Issue:
Associate Member
Ayuko Kobayashi
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Ayuko Kobayashi joined Yamaha Motor in 1995 after graduating from Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan, with a BA in English and American Studies in the Department of Foreign Languages. After working in the Robotics Division and Motorcycle Division, she was assigned to the Public Relations Department in 2011.
She has more than 10 years of experience in Public Relations, not only in product-related PR for motorcycles and robotics, but also in corporate PR, etc. She has been in charge of global PR since 2023. As a global company with more than 90% of its consolidated sales overseas, Yamaha Motor feels the importance of global public relations for the company, and is working to expand the Yamaha brand in cooperation with the public relations departments of its overseas offices.
Associate Member
Yayoi Tokutome
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
It is a great honor to be a member of this Club. I have been working in Yamaha Motor's CC Department PR group since May. After I graduated Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, I worked as an administrator for import and export in trading company. Before I joined Yamaha Motor I was a newspaper reporter for the Hokkaido Shimbun for seven years.
Work experience: Shoko Co., Ltd 2010-2016; Hokkaido Shimbun 2016-2023; Yamaha Motor 2023-
Other information:
Birthplace: Chiba Prefecture
Hobbies: Driving, exploring restaurants, music (70s and 80s rock)
Associate Member
Mio Shimamura
Premium Japan Inc.
After working for a foreign PR and advertising firm, I worked as PR for Disney Resorts in the U.S. from 1998, where I contributed to media exposure in Japan. From 2002 to 2010, I was head of marketing at the high-end jewelry brand Harry Winston to enhance the brand image and expand business in the affluent market. After overseeing PR and marketing for Tiffany & Co, Japan in 2013 I founded Lusso Inc., a communications consultancy that provides communications advice to a variety of top companies, particularly well-established Japanese brands. In 2022, we were also responsible for the overall production of "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" in Japan.
My family owned a school that taught Japanese culture, including the tea ceremony and kimono dressing, and in 2017 we acquired the business rights to Premium Japan, an online media that provides premium information about Japan in multiple languages. The beautiful visuals and carefully crafted content by the experienced editorial team have been well received, and the company has grown the online media to hold a reach of over 4 million PV per month by the summer of 2023. The company is also involved in various activities such as events and community of members with contemporary Japan as the theme.
https://www.premium-j.jp/
Associate Member
Mike Spencer
Malvern College Tokyo
Mike Spencer is an experienced, student-centred, values-driven international educator with more than two decades of school leadership experience gained in diverse settings. Originally trained in the UK, Mike has worked in Hong Kong and led schools in India, Shanghai, and Mozambique. He moved to Japan in August 2022 as the Founding Headmaster of Malvern College Tokyo. The school, which opened in August this year, shares the ethos of its parent institution, Malvern College UK.
Mike holds a Masters from the University of Bristol, UK and is a trained school evaluator and Team Chair for the Council of International Schools. He thrives in cross-cultural environments and is committed to building positive learning environments within which all students and community members thrive. Mike is thrilled to be a member of the FCCJ and looks forward to meeting members and enjoying the benefits of the club.
Reinstatement (Associate Member)
Peter Joseph Harris
Clifford Chance
Peter Harris is a Partner at the Tokyo Office of Clifford Chance where he specialises in dispute resolution, international law, international arbitration and investigations. Qualified in the laws of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Peter works with clients across a broad range of industries and his recent work includes advising on complex legal matters in the energy, construction and financial services sectors.
Peter first lived in Japan in 2003 when he spent two years on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme. He then went back to the UK and completed a Masters in International Politics of Asia at the School of Oriental and Africa Studies (SOAS), London University, and then returned to Japan as Editor-in-Chief of J@pan Inc magazine. It was during this time that Peter first joined the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. After a few years, he retrained as a lawyer and has since spent his career working in London, Singapore, Australia and finally back to Japan.
Outside of work, Peter has a strong interest in Japanese history and culture and enjoys playing squash, cycling, running and cooking.
