Speech&Dialogue “High Tech and High Touch!” Speaker:

Akira Tsurukame Acclaimed international business consultant Akira Tsurukame was born in Kagoshima, Japan on March 10, 1941. He graduated from Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in Kyoto, Japan with a Bachelor of Arts Degree on March 31, 1964. On April 1, 1964, he entered New Orient Express, a travel company. On February 1, 1980, he founded California Coordinators, Inc. in Los Angeles, California, and became its president. California Coordinators, Inc. provides a total coordination service for Japanese companies entering into US market and for American high-tech entrepreneur companies entering into Japanese market. Since April 1987, he co-organized various high technology CEO networks such as Pacific Technology Roundtable together with RIMTECH (Research Institute of Technology Management) etc. In January 1999, he co-founded Business Café, Inc. in Silicon Valley. It is an international business incubator, which will help technology entrepreneurs. He is currently starting a new venture in the field of digital contents marketing and distribution utilizing newly developed distribution software and system. The name of the new company is Yugobi Inc. which is also located in Torrance. Interviewer:

George Abe Professor, UCLA Anderson School of Management George Abe is a lecturer at UCLA Anderson School of Management. His teaching responsibilities include classes in entrepreneurship, business plan development and field study program advisories. Previously he was a venture partner with Palomar Ventures, a VC firm in Santa Monica, California. From 1998 until 2006, he was a member of the board of directors of Switchcore AB, a publicly traded fabless semiconductor designer in Sweden. He has also held board positions with several startup companies and not-for-profit organizations.

Speech “The man who brought Tofu to the U.S.” Speaker:

Yasuo Kumoda Former president and present executive advisor to Morinaga Nutritional Foods Inc. Yasuo Kumoda is known as Mr. Tofu. He was born in Sakhalin and grew up in Hokkaido, Japan. After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University in 1965, he entered Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. In 1971 he studied abroad at the University of IPC, Denmark. In 1973 he returned to Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. and was assigned to the new product development division. Then he was transferred to the international division and became involved with the “Tofu” project. In 1985 he went to the U.S. to establish Morinaga Nutritional Foods. Inc and became the president In 2005 he retired from being president and is now executive advisor. In 1987 USA TODAY announced Tofu as the number 1 hated food product in the United States. However he never gave up and kept marketing Tofu in the U.S. One famous example is the story of Mr. Kumoda giving Tofu to former U.S. President Bill Clinton in the White House. Mr. Kumoda’s incredible marketing sense gradually overcame the difference of food and business culture between the U.S. and Japan. Now, Tofu has finally received its well deserved citizenship in the U.S. and the term “Tofu” is now recognized as an English word, and is now known as one of the most healthiest and nutritious food product.

Panel “Japanese Entertainment in Hollywood” Moderator:

Schuyler M. Moore Partner, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan law firm and Adjunct Professor, UCLA Anderson Business School and UCLA Law School Schuyler M. Moore is a partner in the corporate entertainment department at the Los Angeles office of the national law firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, LLP. Mr. Moore has been practicing in the entertainment industry since 1981, and he represents a broad spectrum of clients throughout the entertainment industry, including producers, sales agents, foreign distributors, and financiers. Mr. Moore holds his undergraduate degree from UCLA (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude) and his law degree also from UCLA (first in class).

Panelists:

Ko Mori Co-founder and CEO of Eleven Arts Inc Ko Mori is the co-founder, and CEO of Eleven Arts Inc, an L.A.-based international sales and distribution company that mainly deals in Japanese films and television programs. Prior to co-founding Eleven Arts, Mori worked in promotions for The Radio Station, a top domestic music retailer in Japan. In 2005 Mori produced the horror film “Haunted Highway,” directed by Junichi Suzuki and starring Hinano Yoshikawa. Other projects include Rock Point (executive producer) and April Lee (producer). Ko was born in Tokyo, Japan.

Eric Nakamura Founder and CEO of Giant Robot Eric Nakamura has been the publisher and coeditor of Giant Robot magazine since its inception in 1994, and has expanded the business' scope to include five retail stores and a restaurant. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in East Asian Studies. He got his start in magazine making through a stint at Larry Flynt Publications. In addition to publishing issues of GR, Nakamura has made an independent movie called Sunsets, shot photos for punk rock bands, and designed t-shirts.

Yaz Noya Executive Vice President of Antinos Management America/Sony Music Japan Group Yaz Noya has been quite successful in leading efforts to cross International artists over into the Japanese market. She took a job at Alpha Records, an international record label, upon graduating. She embraced the business of music, taking a position in the A&R department of London Records, which later led to a post at Polydor Records in the International department. Once brought on board, Noya rose through the corporate ranks at Sony Music Japan. In 1989 Noya received a promotion to act as the Japanese liaison to international rock artists, part of an effort to cross American bands over to the Japanese market. She relocated to Southern California and began to build relationships within the US music industry. She joined Antinos Management America in 1997. She worked with top Japanese producer Tetsuya Komuro (T.K.) as well as other highly sought after talent. Noya began to work with the pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, immediately recognizing the appeal of the girl band. Infused with the success of Puffy AmiYumi and the belief that music could cross over all language barriers, Noya launched TOFU RECORDS in 2003 opening another door in her diverse music career.

Jeremy Ross Director of New Product Development of TOKYOPOP As Director of New Product Development at TOKYOPOP Inc., the leading North American publisher of manga, Jeremy Ross is responsible for developing a wide variety of digital and analog products based on the company’s global manga. He recently worked with partner Uclick to launch the first mobile manga viewer on all major cell phone carriers in the US. He is developing MangaPod radio plays, iManga and Manga Movie 2-D and 3-D animations for broadband and mobile distribution. He is also working with TOKYOPOP partner Konami to build a line of mobile manga games. Jeremy Ross holds a master of fine arts degree in photography from the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree with an independent major in “The Creative Process” from Brown University.