Crowdfunding Service Office, BORDERLESS JAPAN, Inc. Founder, Dialogue Radio.
Yuka is currently working at BORDERLESS JAPAN Inc. and is in charge of a crowdfunding service. Her academic background is about the mobility of people and intercultural communication. She has four years of experience empowering young refugees in Japan, Denmark, Belgium, and Australia as a project coordinator. As a result of her passion for career support for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan, and for making a diverse and inclusive society, she is also developing an internet radio program Dialogue Radio, which shows a variety of life stories by having a deep dialogue with each guest from all over the world.
Consultant, IBM Japan
Hinata was born and raised in Yokohama and has spent most of her life there. Aside from her academic interests, food and the community around dining have always been an important part of her life. The experience of working with local farms both in Japan and Italy made her passion for food even bigger. Whilst working as an IT consultant where she helps companies process re-engineering, Hinata spends her free-time baking at home. She has been baking cakes and bread for more than two years and loves trying and sharing traditional recipes from around the world. She adores weekend getaways in nature, in mountains, or under the sea. Camping, scuba diving, and hiking are her favorite ways to spend time with friends. Hinata’s passion is in making sure everyone in the community is feeling welcomed and heard, and she wants to work towards implementing inclusive solutions through GSC activities in Yokohama.
Beyond Lab Inc., CEO
Yuta is a social entrepreneur based in Namie, Fukushima. He is passionate about cross-cultural education and eliminating biases against minority groups. He was born and raised in Fukushima. He studied at the University of Minnesota, majoring in sociology. After graduation, He went back to Fukushima to engage in community development and regional revitalization. In February 2022, he started up an education company, Beyond Lab Inc., which organizes programs for local teenagers to learn cultural diversity and discussion skills through interacting with international students in Japan. His future goal is to establish an education system in which everyone can develop their imaginations for people with different cultures and identities.
Graduate student, the University of Tokyo
Mai is a graduate student at the University of Tokyo majoring in neuropathological sciences. She had been educated in a girls' school in Yokohama for 12 years. She found herself deeply interested in the mystery of life because of the episode when she was given birth. Now, she aims at realizing a world where each person can live an active and healthy life. In 2019, she received President’s award for academic performance at Yokohama City University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in biomedical life sciences (summa cum laude).
Shiseido Co., Ltd. Researcher
Yusuke Makino, born and raised in Japan, studied neuroscience at Nagoya University and received a Master of Molecular biology. He works at SHISEIDO as a researcher. He developed many products and sold them in the market. Also, Yusuke is trying to connect our technology with startups to create innovation.
Public Policy Office, Rakuten Group, Inc.
Born in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Since she was a student, she worked as a staff member at the office of members of House of Representatives and Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. After graduating from Faculty of Law, Keio University, she worked for a major human resources company and Public Affairs Japan, Inc, and currently working at Rakuten Group, Inc as a lobbyist. She is in charge of a wide range of policy fields such as environmental energy, immigration policy, philanthropy, etc., and is strongly passionate about building a better society. She studied in the U.S., U.K., Mexico, and Sweden, where she studied public policy, gender studies, and sustainable development etc. Engaging in voluntary activities as Public Course Planner of Green Innovator Academy. Selected as a Global Shaper since 2021.
Executive Board Member, Wake Up Japan
With the experience of living in three countries (the United States, China, and the Republic of Korea), Misato is passionate and has been dedicating herself to peacebuilding in East Asia for about 10 years. Currently, she is in charge of developing and planning special courses for the English MBA program mainly in the areas of Technovate, Asia, and Japan at GLOBIS University. She also teaches at Musashi University. In addition to that, she is a board member of Wake Up Japan, a non-profit organization that promotes youth participation in society. She launched the program called "East Asia Peace Ambassador Project" in 2020, and some of the programs were subsidized by Lee Heui Keon Korea-Japan Exchange Foundation. In GSC, she has been responsible for the launching of the Yokohama 100 in the conference, and some programs at the Hiroshima Junior International Peace Forum, and is currently a Community Champion for the North Asia region.
