Issue:
Professional Associate Member
Miho Funayama
Japan Institute for Crisis Management
Miho Funayama studied culture in Europe and applied her knowledge of psychology to the analysis of international affairs, geopolitics, and trends in AI.
A seasoned intellectual property and international standardization professional with several decades of distinguished service at Canon Inc., one of Japan's foremost global technology corporations.
Throughout her career at Canon, she spearheaded the company's patent strategy and actively shaped international standards, operating at the cutting edge of intellectual property law and technology policy. Her most prominent role in the standardization arena was serving as Vice International Secretary of ISO/IEC JTC1 SC28 (Office Equipment), where she played a pivotal role in advancing global interoperability standards for imaging and printing technologies. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to Japan's international standardization efforts, She was honoured with a commendation from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Following her tenures at Canon, she has continued to engage with policy, security, and geopolitical discourse at the highest levels. She currently serve as a Director of the Japan Institute of Crisis Management (一般財団法人日本危機管理研究所) and as a Research Fellow at the Japan Middle East Asia Information Strategy Institute (日本中東アジア情報戦略研究所), where she regularly contributes articles and analyses directed at policymakers, media professionals, and academic audiences. In parallel, she is active as a freelance journalist, continuously publishing articles on both domestic and international affairs across a range of media outlets.
Her unique combination of deep technical expertise, international negotiation experience, and current engagement in strategic policy research makes me a distinctive voice bridging industry, government, and global affairs.
Professional Associate Member
Kunihiro Ishibashi
Bloomberg L.P.
Kunihiro Ishibashi is Japan Director at Bloomberg L.P., where he works closely with financial institutions, regulators, government agencies, and other market participants on issues related to Japan's financial and capital markets. He supports initiatives in market development, sustainable finance, digital transformation, and public-private collaboration.
Since joining Bloomberg in 2000, Ishibashi has held senior leadership roles in Japan, the United Kingdom, and across Asia. From 2013 to 2021, he led Bloomberg's Japan business, overseeing growth, client engagement, product strategy, and talent development.
Today, he focuses on initiatives that support the internationalization of Japan's financial markets and the growth of the asset management industry. He works closely with policymakers and industry leaders on efforts to strengthen Japan's position as a leading international financial center and enhance its global competitiveness.
Outside Bloomberg, Ishibashi serves as Secretary General of the Asset Management Forum, Special Advisor to the Governor of Osaka Prefecture on Growth Strategy, Director of the Consortium for Japan International Asset Management Center Promotion (JIAM), and Senior Advisor to the Chairman of Osaka Metropolitan University.
He holds a degree in Social Sciences from Waseda University and completed the Executive Management Program (EMP) at the University of Tokyo.
Professional Associate Member
Daichi Ogi
Freelance
Daichi Ogi is a film journalist and researcher based in Osaka, Japan, writing in Japanese and English. He covers major international film festivals, including Cannes, Toronto, Busan, and the Tokyo International Film Festival, for outlets in Japan and abroad. Among them are eiga.com, one of Japan's leading film news platforms, and the Australian journal Senses of Cinema, for which he reported from the 79th Cannes Film Festival as an accredited member of the press.
He is a member of the Japan Film Pen Club (Nihon Eiga Pen Club), FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics), and the International Cinephile Society (ICS), an association of professional film critics from around the world.
Alongside his journalism, he is a Ph.D. student at the University of Osaka, where he pursues academic research on documentary cinema, centring on the work of the French filmmaker Chris Marker. He holds an M.A. from the University of Tokyo.
Professional Associate Member
Chisa Otemori
Pivot, Inc.
She is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience in Japanese broadcasting and digital media, currently serving as a reporter at PIVOT. Since joining NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 2017, her career has been defined by a deep commitment to reporting on complex geopolitical and international issues.
During her tenure at the NHK Okinawa Bureau, she conducted extensive, on-the-ground reporting on U.S. military base issues and scrutinized regional defense strategies in the Indo-Pacific-topics of significant global interest. In 2023, she transitioned to NHK's Tokyo News Center, where she served as an International News Director for News 7, the network's flagship evening program. In this role, she managed and curated high-profile global news stories for a nationwide audience.
In 2025, she joined PIVOT to leverage my journalistic background in the digital space. She currently plans and hosts video podcasts that provide deep-dive analyses on various pressing news topics, with a recent focus on defense tech and Japan's national security policy.
Associate Member
Kaito Hiraoka
ANDEX Co., Ltd.
Kaito Hiraoka is a director of Andex Corporation, an industrial equipment manufacturer headquartered in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. The company specializes in the design, manufacture, and installation of industrial painting facilities for the automotive, railway, aerospace, and other industries.
Born and raised in Hiroshima, he studied sociology at Kansai University. After graduating, he joined Hiroshima Bank, where he worked in corporate lending and product development for business clients. He later joined Andex Corporation, where he is involved in corporate management, with a particular focus on sales, business development, and innovation.
Outside of work, Kaito has an interest in history, international affairs, and different cultures. He enjoys learning how people from different backgrounds see the world and believes that exchanging perspectives can lead to new discoveries. His hobbies include scuba diving, motorcycling, and traveling. He also enjoys visiting historical sites and learning about the stories behind them.
As a member of the FCCJ, he looks forward to meeting people from diverse backgrounds, sharing experiences, and engaging in conversations that broaden his horizons.
Associate Member
Kyosuke Mukai
KM Corporation Ltd.
Kyosuke Mukai is a Japanese actor, film producer, and businessman. He began his acting career in 1982 and has appeared in numerous Japanese television dramas and films. More recently, he has also been involved in American film productions as both an actor and executive producer.
He studied film business and real estate at the graduate level at Rikkyo University. Alongside his career in entertainment, he has been involved in business management, particularly in real estate and related ventures.
With a longstanding interest in Japan-U.S. relations, Mukai enjoys connecting people and ideas across cultures through film, business, and personal friendships.
His interests also include international affairs, human rights, and social issues.
Associate Member
Mami Sato
Corporate Communications Department
Public Relations Section Manager
YAMASHIN-FILTER CORP.
Associate Member
Natsumi Saika
Administration Division Corporate Communication Department
Investor Relations Section Manager
YAMASHIN－FILTER CORP.
Associate Member
Hidehiro Yanagawa
INABA DENKI SANGYO CO.,LTD
Executive Officer
Industrial Automation Company
Reinstatement (Associate)
Kenichi Suzuki
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan
Kenichi Suzuki is Senior Adviser and International Secretary in the International Department of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ). He has worked as a professional party staff member for more than three decades, including at the Policy Research Council of the New Party Sakigake, as Deputy General Manager of the Secretary-General's Office of the Democratic Party of Japan, and as General Manager of the International Department of CDPJ.
He is currently engaged in advancing party diplomacy through international networks and initiatives including the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, the Inter-Continental Dialogue among Political Parties, the Progressive Alliance, and the Global Progressive Mobilisation.
Suzuki earned a BA in Government from Maharishi International University in the United States and an MA in Sociology from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. As a Chevening Hansard Research Scholar, he studied at the London School of Economics and trained at the UK Labour Party headquarters. He also participated in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), engaging with political party leaders from around 50 countries.
He writes on party diplomacy and international political affairs, including for The Diplomat.
