Speakers

Ms. Amaya is Vice Commissioner for International Affairs at Japan’s Financial Services Agency (JFSA) since July 2019. She is a member of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), representing the agency. She is also engaged with the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and represents the agency at the Resolution Steering Group (ReSG).

Ms. Amaya joined the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in 1986 and has broad experience in financial supervision and international financial regulations over her career at FSA and MOF. Prior to the current position, she served as Deputy Secretary-General of Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission (SESC) (2017-2019) and Secretary General of Certified Public Accountants and Auditing Oversight Board (CPAAOB) (2015-2017). Her career at JFSA also includes Director for Market and Risk (2008-2010) and Director for International Insurance Services (2002-2006).  From 2013 to 2015, Ms. Amaya served as Senior Executive Director at Deposit Insurance Corporation. She was also Visiting Professor at Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo in 2011-2013.

Ms. Amaya earned B.A. in Law at the University of Tokyo. She also finished Mid-Career Associate Program, IR/PS at the University of California, San Diego.

Hiro Hayasaki joined the Norinchukin Bank in September 2015 as an adviser for the group’s global strategy. He advises the Group on matters of international dimensions in general and international financial and regulatory matters in particular.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Hayasaki was a central banker and a regulator.

Since he joined the Bank of Japan (BOJ) in 1983, Mr. Hayasaki mainly went through the financial stability area. In particular, he was involved in resolving the Japan’s financial crisis in the late 1990s. He also dealt with the failure of the Lehman Brothers Japan in 2008. In the final years of his BOJ career, he assumed three Director-General positions for the Payment and Settlement Systems Department, Internal Auditors’ Office, and the Personnel and Corporate Affairs Department.

From 2010 to 2012, he worked for the Financial Services Agency (FSA) as the Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs. During that period, he was selected as the Vice-chair of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS). He was also a member of the Basel Committee’s Macroprudential Supervision Group which developed a methodology for selecting global systemically important banks (GSIBs) and was also a member of the Financial Stability Board’s Resolution Steering Group which developed “Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions”.

Mr. Hayasaki received a degree in law from the University of Tokyo in 1983 and a master degree in internal relations from the University of Oxford in 1990.

Marcelo Hiratsuka stands at the forefront of the market strategy at Refinitiv Japan.

Leveraging his extensive experience with global banking & markets, Marcelo champions effective solutions to constantly improve customers’ business performance.

Marcelo has worked in Asian financial markets for over 20 years in leadership roles encompassing technology and banking operations across several countries in Asia. Prior to joining Refinitiv, Marcelo held senior positions with Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and HSBC.

Marcelo authored relevant articles and is a valued speaker in risk management and compliance programs, presenting at regulatory summits and other leadership events.

Marcelo has Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences from Sao Paulo University.

Tatsuo is Managing Director and Head of Quant Team in Investment Division at Japan Post Bank since 2016, and he is a member of the ALM Committee. He is responsible for all quantitative analysis including asset allocation, front risk management and investment strategies as well as developing trading systems for the investment division. From 2018, he is also responsible for Rates and FX Department. Prior to joining Japan Post Bank, his career started with Morgan Stanley Japan in 1999 as Interest Rate Strategist after graduating from Graduate School of Waseda University with a Masters Degree in Mathematics.  In 2005, he joined ABN AMRO Securities Japan, which was subsequently integrated into RBS Securities Japan, as head of Japan Research.
 
Tatsuo rejoined Morgan Stanley Japan in October 2009 and became head of JGB/swap trading and sales desk.  He was promoted to Managing Director in 2010 and appointed Head of Japan Interest Rate Product Group. He was named Co-Head of Japan Fixed Income and appointed to a Board member of Morgan Stanley Japan Holdings in January 2013. His last role at Morgan Stanley MUFG was Head of Japan Fixed Income Trading.

While working at Japan Post Bank, Tatsuo is teaching fixed income investments and ALM strategy at Tokyo Metropolitan University where he earned PhD in Business Administration.

Yasushi Ishikawa joined Nikko AM in March 2016 as Head of the Alternative Investment Fund Management Department and he was subsequently appointed Joint Head of Global Multi Asset in July 2019, Head of the Equity Fund Management Department in December 2020 and  Senior Executive Director of Global Multi Asset in May 2021. He has been in current positions since August 2021. Prior to joining Nikko AM, he spent 16 years working in the development of quantitative strategies with such firms as Nomura Securities International and Nomura Securities’ Financial Engineering & Technology Research Center. This experience includes over 11 years in international positions in New York and London.

