Times as well as the Magnesium Photo agency (http://magnesiumphotos.com).

MITSUHIKO SATO is a professional photojournalist with more than 35 years’ experience internationally and in Japan. In 1973, he joined the Associated Press in New York as a photo editor/supervisor. He was transferred to Tokyo in 1982 and headed AP’s photo department. He covered such domestic and international stories as the crash of JAL Flight 123 on Mt. Osutaka in 1985, the “people power” revolution in the Philippines in 1986, the death and state funeral of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 and the enthronement of Emperor Akihito in 1990, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, the earthquake and tsunami on Okushiri Island in 1993 and the Kobe earthquake in 1995. In 2004, he retired from AP and joined Livedoor as managing editor of its News Center, which he helped to launch. In 2009, Sato joined Gamma Tokyo as an external adviser.

REGULAR MEMBERS
Claudia Sarmento, O Globo Newspaper

Ming Chu Yang, The Central News Agency

Jim O’Connell, The New York Times

REINSTATEMENT (REGULAR MEMBERS)
Mitsuhiko Sato, Gamma Presse Images

PROFESSIONAL/JOURNALIST ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Sandra Barron, Kurdyla & Associates

REINSTATEMENT (PROFESSIONAL/JOURNALIST ASSOCIATE MEMBERS)
Moritaka Matsumura, Freelance

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Rudie Filon, Delegation of the European Commission to Japan
Gilles Fauveau,
Hachette Book Group
John West, Asian Development Bank Institute
Masamichi Akashi, Hiong Guan Navegacion Japan Co., Ltd.
Mieko Morita, Total Communications System Inc.
Takaaki Nishiyama, Emus International Co., Ltd.
Takashi Oya, Mitsubishi Corporation
Nobue Shirai, Glopeer Partners Inc.
Akira Noguchi, Metal One Corporation
Setsuo Kamai, Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd.
Akira Kobayashi, Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd.
Akira Takahashi, The Terumo Life Science Foundation
Tetsuo Tanimura, Tower Investment Management Co., Ltd.