Date of birth
May 9, 1959
Place of Birth
Saitama
Political party
Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP)
Affiliation
Member of the House of Councillors
Constituency
Proportional Representation
Number of times elected
3 (House of Councillors), 1(House of Representatives)
Past career
Education
OpenClose
1986
Graduated from the Cycle étranger (Cycle international long), the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA).
1982
Graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo
Career
OpenClose
Oct. 2025
Minister of Finance
Minister of State for Financial Services
Minister in charge of Reviewing Special Measures Concerning Taxation and Subsidies
(Takaichi Cabinet)
Chairperson, Committee on Audit, House of Councillors
2022
Elected to the House of Councillors
2021
Chairperson, Research Commissions on Finance, LDP
2019
Acting Chairperson, General Council, LDP
Acting Chairperson, Research Commission on Finance, LDP
2018
Minister of State for Regional Revitalization, Regulatory Reform, and Gender Equality
Minister in charge of Regional Revitalization, Women’s Empowerment
(4th Abe Cabinet (Reshuffled))
2016
Acting chairman, Policy Research Council, LDP
Elected to the House of Councillors
2015
Vice-chairman, General Council, LDP
2014
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, House of Councillors (HC)
2013
Director, Environment Division, LDP
2012
Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications
(2nd Abe Cabinet)
2010
Elected to the House of Councillors
2005
Director of the Multilateral Development Banks Division, Ministry of Finance
Elected to the House of Representatives
Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
(3rd Koizumi Cabinet (Reshuffled))
2004
Director for Defense Budget, Ministry of Finance
2003
Director for Legal Affairs, Budget Bureau, Ministry of Finance
1989
Director, Kaita Regional Tax Office
1982
Joined the Ministry of Finance

Yoshitaka Kitao is the President and CEO of SBI Holdings Inc. He earned degrees from both Keio University (1974) and Cambridge University (1978). Prior to his role at SBI, he has held multiple positions within Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. (1974-1995) as well as Softbank Corporation (1995-1999). Kitao became the Representative Director, President of SOFTBANK INVESTMENT CORPORATION, currently SBI Holdings Inc., in 1999, and has led the company to become one of the biggest financial conglomerate in Japan.

Joined Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation in 2010 and established the Center of FinTech Office in 2016.
As a "serial entrepreneur", he has been involved in the development and implementation of several digital platforms including "Progmat", and the launch of the Digital Asset Co-Creation Consortium.
In 2022, he announced the formation of an independent company for the digital asset infrastructure business with investments from several financial institutions, exchanges, and software companies, and he has been CEO since the company's founding in October 2023. He has 8 patents registered.

2001年に一橋大学在学中に一社目を創業し、以降、代表取締役や取締役CTOとして数々のプロジェクトをリード。2017年にはリアルワールドゲームス株式会社を共同創業し、技術と財務の分野で卓越したリーダーシップを発揮。2019年に日本暗号資産市場株式会社（現JPYC株式会社）を立ち上げ、代表取締役として2021年より日本円建プリペイド型トークン「JPYC Prepaid」の発行を開始。2023年7月からはBCCC「ステーブルコイン普及推進部会」の部会長に就任し、ブロックチェーン技術の普及と発展に貢献しています。さらに、iU情報経営イノベーション専門職大学の客員教授や一般社団法人ブロックチェーン推進協会（BCCC）理事、一般社団法人 日本暗号資産ビジネス協会（JCBA）理事を務めるなど、教育と業界発展にも注力。

Takahito Kagami, the founder of CoinPost, launched the global conference WebX in 2023.
CoinPost is Japan's largest cryptocurrency and Web3 media outlet, having a significant impact on providing information and education within the industry.
In addition, Kagami is leading the welfare business Wave3, which utilizes next-generation technology, and SUDACHI Tech, a Web3-focused development support business. These initiatives aim to promote Web3 technology and deepen its social significance.
In 2024, he was appointed as an expert committee member for the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry's "Web3.0 and Blockchain-based Digital Public Goods Development Project," contributing to the development of digital public goods.

Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 1991 and joined The Industrial Bank of Japan (now Mizuho Bank) in the same year. After serving as General Manager of Corporate Banking Department No.9 at Mizuho Bank in 2017, Head of the Board of Directors Office at Mizuho Financial Group in 2018, and Group Executive Officer and Group Head of Human Resources (Group CHRO) at Mizuho Financial Group in 2021, he became Group Executive Officer, Group CHRO, and Group CDO in 2024, and has held his current position since 2025. He is currently responsible for digital strategy, data management, business domain development, and technology research and development at Mizuho Financial Group.

Since joining the bank in 1997, He has spearheaded pivotal business strategies through the industry’s most transformative eras, including the landmark BTM-UFJ merger project, orchestrating the Morgan Stanly-MUFG strategic alliance, and managing venture investments. Appointed Executive Officer in 2023, taking a central role in driving the bank’s digitalization. He is currently focused on modernizing the business model of corporate banking business, transforming traditional services into a digital-first ecosystem through enhanced payment infrastructure and corporate digital solutions. Graduate of London Business School (MSc).

Joining SMBC (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) in 1990, Akio Isowa was engaged in corporate banking, legal affairs, corporate planning, human resources management. He established the Retail Marketing Department and IT Strategy Department as the General Manager and led the debit card business, and the UX project of their internet banking app. As the head of Transaction Business Division, he led product and sales planning for online payment services such as Bank Pay and Cotra. Since 2023, he has been leading digital innovation of the SMBC Group as the Chief Digital Innovation Officer.

