Julia Tao Wei is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23. Wei has worked in the financial industry for over 20 years and has vast experiences across a variety of financial products including commercial banking business, corporate finance, cross-border M&A, derivative products, private equity and asset management.  Since 2015, as a founding partner, Wei has led the Discovery Capital (Hong Kong) team focusing on non-performing asset investments and maintained partnership of the family office of Winsome Group (Hong Kong). Her previous experience included many years at investment banks such as Mizuho Bank, UBS, BNP Paribas and BOCGI. We is an active social activist, member of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, and advisor of think tanks, including D&C Think Tank. She received her bachelor's degree of economics from Hangzhou Dianzi University and studied in an MBA program at Waseda University in Tokyo. She is fluent in Mandarin, English and Japanese.

Jitukrushna Swain is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23. Swain has over thirteen years of experience in business development, core scientific research and project management of pharmaceutical products and has been with Reliance Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., India since 2015. Currently, he is designated as Senior Manager in the Corporate Development team. His current responsibilities include business development for international regulated market (including out-licensing deals for Finished Dose Formulations and client management); cross-functional coordination for product registration and market launch; portfolio management; sales and distribution network development for pharmaceutical products; and supporting the international clients by query response to techno-commercial requirements. Swain received his master's degree in bio-technology with specialization in industrial microbiology and fermentation technology from Sambualpur University, India in 2009.

Makoto Shishido is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23 and 2023-24. Shishido served various positions at the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MoF), Cabinet Secretariat and Cabinet Office (CAO) and assumed several tasks related to Japanese economic policy during his career. Before joining Shorenstein APARC, Shishido served as the Deputy Director for Basic Principles on Fiscal management at CAO since 2021 where he was responsible for "Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform". Prior to that, Shishido was a Section Chief of Growth Strategy, Council Bureau at Cabinet Secretariat from 2020 to 2021. He worked on economic growth strategy of Japanese government and dealt with many questions from Diet members for "Go To Campaign", which is one of the demand stimulation measures for industry affected by COVID-19. Shishido earned his Bachelor of Law from Kyoto University in 2012 and his Master of Public Policy from Kyoto University in 2015.

Lt. Col. Kazunobu Sakuma is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23. Sakuma has over 25 years of experience in the Japan Air Self Defense Force (Koku-Jieitai) with a background in strategy education and research, defense policy and planning and aircraft maintenance. Additionally, he served as associate professor at the National Defense Academy of Japan and U.N. peacekeeper of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. He received his PhD in security studies at the Graduate School of Security Studies, National Defense Academy of Japan. His research interest covers organizational behavior, U.S.-Japan defense relationship, and technology, society and warfare.

Daisuke Saginoue is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23. Saginoue has over 20 years of experiences with the Development Bank of Japan focusing mainly on investment activities and M&A advisory services in Japan and Vietnam. He earned his Bachelor degree at Waseda University and his Master degree at Osaka University. 

Hideyuki Koshimoto is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23. Koshimoto joined the Patent Office in 2007 and has worked as a patent examiner, handling patent applications mainly in the field of chemistry. In 2012, he was in charge of Trial and Appeal affairs, especially with respect to the international conference with foreign governments about the Trial and Appeal system. In 2016, he transferred to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and was in charge of measures against counterfeit products particularly in dealing with the training of government officials in the developing countries. In 2019, he was also in charge of the information systems affairs with a focus on the system development for patent examiners.

Chiu Fai Stanley Choi is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23. Choi is the founder of Head & Shoulders Financial Group based in Hong Kong. He has over 25 years of experience across the area of derivatives, private equity and blockchain. Currently, he has shifted his focus to personal investments becoming a major shareholder of Air Asia, a leading budget airline in Asia, and China Reinsurance, the largest reinsurance company in China. Choi earned his Master of Science (MS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at City University of Hong Kong.

Takuya Hirata is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2022-23. Hirata has over 12 years of experience working for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, mainly in charge of energy and environmental policy making and promoting Japanese industries such as the robotics and space industries. Most recently, he was responsible for tax system reform and business succession of small and medium enterprise including promoting M&A. He received his Master and Bachelor degree of Engineering from Kyoto University in Japan. 

Sallie has recently worked as Senior Community Advocate at Asian Americans Advancing Justice—Asian Law Caucus (ALC). Previously, she served as a National Coordination Assistant at the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office (UNRCO) in China. She holds a Master of Laws degree in International Relations from Peking University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UC Los Angeles. Sallie's hobbies include writing, volunteering, and traveling. Her language fluency is Mandarin and Cantonese.