Contents
Topics
Business
Opportunities
Overview
If you are looking for the fastest way to get to many major cities in East Asia, Fukuoka is your best choice.The Fukuoka economic zone is Japan's fourth largest city after Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya with a hinterland population of over 10 million.From the Fukuoka Airport, you can reach Hakata Station, a major station in Fukuoka, in only five minutes by underground. From Hakata Station, you can take a bullet train to arrive at Kagoshima, the south end of the Kyushu Island, in about one hour and at Osaka in about two hours and a half. Fukuoka, a hub of transport both domestically and internationally, is also the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast.
KYUSHU
FUKUOKA
Strengths
Advisor
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Takeshi Kito
Co-founder & CEO, Elevandi Japan
Takeshi worked for Boston Consulting Gr……
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Takeshi Kito
Co-founder & CEO, Elevandi Japan
Takeshi worked for Boston Consulting Group and in the investment banking division of Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co., Ltd. (now BofA Securities Japan Co., Ltd.). He next launched and ultimately sold Fintech startup Crowd Realty, and he then co-founded and became CEO of Elevandi Japan in August 2023. He is on a number of expert councils of the Japanese government, such as the Cabinet Office’s New Technologies Effectiveness Evaluation Committee and the Digital Agency’s International Data Governance Research Group, and he is also an International Financial Advisor of the Fukuoka Prefectural Government.
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Masashi Namatame
Managing Executive Officer & Group CDO, Tokyo Marine Holdings, Inc.
Masashi began working for the Long-Term……
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Masashi Namatame
Managing Executive Officer & Group CDO, Tokyo Marine Holdings, Inc.
Masashi began working for the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, Ltd. (now SBI Shinsei Bank) in 1988. He next worked part-time at the Financial Supervisory Agency (now the Financial Services Agency) before moving on to Deutsche Bank, Visa Worldwide Japan, and then he became a member of the board at BlackRock Japan in 2015. He has been with Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. since 2018. He earned his MBA at Harvard Business School.
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Takafumi Ochiai
Senior Partner, Attorney at Atsumi & Sakai
Head of Policy Research Institute
Vice-Chairperson of the Fintech Association of JapanTakafumi worked for approximately 9 yea……
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Takafumi Ochiai
Senior Partner, Attorney at Atsumi & Sakai
Head of Policy Research Institute
Vice-Chairperson of the Fintech Association of JapanTakafumi worked for approximately 9 years at the Tokyo and Beijing offices of Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, where he handled cases on international disputes & bankruptcies, intellectual properties, and overseas investments, among others. Since joining his current law firm, he has been providing business advice and helping establish new systems in industries such as finance, healthcare, real estate, MaaS, and IT. He also serves in various roles for the Japanese government as well as private institutions, such as acting Chair of the Startup and Investment Working Group on the Cabinet Office’s Regulatory Reform Promotion Council, vice chairperson of the Working Group on the Cabinet Office’s National Strategic Special Zones, member of the Digital Agency’s Digital-related Institutional Reform Study Group, and vice-chairperson of Japan Financial Service Intermediary Business Association.
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Makoto Shibata
Head of FINOLAB / Chief Community Officer, FINOLAB Inc.
Audit & Supervisory Board Member, UI Bank Co., Ltd.Makoto is currently in charge of FINOLA……
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Makoto Shibata
Head of FINOLAB / Chief Community Officer, FINOLAB Inc.
Audit & Supervisory Board Member, UI Bank Co., Ltd.Makoto is currently in charge of FINOLAB community operation since 2019. In his former position at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, he was leading R&D initiatives in emerging technology and online/mobile financial services as Head of Global Innovation Team. He also held positions in corporate planning, accounting, corporate finance, and retail customer services at the bank. He is one of the founders of FINOVATORS, a mentor group consists of FinTech experts. He also became an external board member at new digital bank, UI Bank, when it acquired a banking license in 2021.
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Hideyuki Takahashi
Director and Chairman, State Street Trust and Banking Co. Ltd.
Hideyuki entered Nomura Securities Co.,……
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Hideyuki Takahashi
Director and Chairman, State Street Trust and Banking Co. Ltd.
Hideyuki entered Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. in 1979, where he gained experience working in Luxembourg, Germany, and the United Kingdom and he served various positions such as CEO and President of Nomura Holding America Inc. He joined State Street Trust and Banking Co., Ltd. as director and chairman in 2014.
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Mio Takaoka
Partner, DNX Ventures
External Board Director, Septeni Holdings Inc., Kayac Inc., Hennge K.K., Dentsu Soken Inc.Mio started her career at Goldman Sachs……
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Mio Takaoka
Partner, DNX Ventures
External Board Director, Septeni Holdings Inc., Kayac Inc., Hennge K.K., Dentsu Soken Inc.Mio started her career at Goldman Sachs, and over the course of 18 years within the finance industry, gained experience across trading, M&A, and Venture Capital, including serving as the Executive Director and General Manager of the New Business Planning Office at Monex Group, Inc. in addition to serving as the Managing Director of Monex Ventures Inc. and Partner at Arbor Ventures.
Mio received her BA in Natural Sciences (Physics) from Cambridge University, and over the course of her career, has been invited to speak at various international and Japanese events, including the World Economic Forum (Summer Davos) at Tianjin in 2016.
Testimonials
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Fukuoka, where Excellent Human Resources Gather
State Street Trust and Banking Co., Ltd.
Managing Director
Director, Chief Operating Officer
Head of Fukuoka OfficeAlison Birch
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Prompt Support from Local Governments and Potential Business Opportunities
Kyushu Office Director
Kevin Bui
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TEAM FUKUOKA’s Warmth and Dedication
General Manager, Co-Founder
Noboru Takahashi
