Issue:

Regular Member

Hsin Wei Huang

The Storm Media

I am Hsin-Wei Huang, a Tokyo-based journalist with over 10 years of experience in the media industry, currently reporting for The Storm Media (Taiwan). My primary focus is on Japanese politics, diplomacy, and Taiwan–Japan relations, with an emphasis on cross-border and cross-cultural reporting.

I regularly cover press conferences, cultural events, and policy forums across Japan, producing in-depth interviews, political analysis, and feature stories. My work is published in Traditional Chinese and Japanese, and I also work professionally in English. Mandarin (Traditional Chinese) is my native language.

Through my reporting, I aim to bridge perspectives between Taiwan and Japan and provide timely, well-contextualized insights into East Asian affairs.

Regular Member

Tatsuya Mizumoto

Jiji Press

Tatsuya Mizumoto has been the editor in chief of foreign news desk of Jiji Press since August 2025. Washington bureau chief from 2021~2025. His areas of interest(expertise) are U.S. diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific and nuclear issues.

When he was posted in Washington DC as a correspondent from 2012~2017, he covered the State Department where he followed President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, the Iran nuclear deal, and so on. Prior to that, he was posted in Jakarta from 2001~2005 where he covered Indonesia’s democratization and Islamist radicalism.

He is married and has one son. In his free time, he loves to play golf and watch rugby. He has an MA in International Relations from Waseda University in Tokyo.

Regular Member

Keiko Kurane

UCA News / D&D Press Japan

Keiko Kurane, also known as Florenda Corpuz, is a journalist and editor with 20 years of experience in Philippine media based in Japan. Her work spans reporting, research, writing and editing, covering Philippine and Japanese politics, culture, entertainment, sports, travel, and community affairs.

She is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the Filipino-Japanese Journal, a print magazine and digital publication established in 2016. She also serves as a reporter for the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) and contributes reports to GMA News in the Philippines.

Status Changed from PJA to Regular Member

Associate Member

Christopher E. O'Brien

Stonehenge Partners Limited

Christopher E. O'Brien founded Stonehenge in 2009 as an operating partner in Peninsula Real Estate Capital Advisors (PRECA), a real estate investment management firm based in Tokyo, Hong Kong and San Francisco. Stonehenge and PRECA managed separate accounts on behalf of a group of Asian investors seeking value add returns in the United States and Japan in the multifamily and industrial real estate asset classes.

In 2014, Stonehenge expanded its reach to engage in principal real estate investments and in real estate and M&A advisory services in the United States, Asia and the Middle East for private firms and family offices, and expanded its investment management portfolio in multifamily, industrial, hospitality and commercial real estate.

Prior to founding Stonehenge, Mr. O'Brien was Executive Vice President at New City Corporation in Japan through 2008. Mr. O'Brien was involved in the raising of an $800 million Asia Opportunity Fund managed by New City and then headed New City's operations in China and South Korea. Mr. O'Brien was also a member of New City's Global Investment Committee.

Prior to joining New City, Mr. O'Brien was Managing Director and Co-Head of Asia for Starwood Capital, a global real estate private equity firm from 2004 to 2006. Mr. O'Brien led the sourcing and acquisition of real estate in the industrial, residential and hospitality sectors with an acquisition value of US$1 billion in Japan and China.

Previously, Mr. O'Brien practiced law in mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and corporate finance in Japan and New York. He was the Managing Partner of the Tokyo office of the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney, LLP. From 1999 until 2003, Mr. O'Brien advised clients in Japan on the acquisition of real estate, securitization, and non-performing loans. In the United States, Mr. O'Brien advised U.S. and Asian financial institutions and companies on real estate transactions in the office, hotel, and resort sectors.

Mr. O'Brien is an attorney licensed in the State of New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University in New York and a law degree from the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Associate Member

Heather Prosser

FGS Global (Japan) GK

Heather Prosser is a seasoned advisor specializing in business development, sustainability, and communications, with more than 20 years' experience across the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Japan, Heather works with FGS Global's Japan office, where she helps clients - from private equity firms to multinationals - navigate complex challenges, drive sustainable growth, and engage key stakeholders.

