Issue:

Regular Member

Javier Hernández

The New York Times

Javier C. Hernández is the Tokyo Bureau Chief for the New York Times, leading coverage of Japan and the region. He has reported from Asia for much of the past decade, previously serving as China correspondent in Beijing. At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, he was one of the first journalists on the ground in Wuhan, where he documented the Chinese government's early efforts to cover up the spread of the virus. In 2021, he was part of the Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the pandemic. He served as China correspondent from 2014 to 2021. He reported from the front lines of antigovernment protests in Hong Kong; traveled to disputed territories in the South China Sea; and produced an immersive project on a tragedy in small-town China. In 2020, he was expelled from China and relocated to Taiwan. From 2021 to 2025, he was The Times's classical music and dance reporter. He broke news of the discovery of a Chopin waltz lost for nearly 200 years; investigated Russian musicians with ties to Vladimir V. Putin; and wrote about spending a night at the opera with Angelina Jolie. He started his career in 2008 as a politics and education reporter for The Times in New York. He has also worked in Central America, where he chronicled life amid the region's drug wars. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in government and served as managing editor of The Harvard Crimson. He grew up in Oregon.

Professional / Journalist Associate Member

Katsuya Watanabe

Kyodo Public Relations Co., Ltd.

In January 2025, he was invited to and attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Since May 2025, he has been contributing a regular column on U.S. politics to Diamond Online and the print edition of Weekly Diamond.  As a journalist, his writing focuses on the intricacies of the American political process.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Keio University and began his career at MUFG Bank. While at university, he studied abroad at Georgetown University, where he was mentored by Professor Michael Green, a prominent "Japan Handler" in U.S. policy circles.

Motivated by a strong awareness of communication challenges between Japan and the United States, he assumed the position of Chief Researcher at Kyodo PR Institute in May 2022. He is responsible for coordinating the partnership with Ballard Partners, one of the most influential lobbying firms in the
Trump administration.

Associate Member

Cecilia Asuka Watanabe

One Day School

Founder and Representative Director, One Day School

International education and cultural exchange practitioner

Born in Taiwan and based in Japan, Cecilia Watanabe Asuka promotes international understanding and civic exchange through educational initiatives. Alongside her professional career at Nagase & Co., Ltd., she leads the non-profit organization One Day School as a personal social education activity. Guided by the philosophy that learning emerges from relationships, she develops "co-learning" programs that connect families, schools, businesses, and local communities.

Through international exchange programs, next-generation leadership development, and dialogue centered on culture and food, her work encourages people from diverse backgrounds to meet directly, engage in conversation, and reflect together on social issues.

She is also an author and speaker exploring Taiwanese home cooking and cultural memory, presenting everyday life as a gateway to understanding society. In addition, she serves as a regional exchange ambassador for Nagato City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, contributing to the international sharing of local culture and community connections.

Believing that direct human connection forms the foundation of society in times of rapid change, she continues creating spaces that nurture dialogue, empathy, and mutual understanding.

Associate Member

Mitsuru Claire Chino

Itochu Corporation

Mitsuru Claire Chino is a bilingual and bicultural (U.S. and Japan) senior business executive with ITOCHU Corporation and an international lawyer with 30+ years’ experience, specializing in cross-border transactions.

She is a graduate of Smith College (B.A. cum laude) and Cornell Law School (J.D.), where she serves on the advisory board.  She is also a classically trained singer who has studied voice at the Juilliard School of Music (Evening Division).

Associate Member

Mayu Iwai

The President of ASC Co., Ltd.

Associate Member

Hideo Matsumoto

Associate Member

Hideki Ozawa

Canon (China)

Hideki Ozawa, Executive Vice President of Canon Inc., Chief Representative of Canon Asia Group, and President & CEO of Canon (China) Co., Ltd., joined Canon in 1973.

He began his career as a junior salesperson and eventually rose to become the key figure leading Canon's expansion in the US and Asian market, embedding the brand deeply in the hearts of consumers.

Over his 50+ years of services at Canon, Ozawa spent more than 40 years abroad, including over 25 years living and working in China.

Drawing on his extensive experience working with people from diverse cultures, along with his own efforts and insights, he has become a business leader known for his distinctive personal charisma.

Associate Member

Masahiro Tanikawa

Colliers International Japan KK

Educational Background

The University of Tokyo (Faculty of Agriculture)
Boston University, MBA

Professional Qualifications

US CPA (Washington State)
Real Estate Broker (Japan)

Masahiro Tanikawa joined Collies International in 2022 and was promoted to Managing Director and Country Head, effective January 1, 2026.

Masahiro brings extensive expertise in corporate M&A, J-REIT IPO, non-recourse financing, and fund placement advisory, developed through his career at Deutsche Securities, JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers, and Nomura Securities. Prior to joining to Colliers, he spent seven years at CBRE, where he served as Managing Director, where he led numerous cross-border transactions.

In his current role, Masahiro oversees Colliers' management in Japan while actively driving cross-border capital markets transactions, leveraging Colliers' global platform together with his international perspective he gained from eight years of study and professional experience in Boston and New York.

Reinstatement (Associate Member)

Sumio Takeichi

Shiko-Sha

Former Director, International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group, Washington, D.C. Former Board Director, Mitsubishi Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Takeichi studied at the University of Paris and Marquette University (USA), and graduated from Keio University. He worked for seven years at the Mitsubishi Düsseldorf Office and seven years in Washington, D.C. Throughout his career, he has been engaged in investment and business development activities in Europe, the United States, and Asia.

Awards and activities

  • President’s Award from Mitsubishi Corporation for Third-Country Global Trade Expansions
  • Best Annual Report Prize (1985) from ECMRA (European Chemical Marketing Research Association) for his report on China’s rapid economic growth in 1982.
  •  Special Lecturer, Harvard MBA Management Course (1989–1990), together with Professor George Lodge and Dr. Ezra Voge
  • Founder of Cosmos Alliance (2003–2008), with the former Commissioner of the U.S. FDA Dr. Frank Young to promote the new medical and healthcare technologies among US & Japanese high-tech corporations.
  • Appointed Economic Advisor by the Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture 2002.

Current Activities:

Writing Forthcoming book in early 2027
“Japan’s Path to Sustainable Economic Growth through Strategic Alliances with India and Asian Countries via the newly establishing Asian Common Market”