AOYAMA Yasushi
Professor, Graduate School of Governance Studies, Meiji University
After joining the Economy Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1967, Mr. Aoyama worked in such divisions and related organizations as the Policy Division, the Bureau of Public Health, the Bureau of City Planning, and the Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs. He later served as chief of the Senior Citizens and Welfare divisions, head of the Planning and Coordination Division, and director of the Policy and Public Relations Office. He also served as vice-governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government under Governor Shintaro Ishihara from 1999 to 2003 and was in charge of crisis management, disaster prevention, city structure and finance. He specializes in municipal policy, city policy, crisis management and essays on Japan's historical figures. In April 2004, he became a professor at Meiji University's Graduate School of Governance Studies.
Major works: Ishihara Tosei Huku-tochiji Noto, Heibon-sha, 2004.
Ralph CHOW
Director, Japan, Hong Kong Trade Development Council
Mr. Chow is Director of the Japan Office of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Prior to his current position, he served as Senior Exhibitions Manager in the Exhibitions Department (2000-2002), Director of the Tokyo Office (1998-1999), Manager of the Japan and Korea Desk (1997-1998), Marketing Manager of the Sydney Office (1993-1997), Manager of the Japan Desk (1990-1993), Trade Advisor at the Tokyo Office (1987-1990) and Market Officer (1986-1987). He has also worked at a trading firm promoting trade between Japan and Hong Kong/China. He received his M.B.A. from the U.K. and Bachelor of Business & Administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Faculty Fellow and Research Counselor, RIETI /
Professor, Division of International Studies, International Christian University
Professor Hatta is an expert member of the Energy & Resource Council at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and a member of the Social Capital Council at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Before joining the faculty of International Christian University, he taught at the University of Tokyo (1999-2004), Osaka University (1986-1999), and The Johns Hopkins University (1978-1986). Professor Hatta received his Ph.D. in economics from The Johns Hopkins University in 1973.
Major works: "Welfare Effects of Changing Commodity Tax Rates Toward Uniformity" Journal of Public Economics 29, 1986; "The Generalized Theory of Transfers and Welfare: Bilateral Transfers in a Multilateral World" (with J. N. Bhagwati and Richard A. Brecher), American Economic Review 73, 1983.
Senior Fellow, RIETI
Since joining the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1982, Dr. Hisatake has held various positions including Director of the Research and Analysis Division, Trade Policy Bureau, and Director for International Petroleum Affairs at the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. He was also associate professor at Kyoto University's Institute of Economic Research. Dr. Hisatake holds a Ph.D. in economics from Kyoto University.
Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Graduate School of Economics and Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo
After obtaining his B.A. in Economics from Tokyo University in 1972 and his Ph.D. in Regional Science from Cornell University in 1977, Dr. Kanemoto began his teaching career as an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Having taught at University of Tsukuba and Queen's University in Canada, he became associate professor at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Economics in 1988. In 1992, he became a full professor, and was also appointed professor at the Center for Spatial Information Sciences from 1998 to 1999, and director of the Center for International Research on the Japanese Economy from 1999 to 2001.
Major works: Theories of Urban Externalities, North-Holland, 1980; "Agglomeration Economies and a Test for Optimal City Sizes in Japan," (T. Ohkawara, and T. Suzuki) Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 10, 379-398, 1996; "Optimal Cities with Indivisibility in Production and Interactions between Firms," Journal of Urban Economics, 27, 46-59, 1990; "Hedonic Prices and the Benefits of Public Projects," Econometrica, 56, 981-989, 1988
KAWAGUCHI Yuichiro
Professor, Graduate School of Finance, Accounting and Law, Waseda University
Prior to his current post, Dr. Kawaguchi was a visiting professor at the Institute of Economic Research of Kyoto University (2002-2003), visiting researcher at the Graduate School of Media of Keio University (2001-2002), visiting professor at the Center for Spatial Information Science of University of Tokyo (2001), professor (1999), associate professor(1996) and assistant professor (1992) at Meikai University. He was also a visiting researcher at University of Cambridge in the U.K. He founded a new practical science "Real Estate Financial Engineering" in 2000 and is an expert in the theory and practice of investment and finance of real estate, and analysis of real estate securities such as REIT, MBS and CMBS; in real estate markets and real estate capital markets; in housing and commercial real estate loans; and in real estate systems. He has served as vice chairman of JAREFE since 2000.
Major works: Jissen Real Option, Diamond, Inc., 2004; Hudosan Kin-yu Kogaku, Seibunsha, 2001.
KUSAKABE Satoshi
Director, Industrial Organization Division, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, METI
A graduate of the Faculty of Economics at Yokohama National University, Mr. Kusakabe entered MITI (presently METI) in 1982. After working for the Trade Policy Bureau, the Consumer Goods Industry Bureau, the Economic Planning Agency and the Basic Industries Bureau, he went to the U.S. to study at the University of Rochester in 1989. After returning to Japan, he worked for the Consumer Goods Industry Bureau (1991-1993), the Industrial Policy Bureau (1993-1996) and the Minister's Secretariat (1996-1997). In 1997 he became director of the Public Utilities Department at the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE). In 2001 he was appointed director of the Information Economy Division of the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau in 2001 and assumed his current post in July 2002.