He holds a B.A. (Physics) and a M.S. (Physics) from the University of Tokyo, and a Ph.D. (Management Science) from Kyoto University. He won the Security Analysts Journal Prize, 2019 for “Efficiency of Japanese Companies’ Investment in Human Capital and Shareholder Value.”  He is an organizer of the MPT Forum and a chartered member of the Securities Analyst Association of Japan.

Akira Ishiwata is in charge of enhancing efforts to clarify how ESG factors are considered in credit ratings and fostering external review for green bonds, etc. at R&I, the leading credit rating agency in Japan.  He has also worked on various projects aims to develop framework of credit risk analysis since 2012.  Previously, He served as a leader of the CDO rating team for 8 years.  Since joining the company in 1997, he has been engaged in default studies.  He holds a master's degree in Mathematical Science from Kyushu University, and a BA from International Christian University, Tokyo.

Qualification:
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
Chartered Member of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan (CMA)

Experience:
Shinsuke is the leader of Data and Overseas Management Service within FSAD, being responsible for building, leading and supporting data management projects and cross-border projects. He has led a multitude of advisory projects relating to data governance / management, corporate governance, internal audit, regulatory compliance and post merger integration for both domestic and overseas financial institutions.

Major projects that he supported relating to data governance / management include:

Takahiko Kaneko is Director of Clearing Planning and OTC Derivatives Clearing Service at Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC). After joining Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1995, he was responsible for market planning and clearing/settlement management in securities and listed derivatives sphere. He was one of starting members of Japan Clearing Securities Corporation established in 2002, and has had a wide range of expertise from risk management to strategic planning of clearing/settlement architecture since then.

Spent 22 years in US bank worked in corporate and retail banking. In 2001, moved to Compliance which the 9.11 happened and coincidently took step into AML/CTF world. Moved to HSBC to establish AML team in there. AML stands for All My Life to me.

学歴:
ユニバーシティ・カレッジ・ロンドン コンピューターサイエンス 博士号
ユニバーシティ・カレッジ・ロンドン 機械学習 修士号
ロンドン大学キングスカレッジ　電気工学 学士号

経歴:
ロンドン大学ユニバーシティカレッジにて、コンピューターサイエンス博士号を取得。遺伝的アルゴリズムなどの生物学を用いた最適化技法を使用し、ニューラルネットワークを含む複雑なネットワークの最適化について研究に取り組んでいた。
その後、ロンドンの金融業界で働き、機械学習を用いた高頻度取引のアルゴリズムを開発。機械学習が業界に大きな影響をもたらすことを予測し、ロンドンにAIコンサルティング会社を設立。企業がディープラーニングやその他の機械学習の技術を活用を推進。
2015年には、株式会社Cogent Labsの初期メンバーとして入社。AIアーキテクトとして、AI戦略を実行するためのビジネストレンドとベストプラクティスに関する知識や経験、幅広いビジネスコミュニティを提供することに取り組んでいる。

Education

• 1993 : Diploma of International Public Administration, École nationale d'administration, Strasbourg, France
• 1989 : LL.B, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Professional Experience

• 2018-Present : Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, MOF
• 2017-2018 : Director of the Administration and Legal Division, Minister’s Secretariat, MOF
• 2015-2017 : Director of the Development Policy Division, International Bureau, MOF
• 2014-2015 : Director of the Banks Division I, Supervisory Bureau, FSA
• 2012-2014 : Director of the Securities Business Division, Supervisory Bureau, FSA
• 2011-2012 : Director, of the Office of International Affairs, General Coordination Division, Planning and Coordination Bureau, FSA
• 2010-2011 : Director for General Coordination Division, Planning and Coordination Bureau, FSA
• 2007-2010 : Member of Bank for International Settlements
• 2006-2007 : Deputy Director of the Policy and Legal Division, Planning and Coordination Bureau, FSA
• 2005-2006 : Personal Secretary to the Minister of Financial Service
• 2004-2005 : Deputy Director of the Policy and Legal Division, Planning and Coordination Bureau, FSA
• 2002-2004 : Deputy Budget Examiner, Budget Bureau, MOF
  (2002-2003: Economy, Trade and Industry, 2003-2004: Foreign affairs, Economic cooperation)
• 2001-2002 : Deputy Director of the Legal Division, Budget Bureau, MOF
• 1999-2001 : First Secretary, Ambassade du Japon en France
• 1998-1999 : Second Secretary, Ambassade du Japon en France
• 1997-1998 : Deputy Director of the International Capital Division, International Finance Bureau, MOF
• 1996-1997 : Deputy Director of the Overall Co-ordination Division, Minister’s Secretariat, MOF
• 1995-1996 : Director of Kashii Tax Office, Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau
• 1993-1995 : Research Division, Budget Bureau, MOF
• 1991-1993 : École nationale d'administration, Strasbourg, France
• 1990-1991 : First Insurance Division, Insurance Department, Banking Bureau, MOF
• 1989-1990 : Co-ordination Division, Banking Bureau, MOF

