Issue:

Regular Member

Makoto Mitsui

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Senior Research Fellow, Yomiuri Research Institute

Mitsui was assigned as a Senior Research Fellow of the Yomiuri Research Institute on November 1st, 2024.

Since joining the Yomiuri Shimbun in 1994, Mitsui worked as Staff Writer for 5 years at the Kanazawa Bureau (Ishikawa Prefecture) and about 20 years in the Science News Department, including 3 years of overseas work as Correspondent in Washington from 2015 to 2018. He also worked as a senior deputy editor of the Yomiuri's daily English language newspaper, the Japan News, from 2020 to 2023.

Mitsui wrote a book which depicts distrust toward science in the U.S.A. in 2019, winning a Japanese Association of Science and Technology Journalists Prize 2020.

Since 2020, He has also worked as an adjunct lecturer at Keio University Graduate School of Science and technology teaching science journalism.

Mitsui graduated from Kyoto University with a Bachelor of Science in 1994. His hometown is Otaru, Hokkaido.
He researched science journalism at University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism as a visiting fellow and Fulbright scholar from 2013 to 2014.

Associate Member

Anthony Yick Ling Lam

Blueplume Limited

Anthony is a tech entrepreneur with a robust background in information technology, economics, and computer science. He holds degrees from leading institutions in areas of IT, economics and Computer Science from Queensland University of Technology, the University of Queensland, and the University of Hong Kong respectively. He also completed an Entrepreneurship program at Stanford University. His expertise spans AI, software development, and business strategy, blending technical and market knowledge to drive innovation.

In 2011, he founded a boutique Hack-house, serving global clients such as AXA, Sun Life, Bayer, and AIA across markets in Europe, Middle East and Asia. He also worked with prestigious local brands like Lui Chi Wo Foundation, Indicube and Baendit. He also co-founded Travie, an AI-driven travel app that powers applications for ESRI and the Hong Kong government. His achievements have earned him accolades like the Citi Mobile Challenge and Cyberport University Partner Programme awards, solidifying his reputation as a leader in tech innovation.

His current focus is on making technology to help bridge the human capital gap globally, helping to open more doors of opportunity to all.

Associate Member

Ashima Mehra

Soka Gakkai

I grew up by the sea in Mumbai, the daughter of two educators, and my earliest lessons in social justice came while teaching at a street school for underprivileged children. That experience shaped my lifelong passion for girl child education and gender equality. At St. Xavier's College, where I studied English Literature and Media Studies [renowned for its anarchist spirit and for producing many of India's most outspoken journalists], I learned to question authority and value dissent-- an outlook I still carry with me.

After completing teacher training in Steiner (Waldorf) education, I came to Japan to research alternative education and completed my Master's Degree in International Language Education. I then taught English and Global Leadership at a private school for 7 years. Today, I work in the Office of Public Information at Soka Gakkai, focusing on media outreach and storytelling on issues such as nuclear disarmament, human rights, sustainability and gender equality. I see one of my roles as amplifying perspectives from women and the Global South that are often absent in international discussions.

Outside work, I pursue my passion for music, blending my Hindustani classical roots with DJing to explore new forms of expression.

Associate Member

Norio Onishi

Space Direction Co., Ltd.

Graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Keio University in 1969. Joined Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corporation (now Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation).

  • 1974 Joined Nihon Sogo Tatemono Co., Ltd.
  • 1975 Appointed President and CEO of Nisso Building Co., Ltd.
  • 2001 Appointed Chairman of Nisso Building Co., Ltd. (now Space Direction Co., Ltd.).
  • 2003 Appointed Representative Director and President of Nisso Building Co., Ltd.
  • 2025 Founded Grand West Co., Ltd. and appointed President and CEO

Associate Member

Keiji Omae

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

Keiji Omae has dedicated over 30 years to ANA (All Nippon Airways), Japan's leading airline. His extensive career has predominantly focused on international passenger marketing and sales, where he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic prowess.

Before stepping into his current role as Executive Vice President of Customer Experience, he spent five impactful years, from 2016 to 2021, based in Los Angeles. During this period, he served as the Vice President of Marketing & Sales for The Americas, significantly contributing to the airline's growth and market presence in the region.

Keiji holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law from Nagoya University. In his leisure time, he enjoys listening to music, deejaying, running and traveling. He currently resides in Tokyo with his wife and son.

Associate Member

Kenji Tagaya

JERA Co Inc.

Born in Osaka Prefecture. Graduated from Kyoto University (LL.B.) and Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M.).

I began my career at the Export-Import Bank of Japan (J-Exim), and have also worked at Allen & Overy, an English law firm, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral development bank while stationed in London. Since 2016, I have been with JERA, a major Japanese power generation company and is responsible for legal, compliance and corporate governance. Among others, I have strong interest in energy security and decarbonization. I have long been interested in the role and activities of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan and have the fortune to participate as an associate member.

Associate Member

Nobuyoshi Yamanaka

  • April 1966 Joined Tateishi Electric Co.（Omron）
  • Feb. 1987 Joined General Electric Co., Manager, Business Development.
  • Oct. 1995 Joined AutoSuture Japan K.K. (now Covidien Japan K.K.), President and Representative Director
  • July 1998 Joined General Electric Company, President of GE Hitachi Lighting Co.
  • Feb. 2000 Joined Emerson Japan K.K., President and Representative Director, and Officer of U.S. Headquarters
  • Nov. 2006 Joined Bain Capital Asia LLC, Senior Executive, and Chairman and Representative Director of Nippon Conlux Co.
  • December 2010 Joined Diversey Corporation, President and Representative Director and Member of the Executive Committee, U.S. Headquarters
  • July 2011 Advisor and later Director of the Board, Nabtesco Corporation

At Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives), he was appointed "Kanji" and served as vice chair of the Corporate Management Committee, chair of the Foreign Direct Investment Committee, and chair of the Corporate and School Exchange Committee

Reinstatement (Associate)

Mac Jeffery

Callisto Enterprises

Mac is a somewhat-retired public relations consultant who, starting in 1980, has lived and worked in several locations around Asia, including Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. During much of the 80s and 90s, he lived in Tokyo working for IBM, and he may or may not have had a hand in producing the 1995 April Fools newspaper "The Japan Times ... Not". He later returned to his hometown of New York where he worked for a number of other tech companies including Samsung, Loral Space and Raytheon.

Mac returned to Japan in 2019, and since then he has been trying to do as little work as possible while also exploring and occasionally writing about lesser-known corners of the country, together with his wife Maki.

Reinstatement (Associate)

Eizo Fujii

Euro Box – Fountain Pen Shop

I have a long history with FCCJ. I joined the club as a bar staff member in 1969 and served for 3 years and 5 months when the club was located in the Chiyoda Building Annex. The president and manager at that time were Mr. Ugo Puntieri and Mr. Kohtaro Washida, respectively.

I had been an associate member of the club since 1996. After temporarily leaving due to the coronavirus pandemic, I rejoined the club.

I run a small pen shop called Euro Box in Ginza-Tokyo and I am proud that the carpet in my shop is the same as that of FCCJ. I deal in vintage fountain pens made between the early 1900s and the 1980s. In addition, I own a large collection of rare old photos relating to Japan from the 1860s to the 1890s, some of which are museum grade.

You're always welcome to visit! https://euro-box.com/