Hiroyuki (Hiro) Murata

Professor, Tohoku University
President, Murata Associates, Inc.

Professor Murata is the most pioneer of active ageing business in Japan and an internationally recognized thought leader in ageing societies. He has worked with over 550 companies and contributed to develop various innovative products and services such as Curves Japan, the world's largest fitness chain for women in Japan, Raku-Raku phone, the best-selling senior-friendly mobile phone, and the first college-linked retirement community in Japan.

He serves as Professor at Smart Ageing International Research Center (SAIRC) at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. Not only created the concept of "Smart Ageing" but also he contributed to establish Smart Ageing College, the intergenerational school on the campus and Smart Ageing Square, the ageing-business-on-campus with various industry partners. Both are the first implementation in Japanese national universities.

Professor Murata is an entrepreneur, business producer, gerontologist, and best-selling author of several books, including The Business of Aging: 10 Successful Strategies for a Diverse Market, and Must read book when your parents become 70. Professor Murata also serves as many public positions such as a committee member of New Healthcare Industry Creating Forum by Chubu METI, and Silver Service Vision Committee by Silver Service Association.

He is also a frequently invited speaker at ageing-related conferences worldwide. Professor Murata holds a Master's degree of Engineering from Tohoku University Graduate School of Engineering, and a MBA from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (French Nationale Grand Ecole) in Paris. He speaks fluent English, French, and Japanese.

Ari Yabumoto

President, Finance Clinic Inc.

Ms. Yabumoto is seasoned woman's entrepreneur in the field of ageing-related family challenges. After 10 years work experiences, Ms. Yabumoto started her career as entrepreneur by establishing Finance Clinic in 2002 with an award she received from the Fuji Sankei Group's Support Fund for women entrepreneurs.

Finance Clinic is an innovative one-stop consultancy on a wide range of family challenges from legal to medical issues. Combining a network of multi-field professionals, Finance Clinic provides clients with comprehensive solutions to meet various family challenges in today's ageing societies. Finance Clinic was described as "Japan's new business" in a newspaper in Taiwan in 2006. Ms. Yabumoto attracted considerable attention at the World Ageing & Generations Congress held in Switzerland in 2006. ZDF, the German public television network, reported on Finance Clinic throughout Europe in 2007.

In February 2008, Ms. Yabumoto founded Humanité Inc. as her second step to realize her philosophy into business with wider genres. A French name, Humanité means "Human touch" which fully reflects her mind of doing business. While Humanité engages in editing and producing works in the brain and the cognitive science field, it focuses on developing social system to support people who believe, "I want to live well".

Ms. Yabumoto is author of various books such as The ways of women's life learned from various case studies (Kawade Shobo Shinsha) and The life plan increases the property (Nikkei Publishing). She received a BA in French literature from Rikkyo University and is enrolled in California School of Professional Psychology.

Toshihisa　Ogawa

President, Ageing Support, Inc.

Mr. Ogawa is one of the pioneers to have established the first nursing home and group home for dementia care as care business in Japan. His specialties are end-of-life-support, Learning Therapy for dementia care, and dysphagia rehabilitation.

He started the first unit care type nursing home in Japan, and made the management system establish. He also won the public tender of establishing new nursing home by rebuilding old public housings owned by Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

His management philosophy has worked terminal care for the happiness of the residents, the workers, and the community members. He established Learning Therapy Study Group Adachi as a secretary of Adachi Ward in 2011. He continues to contribute to the management support of a nursing home and to create the network of the like-minded care business partners in Japan.

Etsuaki Morikawa

President, ORIX Living Corporation
Corporate Executive Vice President, ORIX Real Estate Corporation
President, Council of Senior Housing Industry Executives

He was born at Matsumoto-city in 1958. He majored in Architectural Engineering of Industrial Engineering and Management in Nihon graduate university. He joined ORIX Corporation in 2000. He was in charge of creating the sustainable community "Mark Springs" which ORIX Real Estate Corporation developed. A new town which has not exist before with new concept and values. By building a nursing care home with medical care in the town, it stimulated the demand of "Home, not facility" in the elderly market. Further on, he promoted to develop large residential properties for senior citizens.