As Head of ESG Development Department, Mitsuhashi oversees the exercise of voting rights and promotion of ESG investment and enhances stewardship activities through engagement with investee companies.

He graduated from Yokohama National University in 1993. He joined Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corporation in the same year. In 1994, he joined Pension Fund Management Division as an asset allocation manager.

Since 1999, he has been a fund manager of domestic stocks in the Asset Management Division.

Mr. Ohashi is a graduate of Tokyo University, later studied at Harvard Law School, and is an attorney at law from the New York State Bar. He started his career with the Bank of Japan where he was based in the Financial System Department. Following that he did a secondment as a Senior Economist at the IMF, before returning to the Bank of Japan as a Director of the Bank Supervision Department. He has subsequently held senior level positions within 3 other financial institutions before joining CLSA, Japan in 2018 as the Head of Compliance.

His publications include "Japan’s Distressed-Debt Market” (May 2004, IMF Working Paper), "A Case for Reforming the JGB Market” (July 1998, Bank of Japan Working Paper), "Experiences of Three Eastern European Countries During the Russian Crisis – An Analysis of “Contagion’” ( March 1999, Bank of Japan Working Paper)”.

Mr. Saito is Managing Director of Tokyo International Consulting K.K. (“TIC”).  While with TIC, Mr. Saito has advised many foreign financial institutions regarding local regulatory matters.  As the former Head of Regulatory Advisory practice of KPMG in Japan, has led more than 450 regulatory projects in the past. 

Previously, Mr. Saito worked at the Bank of Japan mostly in the banking policy area, such as capital adequacy rules, derivatives regulatory guidelines, etc.　Mr. Saito has served as Japan’s official member in various working groups at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), IOSCO, etc.  At the BIS, Mr. Saito was a drafting member of various policies related to risk management and internal controls. 

Has served as an official member of Industrial Policy Advisory Panel at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.  Earned a BA in Laws from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from Harvard University.

Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Risk Management Auditor of IIA.

Yutaka Sakurai is data science and AI expert with a strong background in Financial theory and practice. After more than twenty years' experience of fund manager, trader and quant in Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Sony Bank, he became a managing director of Research and Pricing Technology Inc.  in 2010. He started AI Finance Application Research Institute in 2017. He published a number of books on Finance and AI.

Since joining Nomura Research Institute in 2012, Takeshi Shimamura has been consistently researching overseas financial and capital markets, global investment banking industry and digitalization of financial institutions. Prior to joining NRI, he mainly engaged in asset manager selection and product structuring at a Japanese bank. His recent publications include “Alternative data use in asset management and its implications for Japan” (NRI Financial Research Paper, April 2019) and “The current state and future of asset management business utilizing leading digital technology”(Security Analysts Journal, May 2019, multi-authored paper). He earned an MBA with honors from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Yutaka Soejima is the head of the FinTech Center and Deputy Director-General of the Payment and Settlement Systems Department in the Bank of Japan.  He joined the Bank in 1990 and mainly worked in research sections covering financial markets, bank supervision, macro prudence, financial engineering, risk management, payment and settlement systems and economic developments.  Some of his studies applied state-of-the-art technologies to central bank business such as AI, high frequency data analysis, artificial markets simulation, social network analysis and geographic information study.  He engaged in the launch of BOJ’s flagship reports of “Financial System Report” and “Market Review”, a forerunner of “BOJ Review”.  He holds a MA in Economics from University of Washington and a BA from Kyoto University.

Yuji is responsible for business development of the foreign exchange  (FX) and money market (MM) market in Refinitiv Japan. 

Yuji has more than 20 years experience of business development of the FX and MM contents; real time rate, historical rate and benchmarks. After Refinitiv launch FX electronic trading system in 1992, Yuji also responsible for trading platform covering the trade lifecycle both for inter dealer market and dealer to customer market. Refinitiv service coverage is from trade execution to notification of execution.

