Ambassadors
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Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan H.E. Ms. Lina ANNAB
In 2019, he was appointed Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Japan. From 2016 to 2018 he served as Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. Prior to his cabinet post, he was chief executive officer of The Investment Holdings, a major real estate company that owns hotels. Over the past 25 years, he has held various positions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, including at Citibank, Johnson & Johnson, and the International Monetary Fund.
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Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria H.E.Ms. Marieta Arabadjieva
- 【Work History】
- 2001
- Joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2001-04
- Attache, Embassy of Bulgaria in Tokyo
- 2004-06
- Third Secretary and Officer for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia, Australia and Oceania Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2006-08
- Second Secretary and Head of Political Section, Embassy of Bulgaria in Tokyo
- 2011-13
- First Secretary, Head of Political Section, and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Bulgaria in Beijing
- December 2011-May 2012
- Charge d'Affaires a.i., Embassy of Bulgaria in Beijing
- 2014-16
- First Secretary and Head of the China Section, Asia, Australia and Oceania Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2016-August 2020
- Deputy Chief of Mission, Head of Political Section, and Counsellor, Embassy of Bulgaria in Tokyo
- September 2020-21
- Counsellor, Asia, Australia and Oceania Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- April 2021
- Ambassador
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Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mrs. Aleksandra KOVAČ
- 【Work History】
- 2002-03
- Trainee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2003-04
- Attache, Diplomatic Academy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2004
- Attache (for General Affairs), Embassy of Serbia in London
- 2005
- Third Secretary, Directorate for Asia, Australia and Pacific, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2006-11
- Third Secretary (for Consular and Cultural Affairs), Embassy of Serbia in Tokyo
- 2011-12
- Counsellor, State Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2012-13
- First Counsellor, Cabinet of Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 2013-14
- Director of Diplomatic Academy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 2014-18
- Minister-Counsellor, Permanent Delegation to UNESCO
- 2018-21
- Secretary General of the Commission of the Republic of Serbia for Cooperation with UNESCO and Head of UNESCO Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- August 2021
- Ambassador
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Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda H.E. Ms. KAAHWA Tophace
【Work History】
Parliament of Uganda May 2016 to May 2021 Woman Member of Parliament Hoima District
Parliament of Uganda May 2011 to May 2016 Woman Member of Parliament Hoima District
Buleera Core Primary Teachers College 21/8/2006 to 1/7/2010 Tutor/Acting Deputy Principle -
Ambassador of the Republic of Finland H.E. Ms. Tanja JÄÄSKELÄINEN
【Foreign Service Background】
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to Tokyo, September 2022-
Deputy Director General, Political Department, MFA 2018-2022
Special Representative, Ambassador, Syria Crisis, Unit for Middle East and North
Africa, MFA 2017-2018
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to Tunisia and Libya, 2013-2017
Minister, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Finland, London 2009-2013
Senior Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, 2007-2009
Deputy European Correspondent, Counsellor, Political Department,
European Common Foreign and Security Policy Unit, MFA, 2003-2007
Deputy Head of Mission, First Secretary, Embassy of Finland, Damascus, Syria
2001-2003
Second Secretary, Embassy of Finland, Budapest, Hungary 1996-2000
Attache, Legal Department, Unit for Public International Law, MFA, 1996
Attache, Department for External Economic Relations, Unit for Central and Eastern
European Co-operation, MFA 1995
Entered Finnish Foreign Service 1995
【Educational Background】
Master of Political Science, University of Tampere 1993 Master of Philosophy, University of Tampere 1993
Overseas female minister
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Austrian Federal Chancellery Minister for the European Union and Constitution H.E. Ms. Karoline Edtstadler
In January 2020, Karoline Edtstadler was sworn in as Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery by President Alexander Van der Bellen.
Karoline Edtstadler was born in Salzburg on 28 March 1981. From 1999 to 2004 she studied law at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, graduating with a Mag. jur.
She was a judge at Salzburg Regional Court from 2008 to 2011 and was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Justice from 2011 to 2014. Subsequently, Karoline Edtstadler worked as an adviser in the cabinet of the Federal Minister for Justice, Wolfgang Brandstetter, until 2016. In 2016 she was posted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg as a legal expert (2016 to 2017). From 2017 to May 2019, she was secretary of state at the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Chancellor Kurz's first government. Edtstadler was then a Member of the European Parliament and Head of Delegation of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) from July 2019 to January 2020. Karoline Edtstadler was initially appointed Chancellery Minister without Portfolio on 7 January 2020. She has been Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery since 29 January 2020.