Director, RIETI / Senior Managing Director, Fujitsu Research Institute
Mr. Nezu has served as Director at RIETI since 2001. Since 2004, he has also been senior managing director at the Fujitsu Research Institute (FRI). Mr. Nezu serves concurrently as senior executive fellow at FRI's Economic Research Center, a post he has held since 2001. He became director general for the Science, Technology and Industry Bureau at OECD in 1995, and councilor at the Permanent Mission of Delegation of Japan to OECD in 1984. Mr. Nezu joined MITI (now METI) after graduating from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Economics in 1970, later going on to obtain an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975.
Major works: IT Sengoku-jidai, Chuokoron-shinsha, 2002; Nihon no Mono-dukuri 52 no Ronten, ed. by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance, 2002.
Chairman, RIETI
After Graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, Mr. Okamatsu joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He has served in many senior positions, including vice minister for international affairs, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). He was the chief negotiator in auto talks with the U.S. government from 1992 to 1994. Okamatsu also served as visiting professor, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego (1995/9-1996/1, 1997/1-1997/2, 2000/10-2000/11) and executive vice president of Arabian Oil Company (1997-2000). Since 2001, he has been chairman of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) and an advisor to METI. He was also vice chair of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board (2001-2004).
SAITO Jun
Executive Staff, Nikon Corporation / Research Fellow, RCAST, The University of Tokyo
After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, Dr. Saito joined Nippon Kogaku (presently Nikon Corporation) in 1982, where he engaged in R&D of Exchange Coupled Magneto-Optical Disk Memory until 2000. He is currently researching LLC System Theory and Semiconductor Lithography. He currently serves as general research manager at EUVA. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1995.
Saskia SASSEN
Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Chicago / Centennial Visiting Professor, London School of Economics
Dr. Sassen is the Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago and has just completed a five-year project on sustainable human settlement for UNESCO for which she set up a network of researchers and activists in over 50 countries. She has written many books, which have been translated into 15 languages. She serves on several editorial boards and is an advisor to several international bodies. She is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the National Academy of Sciences Panel on Cities, and Chair of the Information Technology and International Cooperation Committee of the Social Science Research Council (USA). She obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1974 and an M.A. from Universite de Poitiers in 1973.
Major works: Denationalization: Territory, Authority and Rights in a Global Digital Age, Princeton University Press, 2005; Socio-Digital Formations: New Architectures for Global Order (co-ed.), Princeton University Press, 2005; Global Networks/Linked Cities (as editor), Routledge, 2002; The Global City (updated ed.), Princeton University Press, 2001.
Allen J. SCOTT
Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Geography, The School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles
Prior to his current post, Dr. Scott was appointed professor in the Department of Public Policy at UCLA's School of Public Affairs in 1994 concurrently with a professorship in the Department of Geography, which he was granted in 1981. At UCLA, he also served as Founding Director of the Center for Globalization and Policy Research and the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies. He served as associate dean of School of Public Policy and Social Research. Dr. Scott has been a visiting professor and fellow at various universities around the world, including the University of Paris, and taught at University of Toronto and University College London. He began his teaching career at University of Pennsylvania in 1965. He obtained a Ph.D. in 1965 and an M.A. in 1962 from Northwestern University; in addition, he holds an M.A. a B.A., which he obtained in 1965 and 1961, respectively, from Oxford University. For the last several years, Dr. Scott's research has focused on issues in industrialization, urbanization, and regional development.
Major works: Technopolis: High-Technology Industry and Regional Development in Southern California, University of California Press, 1993.
TAKAHASHI Takehide
Director-General, Kanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, METI
A graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, Mr. Takahashi entered MITI (presently METI) in 1976. He has served in various posts such as director of the Trade and Tax Division, International Economy Department at the Trade Policy Bureau (1993-95); director of House Industry at the Consumer Industry Bureau (1995-97); counselor at the Minister's Secretariat of the National Land Agency (1997-1999); director of the Industrial Location Division at the Environmental Protection and Industrial Location Bureau (1999-2000); director-general of the Department of General Affairs at the Japan Regional Development Corporation (2000-2002); deputy director-general of the Minister's Secretariat at METI (2002-2003); and executive director of the Japan Regional Development Corporation (2003-2005). He assumed his current post in June 2004.
President and Chief Research Officer, RIETI
Dr. Yoshitomi was previously dean of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Institute, Tokyo (1999-2003). He was also Visiting Executive Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1993-98). Yoshitomi served as Director-General, Coordination Bureau at the Economic Planning Agency (EPA) (1991-92), Director-General, Economic Research Institute, EPA (1987-91), and Director, Economics and Statistics Department, OECD (Paris) (1984-87). He also served as an economist at the IMF (Washington, D.C.) (1970-74). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Tokyo.
Major works: Reality of the Asian Economies - Miracle, Crisis, and Evolution of Institutions -, 2003 (in Japanese); Post-Crisis Development Paradigms in Asia (co-authored with the staff of the ADB Institute), 2003; Reality of the Japanese Economy - Beyond Conventional Views -, 1998 (in Japanese).