Prior to joining FGS Global in 2025, Heather led sustainability consulting services at Sodali Japan and played a pivotal role in establishing EY Japan's Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) team. Earlier in her career, she built a career building business from the inside out. She has experience in startups, venture capital, private equity and consulting.

Heather is Vice President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan and a former board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. She is also known for her regular appearances as a guest host on NHK's "Cool Japan," where she shares insights on Japanese culture with an international audience. Outside of work, Heather is an avid runner, yoga practitioner, and a keen reader - her interests ranging from fantasy and science fiction to wellness and longevity.

Associate Member

Maurizio Raffone

Aprilis LLC

Maurizio provides fractional Chief Financial Officer services via Aprilis LLC, a Tokyo-based consulting firm supporting technology companies across Asia and Europe. He brings close to 30 years of international finance experience, spanning startups, venture capital, structured finance, derivatives, and fund management. In practice, he advises founders and C-suite teams on capital raising, financial planning, operational discipline, and cross-border growth.

Maurizio has worked across three continents in senior roles at leading financial institutions. He was Managing Director at UniCredit and a Partner at London-based TriSpan LLP, where he served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer of a global macro fund. Earlier in his career, he held senior structured credit and derivatives roles at Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Kleinwort, Credit Suisse, and Bear Stearns, with mandates covering Europe, the US, and Asia-Pacific, including several years based in Tokyo.

Education is a core principle for Maurizio. He has served on the Board of Advisors of SKEMA Business School’s Global Executive MBA program since 2021. He holds a Master’s degree in Financial Economics from the University of Cambridge and a First-Class Honors Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Reinstatement (Associate Member)

Midori Kaneko

Jazzy Marketing Inc.

Midori has held executive positions in charge of corporate affairs, marketing, media relations, and CSR for over 30 years in global organizations, including Nestlé, Citibank, GE, and Amazon. She rejoined FCCJ in 2025 because it is one of the places where one can find truths in real time. Working with CEOs in a multicultural environment, Midori has always worked with a strong value set based on integrity, which is the only way to sustain organizational value, including at times of crisis management, such as compliance issues, product safety issues, and natural disasters. These tough situations are testimony of the fundamental values of corporations and leaderships. She is very excited to return to FCCJ and to leverage the unique role it plays in Japan and for Japan.

She left Japan at the age of 16 by herself and lived in the State of Michigan for over 10 years. She has served as a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. She currently serves as one of the longest-serving members of the board of Temple University Japan, as well as chairperson of the NPO Unleash Potential.

Her favorite things: live jazz, island hopping, wining & dining, long walks with her golden retriever.

Reinstatement (Associate Member)

Akihiko Yahata

Retired
  • March 1966 BA Univ Hitotsubashi Fac Commerce
  • Apr 1966- Jun 1968 Mitsui and Co. Tokyo. Osaka Administrative Dept
  • July 1968- Sep 1969 Mitsui scholarship Besancon Univ France
  • Oct 1969- Oct 1970 Mitsui Casablanca Office Morocco
  • Nov 1970- May 1972 Mitsui and Co, Provisions Dept. Tokyo
  • Jun 1972- Sept 1974 Mitsui Cacao Factory Executive Director. Yaoundé. Cameroun
  • Oct 1974- May 1977 Mitsui Provision Dept Tokyo
  • Jun 1977- Dec 1979 Mitsui Dacca Office Bangladesh
  • Jan 1980- July 1987 Mitsui Cameroun. president. Douala
  • Aug 1987- Dec 1989. Mitsui Alimentos. Vice President. Sao Paulo. Brasil
  • Jan 1990- May 1995. Kosa SA.  Executive Director. Paris. France
  • Jun 1995- Oct 1996 Awashima Hotel. Vice President. Numazu. Shizuoka
  • Apr 1997- May 2001 APIC affiliated under MOFA. General Secretary Tokyo
  • Jun 2001- July 2004 JICA Tunis. Coordinator. Tunisia
  • Aug 2004- Aug 2009. JICA Algeria representative. Alger
  • Sep 2009- Mar 2015. University of Tsukuba. North Africa representative. Tunis. Tunisia
  • Apr 2015- Mar 2024 University of Tsukuba Coordinator. Sao Paulo. Brasil
  • Aug 2025 Retired and returned definitely to Japan