Co-founder, MEXT Scholars Association
Karthik came to Japan in 2015 on the prestigious MEXT Scholarship. Karthik got his undergraduate degree from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, majoring in Information Technology ( AI & Deep learning ). He has been very active in the startup scene in and around Asia for the last 6 years, through his activities such as organizing TEDxTitech, Junction Tokyo (the largest international hackathon in Japan), Hult Prize contests, etc. Karthik also co-founded a Non-Profit Organization called MEXT Scholars Association [MSA] to solve the problems faced by MEXT scholars in Japan. MSA has hosted over 100 events where they have provided career support, personal life support, FAQ guidance, etc. to the students for free. MSA currently has over 5000 members all over Japan. MSA has been endorsed by the government of Japan. Karthik works with a Japanese VC fund and loves investing in cutting-edge technologies.
CEO, SHOCKby, Inc. / Policy Specialist, Obuse-Town / Energy Transition Advisor, METI
Sho is a sustainability and innovation policy specialist, and a social entrepreneur. His focus areas include:
- Multi-stakeholder policy facilitation especially on environment and sustainability
- Business development for socially impactful startups
- Talent development and workshop design for social innovation
After working in management consulting and venture capital industries, he founded SHOCKby, Inc. in 2018 to bridge the public and private sectors and boost the process of social innovation through business/policy consulting and talent development. In June 2020, he moved to Obuse Town in Nagano Prefecture to work on sustainable urban planning and business creation as the Director of Policy on Sustainability and Innovation, while also serving for the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry as an advisor on energy transition finance. Sho has a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) and Master of Public Policy (Science, Technology and Innovation Governance) from the University of Tokyo, and a Master of Law from Peking University.
MSc student at the University of Sussex (SPRU)
Satoshi is an MSc student majoring in science and technology policy at the University of Sussex. He strongly believes in the power of emerging technologies. He studies how society can safely but effectively deploy disruptive technologies through a combination of grassroots innovations and top-down design of social norms. His dissertation topic is “sociotechnical imaginaries of AI-based regulations in the US, UK, and Japan”. After he completed his BA in STS at the University of Tokyo, he worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. As a consultant, he closely observed how S&T is adopted by leading companies. He is originally from Takarazuka, Hyogo. He was born on the next day of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Growing up in the disaster area with support from the local community and public services was his source of passion for social contribution. Yokohama is his second home, where he lived most of his time during his undergrad.
Waseda University, Researcher
Originally from Spain, Borja lived in 6 countries before moving to Tokyo in 2022. He obtained his bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Additionally, he pursued 2 master's degrees: one in Informatics at the Technical University of Munich, and an Honor's Degree in Technology Management from the Center for Digital Technology Management (CDTM) of the Elite Network of Bavaria. Before joining Global Shapers, he gained experience as a neuroscience researcher and served as Chief Product Officer at Custom Surgical GmbH, a startup offering affordable, smartphone-based medical devices with the goal of democratizing access to high-tech medical technology in developing regions. Borja is passionate about social entrepreneurship and is committed to applying technology to solve problems in the areas of climate, education, and healthcare. In his free time, you can find him reading history books, playing chess, or at a basketball court.
Management consultant
Yuka has had a strong passion for biodiversity conservation and earned B.Sc. and M.Sc. in ecology from the University of Tokyo. She is the founder of “Mend It Mine,” a sustainable fashion movement to tackle the serious impact of the fashion industry, which has been featured by multiple media organizations, such as NHK World and some of the major Japanese newspapers. She has engaged in varied sustainability-focused activities, including founding an organization placing students at UN Climate Conference (SUS+ UTokyo), attending UN ECOSOC Youth Forum, completing an internship at Conservation International, and working as a Global Ambassador at The Better Tomorrow Movement. In her master’s program, she studied wildlife conservation and entrepreneurship at the University of Washington as an exchange student. She currently works as a management consultant specializing in sustainability.