Mr. Tabata has been General Manager, Risk Management Department at Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. since June 2017.

His responsibilities include oversight of the overall Group-wide risk management framework as well as the formulation and adherence with the Group Risk Appetite Statement.

He is a risk management specialist and has extensive experience in the planning and practice of enterprise-wide risk management within the Group.

Mr. Koji Takahashi is Chief Risk Officer of Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. since April 2024 and responsible for risk management strategy/ framework and ceded reinsurance strategy for Sompo Japan.

Before assuming this role, he was ERM Director from 2021 and Chief Risk Officer of Asia from 2023 at Sompo International.

Prior to his roles in Sompo International, he was General Manager of Risk Management Department of Sompo Holdings, Inc. from 2018 to 2021, and also played Managing Director role of Sompo Insurance Singapore Pte. Ltd. In 2016 and 2017.

He has a degree of MBA from University of California, Irvine (2006), and BA from Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan (1991).

Daiki is APAC Surveillance Technical Officer at Credit Suisse Securities since Apr 2022.

He is the lead and key coordinator to align upgrade of Transaction Monitoring, Name Screening and Trade & eComm surveillance model and tools across APAC in line with global strategic direction.

For more than 15 years, he has been engaged in trade surveillance at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and BNP Paribas.

After graduating from Simon Fraser University (BBA), he worked as an actuary for a consulting firm and a casualty insurance company.

Hideo Tomita is Representative Director of Japanese entity of Thomson Reuters Financial & Risk business which is now called Refinitiv.

Hideo has more than 30 years’ sales, marketing and general management experience in financial information & solutions industry.  He joined Thomson Reuters in 2012 as Representative Director of Thomson Reuters Japan K.K and has kept the position. The entity’s name was changed to Refinitiv in March, 2019. Previously he was President of RMS, the premier financial conference organizer in Japan. Prior to that, he held senior positions in leading financial information/software companies including QUICK Global Information, QUICK Moneyline Telerate, IQ Financial Systems and Kyodo News. He is a member of Japan Association of Corporate Executives and Japan Society of Monetary Economics.

Hideo was appointed a director of Japan Investment Advisors Association in June, 2019. He also serves as a board member at The Organization of Global Financial City Tokyo.

He joined Thomson Reuters in July 2012.

He has a Bachelor of Law from Keio University, Tokyo. 

Yosuke specialises in financial markets regulation and structured finance-related matters. He regularly advises major domestic and overseas banks as well as securities companies on regulatory issues and market transactions, including derivatives transactions in connection with the Banking Act and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA). Yosuke also has a wide range of experience with respect to settlement-related systems such as custody, securities settlement, central clearing and cross-border funds transfer, and advises on establishment of market infrastructures. Additionally, he has extensive experiences on survey and researches related to foreign regulations and supports financial institutions in connection to inspections by and reporting to regulatory authorities. He had worked with a major US law firm from June 2014 and returned to Linklaters in May 2019. Yosuke is a member of the Japan Association of the Law of Finance and serves as a member of the Financial Law Board (from 2018). He graduated from Keio University in 2004 and qualified in 2005. He obtained an LLM from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2014.

Ken Watanabe is General Manager for Market Regulation at Mizuho Bank, Ltd. and Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. He is responsible for Market Regulations and Systems in general.

He has been engaged in market business for over 20 years. After starting his career as a derivatives trader, he worked on various projects, and during the past decade, he dealt with derivatives regulations, Volcker rule, FX Global Code etc. Especially, LIBOR transition has been one of the most important missions in recent years.

He served as a chairperson of Business Subcommittee and Self-regulatory Subcommittee of The Financial Futures Association of Japan several times. He is currently a chairperson of IRS Management Committee of Japan Securities Clearing Corporation, and he is also a member of the Cross-Industry Committee on Japanese Yen Interest Rate Benchmarks.

Yasuhisa Watanabe is Chief Financial Officer & Chief Risk Officer of RGA Reinsurance Company, Japan Branch. He serves on Japan Management Board and chairs Investment committee, Compliance committee and Audit & Risk Management committee in Japan.

He had several finance leadership roles at PCA, Merrill Lynch, ING etc prior to joining RGA in 2004. He holds EMBA and US CPA (N.J) license and is a member of Keizai Doyukai (“Japan Association of Corporate Executives”).
 

