Most notably
At Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ichi was part of the government’s first team tasked with rebuilding Japan’s nuclear energy policy following the Fukushima accident in 2011. That experience reinforced his belief that long-term success in the nuclear industry depends on enduring cooperation among government, industry and international partners, including between the United States and Japan.
As a senior business development manager at Amazon Web Services Japan, Ichi advanced innovative public-sector solutions. He led the development of a nationwide Government Cloud framework that enabled local governments across Japan to adopt state-of-the-art technologies that improved how they serve residents.
Professional experience
Prior to joining ZettaJoule, Ichi worked for Amazon Japan in business development, taking the lead in creating a framework for launching the Amazon Furusato program with more than 1,000 participating municipalities.
He also served as a lead manager with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Japan helping to develop a nationwide Government Cloud initiative involving almost 1,800 municipalities. During his tenure with AWS Japan, Ichi also led the company’s strategic efforts to develop and submit proposals to secure contracts with government agencies and other public-sector organizations throughout Japan.
At Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ichi held several leadership positions in which he helped shape national policy in nuclear energy, cybersecurity, and economic development. He led the establishment of the Information-technology Promotion Agency’s Industrial Cyber Security Center of Excellence (ICSCoE), which strengthened Japan’s defenses against cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and the nation’s industrial base.
Ichi also developed the government’s strategy to rebuild Japan’s nuclear energy policy after the Fukushima accident in 2011. He analyzed multiple elements of the policy such as electricity costs and plutonium balance, which resulted in the Japanese government’s decision to restart nuclear operations.
Earlier in his career at METI, Ichi led regulatory reform initiatives that identified barriers to innovation and business growth, resulting in changes to more than 100 government regulations.
Through an international fellowship with Emzingo Group LLC in South Africa, Ichi developed recommendations to help a youth development organization strengthen its long-term sustainability through a hybrid social enterprise model.
Education
Ichi earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Tokyo.
More about Ichi
Ichi is an amateur violinist who performs Argentine tango music with his bandmates at local festivals and public venues in Tokyo. His daughters are following in his musical footsteps as members of a local junior orchestra.