ORIX Real Estate Corporation established ORIX Living Corporation in April 2005. He became President of ORIX Living Corporation to start the elderly nursing care and life service business. ORIX Living Corporation has also developed effective technical aid and robot machine such as care lift. As a result of the development, ORIX Living Corporation found out that technical aid is effective for physical and mental relaxation, which protect the dignity of the elders.

He also became President of The Council of Senior Housing Industry Executives in April 2010. This Council's slogan is "To guard our guest's dignity for life". It is the representative entrepreneurs of various the elder home who joined the council and do the offering of an opinion and enlightenment activity. This council originally honored "Living of The Year" by selecting excellent new elderly homes in Japan. This council values elderly homes from entrepreneur's viewpoint, which is different from ordinary Japanese media.

Shinji Kato

Exective Director, Neo Summit Yugawara, Daiwa House Life Support, Inc.

Mr. Kato has been engaged in planning and designing of elderly nursing homes and their opening assistance, in addition to consulting management, developing business strategy for urban building for aging society and various investigations. Focusing on the voices of users and staff, he has researched nearly 1,000 facilities for the past 20 years. His clients include The Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., Toho Real Estate Co., Ltd., Healthcare Systems, Inc., Cleanup Corporation, Kanagawa Prefectural Housing Supply Corporation, Tokyo Metropolitan Housing Supply Corporation.

As for welfare facility, he worked for social welfare corporations. As for senior housing community planning, he has worked on new town projects in Osaka, Okinawa, and Kanagawa Prefecture. Mr. Kato is assigned to the coordinator of a Health and Welfare Research Committee of a regional developing project in Kanagawa Prefecture. In Odawara, his home town, he is elected to a member of committee for the care-town-concept and for the business planning of Long- term　Care Insurance.

He contributed writing in Estate Planning and Building Development Manual 2011-12 published by X-Knowledge. Mr. Kato received a BA in Physical & Health Education from University of Tokyo. He acquired the qualifications for Certified Social Worker, Health Fitness Programmer, Registered Management Consultant, and Certified Skilled Worker of Financial Planning (1st class).

Yoshiyuki Yabumoto

Attorney-at-law
Yamada-Ozaki Law Office

Mr. Yabumoto serves as an Attorney-at-law at Yamada -Ozaki Law Office. His expertise covers wide range of ageing-related legal issues such as assets management of elderly, selecting residence after retirement, succession of a business to next generation, will, and inheritance. His expertise extends to wide range such as general civil affairs, commercial firm, labor, enterprise law, detective, production of the business scheme, contents production, and the right processing.

He also serves as a member of Committee on Handicapped Person Property Management at Daini Tokyo Bar Association, a consultant on New Public Benefit Corporation System Application at The Cabinet Office, and a member of Committee on objection examination at Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Prior to the career as attorney, Mr. Yabumoto worked for NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, as program director. He received many awards by producing NHK Special documentary programs such as Thus, the nuclear weapon was judged (Agency for Cultural Affairs art festival grand prize) and Road to Tokyo war crimes tribunal (broadcasting culture fund grand prize).

Mr. Yabumoto is author of many books including Can you say, 'Capital punishment'? (President publishing), Road to Tokyo war crimes tribunal, Is a public junior high school good in this? The earth nuclear pollution: Warning from Hiroshima (NHK publication) Mr. Yabumoto belongs to Daini Tokyo Bar Association. He received a BA in General Education from The University of Tokyo. He graduated from Omiya Law School and passed the National Bar Examination.

Yuri Maeda

1st class authorized architect
YURI Design Architect Office

Ms. Maeda is 1st class authorized architect and Principal of YURI Design Architect Office since 1998. Ms. Maeda is a pioneer of "Green Big Roof Housing" and a leading expert in this field. "Green Big Roof Housing" is an energy-conscious housing which consists of various natural materials with big roof made of natural grass. Ms. Maeda won many awards through her extraordinary contribution by introducing "Green Big Roof Housing".

