Dan Sloan is returning to the Board after a three-year hiatus with previous roles including FCCJ Secretary, First Vice President, and President. He joined the Club in 1994 and is currently a Life Member. He works as an Adjunct Professor of Journalism & Media Studies at Temple University Japan and Lakeland University Japan, as well as a Freelance Writer. He previously worked for Nissan Motor in its Communications Department, and for nearly two decades at Reuters and Knight-Ridder on their financial news teams. He is a graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Virginia, and author of “Playing to Wiin: Nintendo and the Video Game Industry’s Greatest Comeback.” He played for over 15 years for the FCCJ Alleycats softball team, loves sports, music and film, and is the proud father of Theo and Sera.
Khaldon Azhari is a full-time journalist based in Tokyo. He covers general news (politics, diplomacy, military, and economy), specializing in the energy sector. He has a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Homs University. His journey in journalism began at a young age, around 6 years old, when he started walking in the corridors and newsroom of the newspaper owned by his late father, Mohamed Azhari, whose lifelong dedication to journalism, as the chief editor of Al Aruba (Pan-Arab) newspaper and others, ignited his passion for this field. His work in Japan involves reporting for several media companies, focusing on West Asia, mostly the Arab countries. His experience, deep understanding of the region's dynamics, and unique perspective on its news helps him navigate the news covering journey in East Asia and Japan in particular.
As the Bureau Chief of the Tokyo newsroom/office of Arab News Japan, a newspaper and wire service that publishes in English, he is responsible for overseeing operations and ensuring the delivery of high-quality news. He also serves as the correspondent for the Emirates News Agency and manages PanOrient News media production (mainly TV) for subscribers. He regularly contributes to BBC Arabi TV, Al Arabiya Chanel, and Al Sharq TV, among others. He says he can't be proud enough of his membership of Japan's Foreign Correspondents' Club, the main hub for news making and breaking in Japan and East Asia and one of the top global press clubs. He wholeheartedly believes in the FCCJ's mission to defend the free press and continue its role as the hub for world-class reporting. This belief is strengthened by the sophisticated news and information-gathering infrastructure, dedicated staff, and highly qualified journalists and other members that make up the FCCJ. (His message: Thank you for taking the time to learn about my professional journey and experiences.)
Raised in California, Randy Schmidt graduated from UCLA Film School in 1984 and worked at 20th Century Fox motion picture studio before moving to Tokyo in 1996. While in Japan, Randy was employed as a staff cameraman-editor at the CNN Tokyo Bureau, then for Reuters and BBC, and freelanced for all the major foreign TV news bureaus in Tokyo. In 2006, Randy joined CBS News as a cameraman-editor, based in Tokyo though covering all of Asia with over six months of international travel each year to China, South Korea, North Korea, India, Bhutan, Indonesia, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, etc. With subject matter ranging from hard news stories to cultural features and natural disasters, Randy shoot, edits, and produces TV news pieces for “CBS Evening News,” “CBS This Morning,” “60 Minutes,” and “CBS Sunday Morning.” Randy has covered such major assignments as Japan’s 2011 earthquake-tsunami-meltdown, US Presidential trips to Asia, nine assignments inside North Korea, the COVID pandemic, and the Nagano 1998, Beijing 2008, Tokyo 2020, and Beijing 2022 Olympics. On the lighter side, Randy has shot and edited feature stories in Japan on such subjects as snow monkeys, soba noodles, vending machines, bonsai, robots, etc., etc. He has also produced award-winning stop- motion animated movies with his young son Dylan.
David M. Umeda has been a Professional Associate Member since June 2002. He was the co-editor of the Number 1 Shimbun for its inaugural two years is a magazine format. His professional journalism career includes being former senior editor for the flagship magazines of The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and The European Business Council in Japan, and former communications manager and the first in-house editor at Tokyo American Club.
Anthony Rowley has been a journalist for some sixty years for The Times of London, the Far Eastern Economic Review in Hong Kong, the Singapore Business Times and now the South China Morning Post. He has been a member of the FCCJ since 199O and has served as President as well as in other Board positions.