Freelancer
Lisa’s life mission has always been to create a safe place where all potential thrives. Influenced by her upbringing as a third culture kid and her little sister, Eri with down syndrome. From her experience working in branding, marketing, and creative production, she takes part in communication design to blend the weak into a broader context. She currently works as a freelancer, working as a PR/Design lead in a flower shop in Harajuku, more than half of its employees are with some potential. She is also the founder of “goof club” where she invites people from different backgrounds to create an experimental space where everyone’s roles are fluid. She believes in “the comfort in chaos”. Outside of work, you can find her in her kitchen experimenting or indulging in a book on her couch.
Data Scientist
Kenmaru is a Japanese-Chilean data scientist who loves coffee and traveling. As he has a strong passion to contribute to developing countries through science and technology, he studied abroad in China, a country leading the artificial intelligence while at Waseda University. During his master’s degree, he gained experience in data analytics and business development at SaaS based startup and International Organization while researching econometrics. To exercise bigger impacts on society, he started his career at US multinational technology company and promote data democratization for enterprise-level clients.
Council Member of Kamakura-City / Human Resources and IT Consultant
My name is Koukou Kuribayashi. My mission is to create a society where you can live the way you are. I am currently working as a Kamakura city councilor and HR/IT consultant to achieve my vision. Through my activities at GSC-Yokohama, I want to connect and expand my vision of the world. I am proud to be a member of Yokohama HUB, which connects Japan and the world. I look forward to working with you!
Teacher, Freelance Education Consultant
A 2nd generation bisexual Hakka-Chinese-American, Roy spent his formative years in China, the U.S., and Japan. Originally from Cupertino, California, Roy witnessed first-hand how the rise of technology has widened the wealth gap and left many behind. Currently teaching at an all-boys middle and high school and working freelance as a consultant, Roy believes that learning must be reimagined to be more personal and meaningful, education must be transformed to be more equitable and sustainable, and the world must be empowered to become more compassionate and kind. Roy serves on the Kanagawa Prefecture foreign residents council and holds a BA in Global Studies from Akita International University. He has an insatiable sweet tooth, and is often said to be spotted in local bathhouses.
Founder and CEO at An-Nahal Inc.
Yu Shinagawa is a passionate entrepreneur focused on diversity and inclusion as a means to create a collaborative and innovative society through embracing individual differences. She founded An-Nahal Inc. in 2019 and provides consulting and leadership development programs within companies under the themes of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Yu also promotes entrepreneurship education for foreign nationals through partnerships with industry, government, and academia. She has been actively engaged in global talent development, and education projects with international organizations such as the World Bank, and has further contributed through an NPO to refugee job assistance for asylum seekers. Yu is also a 2019 fellow of the Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative by the Fish Family Foundation in Boston.
Kyoto University, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Ph.D. Candidate in the field of Cultural Anthropology/ Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Hibiki was born in Yokohama and grew up in Yokohama until he was 24. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Kyoto University. His major is Cultural Anthropology, and now he is doing his fieldwork about family kinship which is spread beyond the border of nations, especially in the Korean Peninsula and Japan. He is not only researching but also giving lectures for high school students to solve problems of Japanese society. He is also a Special Joint Research Fellow of the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan.
Tech Era Education Program Lead
Atoka Jo, born and raised in Japan, received her undergraduate degree from New York University Abu Dhabi and her Master’s degree from Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University. During her studies, she was involved in research and projects related to education and development economics in Argentina, Ghana, and Costa Rica, and interned at the United Nations in New York. In Japan, she founded and currently runs a liberal arts summer program at Himeji Girls’ High School. She also holds a role as the Education Program Lead at TechEra, a non-profit organization in Ghana. Selected to attend the World Economic Forum Davos Conference 2022 as one of the 50 Global Shapers. Masayoshi Son Foundation Scholar. Global Shaper. G7 Youth 2019 Japan Representative. One Young World 2018 Japan Representative.
Salesforce Japan
Hisae was born in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Interested in the media's coverage of the Korean situation and hate speech issues, she entered the Faculty of International Liberal Studies at Yokohama City University. Through fieldwork and interviews, she wrote her graduation thesis from a sociological perspective. She was also involved in volunteer activities to support education, based on her awareness of education-related issues. Currently, she works for Salesforce Japan as an inside sales representative in the regional sales department, promoting DX in Japan, and is also involved in volunteer projects to support career education.