Ms. Maeda is also Chairperson of Green Big Roof Association and actively promoting the benefits of "Green Big Roof Housing". Ms. Maeda serves many public positions such as Ashiya City Landscape Advisor, Special Committee Member on Ordinance by Ashiya City, and Hyogo Association of Architectural Firms. Prior to founding YURI Design Architect Office, Ms. Maeda worked at a developer for ten years and involved in architectural designing luxurious apartments. Ms. Maeda received a BA in Architect from Kansai University.

Katsunori Yasuda

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Silver Industry News

Mr. Yasuda is founder and editor-in-chief of Silver Industry News since 1995. Silver Industry News is a pioneer media specifically focused on silver industry including long-term care and active senior business. Mr. Yasuda serves many public positions such as a member of Committee on Welfare Equipments Commercialization at NEDO, Committee on Welfare Equipments Clinical Evaluation at Association for Technical Aids, and Steering Committee at National Council of Welfare Equipments.

Tadashi Yanome

Licensed tax accountant
Yonome Tax Accountant Office

Mr. Yanome serves as a licensed tax accountant at Yonome Tax Accountant Office. His expertise covers wide range of tax and accounting issues mainly for medium and small sized enterprises. He provides personal assets management service with individuals as well. He also serves as lecturer at Tokyo Licensed Tax Accountant Association Koto West Branch and provides easy-to-understand lectures on tax accountant for children at many primary and junior high schools in Tokyo.

Mr. Yanome is author of many books such as Mechanism and taxation business of individual financial products for the licensed tax accountant and financial planners (Chuo Keizai Publishing), Good ways to encourage succession of a business (Progress). Mr. Yanome belongs to Tokyo Licensed Tax Accountant Association. He received a BA in Commercial Science from Meiji University.

Masako Takebayashi

Translator

Ms. Takebayashi is the translator of popular biographies and numerous works of social commentary and philosophy. She began her translation career at the premier Japanese rock and roll magazine, Rockin' On, before becoming a freelance translator. Her completed work includes a Japanese edition of The Mature Mind by Gene Cohen (in collaboration with Mr. Hiroyuki Murata), Come As You Are (Biography of Nirvana) by Michael Azerrad, Heavier Than Heaven (Biography of Kurt Cobain) by Charles Cross, The Journals by Kurt Cobain, Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs by John Lydon, Vicious: Too Fast To Live by Alan Parker and Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles.

Prior to her work with translation, Ms. Takebayashi had an internship with the warrants section of Societe Generale in Paris and a 7 year stint in the financial industry at the Foreign Exchange Department of Standard Chartered Bank and Proprietary Trading at County Nat West in Tokyo.

Ms. Takebayashi received her BA from Sophia University in Tokyo and MBA from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees (French Nationale Grand Ecole) School of International Management in Paris. She later spent a year at Beijing Sport University where she practiced the internal Chinese martial art, Taijiquan.

Currently, she renders the Venetia Stanley-Smith essays into Japanese for this friend's books, weblog and popular NHK TV program, At Home with Venetia in Kyoto. The program is particularly well-received by Japan's vivacious baby boomers. Virtually or literally, Ms. Takebayashi is pleased to play a role in helping "active boomers" nationwide to enjoy an eco-friendly, Venetia-esque, cozy countryside lifestyle.

Tatsumi Taguchi

Graphic Designer

Mr. Taguchi has been engaged in design works for 25 years. He started his career as a corporate designer at commercial production company and produced various products design and merchants catalog. His clients include Japan Air Line, All Nippon Airways, Mitsubishi Electric, Honda Motors, and Pal System. Mr. Taguchi is also engaged in many local community-base activities. His multi-talent expertise covers from macrobiotic to slow food movement.