One Young World Japan
At the heart of every global threat is a failure of leadership. Today’s young generation is the most informed, most connected generation in human history. One Young World identifies, promotes and connects the world’s most impactful young leaders to create a better world, with more responsible, more effective leadership.
The annual One Young World Summit convenes the brightest young talent from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact. Delegates from 190+ countries are counselled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as Justin Trudeau, Paul Polman and Meghan Markle, amongst many other global figures.
Delegates participate in 4 transformative days of speeches, panels, networking and workshops. All Delegates have the opportunity to apply to give keynote speeches, sharing a platform with world leaders with the world’s media in attendance. The agenda is shaped by the One Young World Community through the Global Consultation Process, ensuring maximum relevance to the issues affecting young people. In addition to listening to keynote speakers, Delegates have the opportunity to challenge, interact with and be mentored by world leaders.
The Core Team
Kimihito Okubo
Kimy serves as both Founder and Chairperson of OYWJ and has been an integral part of One Young World since the inaugural Summit was hosted in London in February 2010. An expert in strategy, communications, and branding for over 25 years, Kimy has worked with more than 40 multinational companies and brands. He was educated in Japan, the USA, and Switzerland, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), and a past Convener of RSA Japan which he helped to found and establish.
Yuka Imanishi
With over 20 years at companies such as Sony Music Entertainment, Clarins, LOTTE, and Triumph, Yuka brings a diverse and rich experience in sales and marketing to One Young World Japan. Building on that corporate experience, Yuka decided to establish CURIO Japan Inc. in 2016 which offers global educational programs to children as well as diversity management consulting and recruiting service of global talent to corporations. Since 2019, she has been integral to OYWJ’s expansion and was invited to join TOW Co. Ltd in 2022 as an external director.
Daren Afshar
Daren is the President of Winery Productions and a 25+ year veteran of TV/Film/Digital Media entertainment. He handles strategy for OYWJ and is the driving force behind all of OYWJ’s programs including the annual OYWJ Caucus, the Global Leader Accelerator, The All 47, and the Summit Optimization Program.
Masayuki Sorata
Sorata oversees One Junior World, a One Young World Japan community that produces next-gen young leaders, mainly 18 years old and younger. He organizes the Global Leader Development Program at high schools, the One Junior World Student Pitch, and the One Junior World Global Leader Camp. He has worked at Keyence and Recruit Corporation and was responsible for the creation of Learning in Context in 2015 with the theme of “designing learning environments.” He provides inquiry-based learning programs to more than 500 students per year at universities and high schools around Japan.
Hiroshi Osamura
Hiroshi has field experience in Kyrgyzstan, South Sudan, Kenya and Iraq as a project manager for humanitarian aid with JICA Cooperation Volunteers, Peace Winds Japan and Médecins Sans Frontières. In order to return his experience and knowledge to education, he worked in public education for two years as a Teach for Japan fellow. Currently, he has been working as a lead teacher in a private school to introduce STEAM and PBL programmes.
Tsuyoshi Domoto
Sustainability consultant and advisor with a strong passion for helping corporations find innovative solutions in sustainability and/or ESG-related domains. A generalist with a broad range of experience accumulated over 12+ years of experience in entrepreneurship, sustainability consulting, educational technology, non-profit, and the financial services industry.
Ikuyo Sakai
Ikuyo is a 2-time One Young World Ambassador. Her studies in both Japan and France are complimented with a passion for sustainability, cultural diversity, and art. She joined One Young World as Coordinating Ambassador for the Asia 2 region in 2016 and is back again to assist with One Young World Japan’s expansion and growth as Japan’s Coordinating Ambassador for 2023 and beyond.
The Advisors
Ken Shibusawa
Shibusawa and Company, Inc.
In addition to his duties at his own company, Ken is also currently director of Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives), advisor to the Office of the President, University of Tokyo, visiting professor at Seikei University, advisor to the chairman of ISSB, board of directors of International Foundation for Valuing Impact, steering group member of UNDP SDG Impact, and member several government boards, including the Council for New Form of Capitalism, established by Prime Minister Kishida. He is a frequent public speaker on a wide range of topics, especially regarding the modern-day interpretation of the legacy of his great-great father, Eiichi Shibusawa, who is known as the father of Japanese capitalism.
