Yusuke Asakura is a Visiting Scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.  He is also co-founder of Tokyo Founders Fund, an angel network composed of eight entrepreneurs, which invests in pre-seed and seed stage startup companies globally.

Prior to coming to the US, Asakaura was the CEO of mixi, a public company which runs the largest Social Networking Service in Japan.  At mixi, he led turnaround strategy by diversification of its business and increased its market cap from $200M to $4B in one year.

Prior to mixi, he was the founder and CEO of mobile tech startup, Naked Technology.  The company was acquired by mixi in 2011.

Asakura earned his bachelors degree in Law from the University of Tokyo in 2007.

A. Muthukrishnan is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Muthukrishnan has 22 years of experience in health care marketing including previous experience in manufacturing and quality control.  Currently, he is a Divisional Head for the neurology products division and is accountable for target achievement, revenue collection, product launch, market analysis, brand building, sales forecasting, territory management, client relations, sales force affectivity, and training & people management. Muthukrishnan received degree in chemistry from Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai, India in 1993.

Hareendra Bhaskaran is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Bhaskaran has 20 years of experience in handling sales and marketing of pharmaceutical products.  Currently, he is head of India Business at Reliance Life Sciences and is responsible for revenue targets, financial collectibles, recruitment & training of field force, identification & launch of new products, and planning & forecasting revenue for future years.  Bhaskaran received his degree in life sciences from the University of Madras in 1995.

Yohei Saito is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Saito is the chief technology officer of Future Architect Inc., an IT consulting firm in Japan and leads the company's Technology Innovation group.  He has 15 years experience in software engineering and technological strategy.  Saito graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology with an M.S. in Computer Science.

Hidenori Nishita is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Prior to joining Shorenstein APARC, he served as deputy director for policy making and implementation at the Government of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), where he was in charge of competition policy, renewable energy industry, nuclear & industrial safety, intellectual property policy and analysis of international economy.  Nishita received his bachelor's degree of law from Waseda University in 2005.

Shaofeng (Sean) Zhang is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Zhang works as the Chief Financial Officer of Trans-Asia Pipeline Company Ltd., an affiliate of PetroChina Company Ltd., since establishment of this company in 2007.  Before that Mr. Zhang worked for China National Petroleum Corporation since 1993.  Zhang has experience in finance, financial reporting, and internal control.  He earned his MBA degree at the Business School of Tsinghua University and Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.  He is also a member of the Global Preparer Forum of International Accounting Standards Board.

Hirotaka Ishii is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Prior to joining Shorenstein APARC, he served as deputy director for policy making and implementation at the Government of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), where he was in charge of electricity and gas market reform policy, commerce and consumer affairs policy, and intellectual property policy.  Ishii received his bachelor's degree of economics from Tokyo University in 2005.

Xuan Zhang is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Zhang is the co-partner of Beijing Shanghe Shiji Investment Co. Ltd., where he has over ten years of experience in Private Equity and Venture Capital investment, investment banking and equity management.  Previously, he worked as the Vice President at CITIC Capital Holding Ltd., Hong Kong where he managed a 1.6 billion RMB private equity fund.  Prior to his entrance into working in the capital market, he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China.  Zhang received his MBA degree from Peking University, a Masters Degree in Finance from Fordham University and his Bachelors Degree of Literature from Beijing Foreign Study University. 

Colonel Daisuke Nakaya is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  He is a member of the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF), Ministry of Defense (MOD).  Prior to joining Shorenstein APARC, he worked in the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Division, Bureau of Defense Policy (Internal Bureau).  His career includes varioius assignments in the Air Defense Command (e.g. Commander of PATRIOT Missile Squadron) and the Air Staff Office in addition to the Internal Bureau (e.g. the Aide-de-Camp to the Defense Minister, Minister's Secretariat).  Nakaya received his bachelor's degree of social science from the National Defense Academy in 1997. 

Zhuoyan Wang is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2016-17.  Wang has worked at China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering Corp. (HQC), an engineering affiliate of PetroChina, for 25 years.  Prior to joining Shorenstein APARC, he served as EVP of HQC responsible for Asia-Pacific marketing & operations, corporate logistics, and legal & compliance.  Wang received his BS in thermal physics from Tsinghua University, his MS in mechnical engineering from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, and his EMBA from Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.