Since 2018, Karoline Edtstadler has been Vice-President of SPORTUNION Österreich and has been involved with the Austrian Workers' and Employees' Association (ÖAAB) in an honorary capacity. She has also served as a liaison officer for Equal Treatment Officers, first at Salzburg Regional Court and later at the Federal Ministry of Justice, and is a former member of the board of the Association of Austrian Judges' expert group on fundamental rights.
Overseas female mayor
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Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass
As the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass has brought unprecedented urgency and unity behind a new strategy to address the city’s homelessness crisis. Born and raised in L.A., she previously represented the city in Congress and the State Assembly where she was elected Speaker. She also founded the non-profit Community Coalition and was a nurse and physician assistant.
Keynote addresses
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Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan H.E. Ms. Lina ANNAB
In 2019, he was appointed Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Japan. From 2016 to 2018 he served as Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. Prior to his cabinet post, he was chief executive officer of The Investment Holdings, a major real estate company that owns hotels. Over the past 25 years, he has held various positions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, including at Citibank, Johnson & Johnson, and the International Monetary Fund.
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Chancellor of Showa Women’s University Mariko Bando
Born in Toyama Prefecture. Graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1969 and joined the Prime Minister's Office.
He was appointed Deputy Governor of Saitama Prefecture in 1995, Consul General of Brisbane in 1998, and Director-General of the Cabinet Office's Gender Equality Bureau in 2001. Director of Showa Women's University Research Institute for Women's Culture in 2004, president of the same university in 2007, chairman of the university's board of directors in 2014, and president of the university in 2016. She has written many books, including ``Women's Dignity,'' ``Japan's Women's Policy,'' ``How to Be Etiquette at 70,'' ``How to Create a Happy Life,'' and ``Women's Determination.''
Female Executives
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Chairman, Shizuoka Prefecture Fukuroi Chamber of Commerce and Industry / Managing Director, Maruo Kosho Co., Ltd. Hiroko Toyoda
Born in Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture. After graduating from university, he worked at Maruo Kosho Co., Ltd., a wholesale business run by his father. He became a managing director after serving as an accounting manager. He is a hands-on person and has personally acquired qualifications that will benefit the company.
Vice president of Fukuroi Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2017, president from 2022. He is active in local economic development, including early efforts to popularize cashless payments to accommodate foreign tourists. She serves as a member of the Prefectural Gender Equality Council, a member of the Prefectural Development Review Committee, a vice-chairman of the City Administrative Reform Promotion Committee, and a member of the Japan CCI National Land and Social Infrastructure Development Specialist Committee. -
Graduate School of Management, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business Professor Yuriko Sawatani
Completed the Department of Systems Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology. She completed her doctoral course at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo (academic). After joining a foreign IT company, he served as a fellow at the Japan Science and Technology Agency's Service Science Program (S3FIRE) and a professor at Waseda University, before assuming his current position in April 2018. Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Industrial Structure Council He is also a member of the Regional Economy and Industry Subcommittee, a member of the "Committee for Formulation of Competitive IT/DX Investment Evaluation Indices," a part-time lecturer at Waseda University Business School, and the INFORMS Service Science Editorial Board. Main works: Global Perspectives on Service
Science: Japan (co-editor, Springer), Serviceology for Designing the
Future (co-editor, Springer), Handbook of Service Science Vol.2
(co-editor, Springer) etc. -
IBM Japan Co., Ltd. Director and Executive Officer
IBM Japan Digital Services Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President Hiromi InoueJoined IBM Japan Corporation in 2003. After being in charge of system development for government offices as a system engineer, he worked as a project manager for various projects. He has been the Government Delivery Leader since 2019. Director of Government Industry since 2020.
In July 2020, with the establishment of IBM Japan Digital Services Co., Ltd., he became president and representative director and executive officer of IBM Japan. In April 2022, he became a director and executive officer of IBM Japan. In her private life, she is also a mother of two daughters. -
Work-Life Balance Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President Yoshie Komuro
Work-Life Balance Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President
He has a track record of consulting for over 2,000 companies, and is well-regarded for his "work style reform consulting" methods that reduce overtime and increase business performance. He has served as a member of the Abe Cabinet's Industrial Competitiveness Council, the Industrial Structure Council of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Central Education Council of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. His books include ``Playing Manager Work Techniques for ``Zero Overtime'''' (Diamond Publishing), ``Work Style Reform: 20 Examples of Increased Productivity and Motivation'' (Mainichi Shimbun Publishing), and ``Team Techniques for Going Home at 6:00'' (Japan Management Association Management Center). Co-authored many books, including ``Men's Childcare Leave: This is How Families, Companies, and the Economy Will Change'' (co-authored PHP Shinsho). We develop and provide web services such as ``Asamail.com®'', ``Frog Conference Online®'', ``Navigation for balancing nursing care and work'', ``Work-life balance organizational diagnosis'', and ``Armo, a program for balancing childcare and work''. ing. He presides over the ``WLB Consultant Training Course,'' with 1,600 graduates currently active throughout the country. -
Mentor For Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President Masako Ikehara
Earned a master's degree from Waseda University and Waseda University Graduate School (Adult Education).