Yoko Ishikura
Hitotsubashi University
Yoko has served as an independent consultant for global strategy and talent in addition to serving as independent director for several of Japan’s top organizations such as: Japan Post, Mitsui OSK Lines, Fujitsu, Vodafone Holdings KK Japan, Sojitz, Nissin Foods Holdings, Lifenet Insurance, Shiseido Group, and Sekisui Chemical. She has also served the public as Chief Officer at Japan’s new Digital Agency and the academic world as professor at Keio, Hitotsubashi and Aoyama Gakuin universities. She is a frequent speaker and moderator at conferences around the world and now brings all of this experience to One Young World Japan.
Eric Kawabata
TerraCycle & Loop
Eric has worked in sustainability since 2008. Starting work with TerraCycle in 2013, he officially launched the company in Asia starting in Japan in January 2014 and subsequently became Asia Pacific Regional Manager in 2016. He launched Loop Japan’s sustainable shopping platform in Spring 2021, striving to eliminate the idea of waste.
Masami Katakura
EY Japan
Joining EY in 1991, Masami was engaged in the audit of numerous Japanese companies, ranging from IPOs to global companies listed in the USA. She has gained wide knowledge of the technology sector, especially in the software and electronic components industries. Her experience also encompasses a 2 year period as a section manager at the Department of Commerce and Information Policy Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry where she helped to develop Japanese IT strategies. She has also served as a government committee member in related fields.
Robin Takashi Lewis
mymizu
Robin is a social entrepreneur and educator based in Japan. He is Co-founder of mymizu, a global refill platform designed to reduce plastic waste through the power of technology and community. He is also the Representative Director of Social Innovation Japan, a platform for social good focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and two-time winner of Japan’s ‘Minister of Environment Prize’. For 13 years, Robin has worked with social enterprises, NGOs and inter-governmental organizations (e.g. World Bank), and has managed sustainable development projects in countries including Japan, Haiti, Vanuatu and Mozambique. In 2020, he was recognized by M.I.T. Technology Review’s ‘Innovators Under-35’ Awards and in 2022, won Business Insider Japan’s ‘Beyond Millennials’ Award. Robin is also a Board Member of one of Japan’s leading innovation spaces, Shibuya QWS, and serves as an advisor and mentor to a wide range of impact organizations and accelerator programs.
Urara Takaseki
Omotete, Inc.
As an entrepreneur of an IoT-enabled startup, an SDGs education non-stock company, and a NPO that trains medical students to provide social care to hospitalized children, Urara brings fresh thinking and dynamic solutions to complex challenges. She received her master’s degree in Urban Engineering at The University of Tokyo and her bachelor’s degree in Law at Keio University. She is also a 3-time One Young World Ambassador and a Member of ISOCARP’s (The International Society of City and Regional Planners) Scientific Committee. She values being proactive and is passionate about realizing a more sustainable society for all.
Ibun Hirahara
HI, LLC
A 2-time One Young World Ambassador, Ibun’s first study abroad was at the age of 8 years old on her own. She has since studied in China, Canada, Mexico and Spain. During her journey in 4 different countries, she learnt the importance of education and the potential of human connection. After returning to Japan, she completed her BA at Waseda University School of International Liberal Studies and began working at Johnson & Johnson in the field of digital marketing. In a deeper pursuit of her dream of realizing a “borderless world”, she founded HI, LLC to provide ESG consultancy, leadership development, and education for sustainable development to companies and schools around the world. In 2021, she was also honored in the Forbes JAPAN 100.
About
Organization Name:
(Ippan Shadan Houjin) One Young World Japan Committee
Address:
New Otani Shinkioichō Bldg., 3F
4-1 Kioichō, Chiyoda-ku, Tōkyō-to 102-0094
JAPAN
Phone Number:
(03) 6272-6798
Chairperson:
Mr. Kimihito Okubo
Established:
June 27, 2019
Directors (in alphabetical order):
Mr. Daren Afshar
Mr. Ryokichi Hirano
Ms. Yuka Imanishi
Mr. Sumihiro Kuyama
Ms. Rui Nagamori
Mr. Chad Stewart
Mr. Kazuo Takahashi
Mr. Atsufumi Yokoi
Auditor:
Mr. Yukitoshi Nakatani