Chairperson, Digital Currency Forum in Japan

Board Director and Group CSO, Future Corporation

Chief Advisor for International Finance, Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Hiromi Yamaoka is a leading expert of economic policy in Japan. He has experienced various policy-related positions in the Bank of Japan. He served as Director-General of the Markets Department from 2013 and as Director-General of Payments and Settlement Systems Department from 2015. He served also as Alternate Executive Director of the IMF and Member of the Basel Committee. After the retirement from the Bank of Japan he has been serving as the Chairperson of the Digital Currency Forum and Chief Advisor for International Finance in Tokyo Metropolitan Government. He graduated from the University of Tokyo School of Law (LL.B.) and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law (LL.B.).  He is attorney at law in New York State.

His publications include The Future of Central Banking (Accounting, Economics, and Law, 2019), Digital Innovation, Data Revolution and Central Bank Digital Currency (co-authored with Noriyuki Yanagawa, BOJ working paper, 2019), and Digital Currencies and the Future of Money (The Future of Financial Systems in the Digital Age, 2022)

Qualifications:

• Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
• Chartered Member of the Securities Analyst Association of Japan (CMA-SAAJ)

Experience:

• Provide support for enhancement of the bank’s entire AML programme of Japanese mega banks such as developing ML/TF risk assessment model, designing KYC process and conducting impact analysis, validating effectiveness of transaction monitoring framework, reviewing data governance framework etc.
• Deliver numerous AML trainings to senior executives, compliance officers and internal auditors of Japanese banks and bankers associations
• Furthermore, KPMG is the only firm entrusted with the service from JAFIC (Japanese FIU) and have assisted the regulator to conduct their first National Risk Assessment.

• Developing regulatory compliance framework for a newly established Japanese bank and a Korean major bank
• Developing complaint handling framework for a Japanese regional bank
• Assisting the establishment of the corrective action plan by a large securities company in Japan for the prevention of information security fraud

Tomohiro Yamazaki is Group Head of Regulatory Affairs and General Manager of Corporate Planning Department of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) / Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG).

His responsibility includes strategic planning for international regulatory developments.

He also serves as Joint General Manager of the Office of Japanese Bankers Association during SMBC’s chairmanship at the Association in the fiscal year of 2019.

Before assuming his current role in 2014, he was Senior Vice President of Office of the Chairman of the Japanese Bankers Association within Corporate Planning Department, where he covered both international and domestic regulatory issues for the Japanese banking industry from 2012.

Prior to that, he was Head of Financial Research Department in New York. He spent 12 years in New York covering macro economy, market developments, banking business strategy and regulatory issues.

From 1998 to 2000, he was seconded to The Institute for Posts and Telecommunications Policy and served as an economist after having several positions at Jiyugaoka branch and Tokyo main office since 1994.

Education: 

Jun 2008: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management Cambridge, U.S.A. - Master of Business Administration

Mar 1990: Waseda University Tokyo, Japan - Bachelor of Physics

Professional Experience:

May 2016 to Present: Executive Officer, Managing Director, Head of Corporate Risk Management Division, MUFG Bank, Ltd. / Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Tokyo, Japan

Jul 2014: U.S. Co-Treasurer and Head of Markets for the Americas, New York, U.S.A.

Jul 2013: General Manager for Special Assignments,Global Markets Planning Division

Apr 1990: Banking Officer, Gotanda Branch

Ms. Miyuki Zeniya is Head of Sustainable Finance at The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company whose AUM is about 35 trillion yen. She is responsible for ESG integration and promoting sustainable finance for all assets.

After she joined the Dai-ichi Life in 2013, she had been responsible for engagement and proxy voting since The Dai-ichi Life expressed the agreement with Japan’s Stewardship Code in 2014.

Prior to joining The Dai-ichi Life, she was a managing advisor for Polaris Capital Group and led a role to value up the investee companies as their board member. Prior to this she was Deputy President of Japanese regional bank, which was the first full-time female board member of banking industry in Japan. She also had an experience to lead IPO as CFO of HR consulting firm in 2000. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. She started her career at Nomura Research Institute.

She was a member of a Forum for Integrated Corporate Disclosure and ESG Dialogue by METI and a member of PFA 21 Task Force for ESG Financial Strategy by MOE. From April of 2019 she is a member of Working Group of the NAP on Business and Human Rights by MOFA. She is also a member of PRI Japan Network Advisory Committee.