Joined a PR company as a new graduate. After changing jobs, he became involved in human resource development at an education-related NPO and a consulting company.
She holds a master's degree from INSEAD (Executive Master in Change/Coaching/Organizational Development).
After starting her own business, she became pregnant, but at the end of her pregnancy, her partner was transferred overseas.
In 2018, she took advantage of her one-off childcare experience to launch an external mentor business that promotes D&I.
She spent two and a half years raising children in one office, and then spent the next two years living in two locations in Germany to grow her business.
In 2021, she also founded the Business Career Mentor Association, a general incorporated association, and also serves as the representative director.
She also completed the Advancing Diversity and Inclusion course at INSEAD, deepening her knowledge of D&I.
She has lectured on topics such as D&I, women's empowerment, and mentor/sponsor development, and has received numerous awards.
Moderator
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Forbes JAPAN Executive Officer Web Editorial Department Chief Editor Yuka Tanimoto
Theme: Technology and gender equality to promote women's empowerment
After working as a finance and economics anchor for Bloomberg TV, etc., she obtained an MBA in the United States. She then became a presenter for Nikkei CNBC, and the company's first female commentator. To date, she has interviewed over 3,000 VIPs from all around the world, among them former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. -
Economic journalist
President of Swing-by creation, Inc. and representative of Innovedia Yuko UchidaTheme: Promoting DX will change the way women work
After graduating from Tamagawa University College of Arts, Yuko Uchida joined Daiwa Securities Co., Ltd. There, she initially gained experience of equity-related work, then transferred to the public relations department. Selected to be a presenter for "Daiwa Satellite," she went on to appear in shows featuring market information and interviews with managers and analysts. After gaining experience as a corporate IR consultant, she joined Seiichi Takarabe's firm in 2000. This marked the beginning of her career as an economic journalist. After working as a reporter for the economic special feature team for TV Asahi's "Sunday Project," she became a reporter for BS Nippon Corporation's "Hyaku Ne n Kigyo ni Manabe," and the main presenter for Television KANAGAWA's "Kanagawa Business Up To Date." She is currently appearing in BS Eleven's "Takarabe news&talk" and FM Nack 5's "Economorning." She is particularly expert at on-site coverage and interviewing managers regardless of company size or industry, being equally at home with everything from listed corporations to SMEs and venture companies. She also works a great deal as a public speaker, lecturer, and event facilitator, and serves as an outside director for various companies. In October 2020, she launched the innovation platform "Innovedia." -
NHK Radio Late Night Interviewer/Representative Director of Meridian Promotion Co., Ltd. Mariko Ushikubo
Theme: Life-work balance for women to shine
After she joined Suntory Ltd., she became an NHK caster. She has appeared on programs such as “Good Morning Japan” and “Metropolitan Area Network.” She currently serves as an interviewer for NHK's "Radio Midnight Flight" and a personality for "SDGs from familiar things." In addition, she serves as a communications advisor and gives lectures to companies and organizations across the country.
He has written a total of 6 books, including ``Two Rules for Getting Difficult People to Start Speaking the Truth'' (Nikkei BP). -
International journalist, bilingual MC, NHK World radio news desk Tomoko Omura
Theme: Toward the realization of a society that respects diverse sexuality and life
(Lived in Malaysia and Iran in her teens, and in Indonesia for three years in her 50s)
1988 to 89: Presenter for NHK General TV's "NEWS TODAY."
Has been working in international broadcasting as an English presenter since her 40s
2008: Hokkaido Toyako Summit event Japanese-English MC
Currently: NHK World English radio show Asian View desk
English lecturer at NHK Culture Center (Hobbies: Singing, growing roses, driving) -
Director of the NPO Gender Action Platform Asako Osaki
Theme: Aiming for a society that protects women's dignity and pride
Asako Osaki graduated from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. She then took a post at the United Nations, where she worked on promoting gender equality and women's empowerment. She is currently actively working in a wide range of international organizations, NPOs, companies, and other contexts as an expert on connecting Japan with the rest of the world. She is a member of the Cabinet Office Gender Equality Bureau's Ex pert Panel on Planning and Monitoring, a gender advisor for Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture, and a member of Mie Prefecture's DX board.