Shuri Fukunaga is Chief Executive Officer, Persuade Incorporated. Known for bringing the best of Western and Japanese solutions to foster corporate reputation, she is advisor to a select roster of corporate executives and organizations. She founded Persuade Incorporated in 2020 after 16 years as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Japan at Burson-Marsteller. Between 1992 and 2003, Ms. Fukunaga left communications consulting, first to join J.P. Morgan when the financial institution’s business shift from commercial to investment banking was taking place. As Vice President and Regional Head of Corporate Communications Asia Pacific, she oversaw the function encompassing Southeast Asia, Greater China, Korea, Australia and Japan. In 2000 while at J.P. Morgan, Nissan Motor Company invited her to be General Manager of Communications. With capital injection from Renault, the automotive company was undergoing initial turnaround at that time. Ms. Fukunaga speaks regularly at forums on the role of communications and corporate reputation. Newsweek Japan named her one of Japan's 100 Women Most Respected in the World. Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc. published her translation of CEO Capital by Leslie Gaines-Ross. She is on the Japan Board and serves as Advisor to the Asian Youth Orchestra.
Suvendrini Kakuchi is a journalist from Sri Lanka who has covered Japan-Asia relations and sustainable themes for more than three decades. She is currently Tokyo Correspondent for University World News focusing on higher education and research.
Dave McCombs is a rewriter at NHK World-Japan and founder of Julio Platforms, a startup that provides student news media programs. Between 1998 and 2021, he was an editor at Bloomberg and most recently oversaw Asia coverage of media and conglomerates, a beat that encompassed Asia's largest family-dynasty companies, sports business and entertainment. While he's dug out scoops, including endorsement deals for tennis stars Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka, he's also been a featured reporter on Bloomberg television broadcasts for two decades. Previously, as a staff writer at The Daily Yomiuri, he delivered a scoop about Marco Polo magazine that was followed by all major media in Japan and that led to the resignation of Marco Polo editor Kazuyoshi Hanada. McCombs has also covered Asia's bond markets, foreign exchange and commodities, including a daily column on platinum trading. He has lived in Japan for three decades, and was editor of the late Tokyo Journal magazine, a staff writer at the Los Angeles Downtown News and a copy editor for MacMillan Publishers. He enjoys tennis, live music and beer.
Taeko Nagayama joined FCCJ in May 2002, Chair person of AMLC in 2021 & 2022, currently serving as director or executive advisor at several institutions including an AI company listed in Tokyo Stock Exchange and academic institutions. Worked in Tokyo offices of a U.S. bank (JP Morgan Chase) for 28years and a French bank (Credi Lyonnais group) for 8 years, delivering to Japanese financial institutions various international financial services for their funding, investing and M&A. Assignments included stationing in the US. Since 2002, a member of Keizai Doyukai, Japan Asso. of Corporate Executive（JACE), serving in various committees therein. Education: Sophia University, Nomura Management School (Harvard Business School tie-up course, Toyo- Eiwa Junior College.
Simon Farrell has UK and South African dual citizenship and Permanent Residency of Japan. He graduated from the London School of Journalism, the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Programme and the Board Director Training Institute of Japan. He serves as a board director of Animal Refuge Kansai and Japan Market Expansion Competition and is chairperson of the South African Chamber of Commerce in Japan and Tokyo American Club’s TAC Talk speaker series. Simon was an FCCJ board director in 2020-22 and is currently chair of the Associate Members Liaison Committee.
As co-founding publisher of Custom Media, he produces digital content such as editorial, design, videos, podcasts, events, social media and websites for local and foreign companies entering or expanding in Japan and abroad. He has spent about 25 years in Japan since 1987, including at the former Daily Yomiuri as an editor and designer of news, opinion and front pages. He previously worked as a foreign correspondent based in Cape Town, Havana and the United Arab Emirates for the UK, US and local press. He has also worked on assignment in North Korea and South-east Asia and travelled in Tibet, China and Russia. He was presented with the 2015 Japan-British Society Award by Princess Akiko of Mikasa for “significant work in the field of Japanese-British relations.” He says: “The FCCJ helped me greatly when I first joined in 2005 and has since been an inspirational source of work, people, events, knowledge, fun and privilege. As a company co-founder and career journalist, I think I have a unique blend of media and business experience that could benefit the FCCJ.”