Kazushi Sakai

Kazushi Sakai is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2026-27. Sakai joined Hokkoku Bank (part of CCI Group) in 2019, where he has worked primarily in consulting for prime-listed companies and Japanese financial institutions. He currently works in the Corporate Planning Department, where he is engaged in new business development, regional issue resolution, and exploring collaboration with startups. He is also pursuing an MBA at GLOBIS University. 

While at APARC, he will be researching how regional financial institutions and local companies outside major metropolitan areas can drive economic growth, drawing on Silicon Valley's startup ecosystem, corporate venture capital, and open innovation practices to inform strategies for regional banks in Japan.