Pina Hirano began his engineering career while studying at Kumamoto University, helping to establish a software development startup. In 1988, he founded Infoteria (now Asteria), which provides software that 'connects.' This includes "ASTERIA Warp" - a data integration tool that has held the top market share for 19 consecutive years. He currently serves as Representative Director of the Blockchain Collaborative Consortium (BCCC), where he raises awareness about and promotes the real-world adoption of blockchain technology.

Yoshio Hirako joined a Japanese mega bank after graduating from university. After an internet start-up, he led the launch of a bank for a major retail group and served as a director of its bank and card company. In 2013, he co-founded a fintech firm as Vice President. He later served as a director at an Indonesian commercial bank and led the turnaround of a crypto-asset exchange as President. He became President of MJS Finance & Technology in 2017 and MJS Executive Officer and CDO in 2021. Since May 2025, he has served as Executive Vice President, and COO of DeCurret DCP, driving new ecosystems with the tokenized deposit “DCJPY.”

Fernando is the President, Capital Markets, of Chainlink. Fernando started his journey in academia, where he first became deeply involved with the budding Linux community in the early 90s. This led him to the corporate world with a number of roles at the NTT Group starting in 2003, where he contributed to the mainstreaming of open source. He transitioned into the FinTech world, joining Japanese financial conglomerate SBI in 2016 where he held several roles including CEO of SBI Digital Asset Holdings, a pioneer in digital capital markets and founding member of Project Guardian. He also serves on the boards of regulated financial institutions and foundations globally and is a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore's International Technology Advisory Panel.

Mr. Miura joined Japanʼs Financial Services Agency (JFSA) in 1999 and has been responsible for supervising major banks as the Director of the Banking Business Division I since July 2025. His previous roles include tax reform on securities transactions (NISA), Basel III implementation, promotion of Fintech, supervision of insurance companies, and regulatory reform on payment services. Also, Mr. Miura experienced working for the Prime Ministerʼs Office as the counselor for financial services and took initiative for planning policies to make Japanʼs financial market “International Financial Center.” He has also held international assignments at the U.S. OCC and the Consulate General in New York.

Atsushi Itaya joined Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd. in 1992. Over the years, he has held prominent positions within the organization, including the Deputy Head of IT Operations and Planning at Daiwa Securities Group Inc. in 2021. Currently, since April 2024, he serves as the Head of IT Operations.He has launched generative AI and Web3.0-related projects within the Daiwa Securities group, driving the business as a project manager. He also serves as a board member of Japan STO Association, contributing to the development and growth of the security token market.

2011年ブラックロック・ジャパン入社。トレーディング業務に従事後、2024年3月よりブラックロック・グローバル・マーケッツ部長としてトレーディング、セキュリティーズ・レンディング、キャッシュ・マネジメントを統括。更にデジタル戦略・業務にも従事。2025年1月よりグローバル・プロダクト・ソリューション部を兼務し、同部内でトランジション・マネジメントを統括。

Mitsuru is Head of East Asia at Swift, leading customer engagement and business development across Japan and South Korea. He works closely with the Swift community to strengthen relationships, promote strategic initiatives, and elevate the region’s engagement and synergy with the global financial ecosystem.

With 20 years of experience in the financial technology industry—including over 15 years at Swift—Mitsuru has worked across Japan and Hong Kong, engaging with a wide range of key financial institutions throughout the region. He has held various technical and management roles, most recently serving as Head of Business Solution Architect for Asia Pacific, where he led efforts to modernize and optimize operational capabilities.

Mitsuru is committed to advancing interoperability across the global financial ecosystem and enhancing the experience for end users. He actively promotes the adoption of global standards such as ISO 20022 and works closely with the financial community to drive harmonization and innovation for the industry.

Mitsunori leads the business development of digital assets and fintech solutions at Franklin Templeton Japan. He joined the firm in 2021, upon the merger of Legg Mason. Since joining Legg Mason in 2012, he has held leadership roles in Retail Sales, Marketing and Product.
Mitsunori started his career as a trader in money markets and derivatives at Mitsui Trust & Banking (now SMTB). After SMTB, he spent ten years at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, followed by stays at Nikko AM and Wellington.
Mitsunori received his BA in Political Science from Keio University.

Hitoshi is a technologist at heart with deep expertise in database architecture and distributed systems, particularly in building scalable systems for financial applications. Before founding Alpaca, he contributed major features, including Window Functions, to the open-source PostgreSQL project and served as a Principal Engineer at Pivotal Inc.
At Alpaca, he has led the development of the company’s high-performance trading infrastructure and ensured that its APIs are built to meet developers’ needs. He currently drives Alpaca’s product strategy and platform development, and is well known in the developer community for championing Alpaca’s “developer-first” ethos.
Hitoshi holds a degree from Keio University and participated in Y Combinator in 2019 as a co-founder of Alpaca.

Current Position and Responsibilities
Nischint is the head of Digital Currencies in Asia Pacific for Visa. Based in Singapore, he oversees Visa’s digital currency business performance in Asia Pacific, including partnership strategies and developing new crypto business streams for Visa’s crypto offerings.

Other Information
Nischint is the subject matter expert on digital currency and web 3.0 engagements with key stakeholders such as banks, fintechs, regulators and blockchain infrastructure companies.

As part of his portfolio, he is also responsible for emerging stablecoin, CBDC and tokenized deposit products, leading Visa’s go-to-market efforts in the region.

Other Information
Nischint joined Visa in 2022, bringing over 20 years of experience in financial services having worked across multiple streams through the years. Before Visa, Nischint was managing fintech partnerships at Singtel and has worked with multiple digital currency business prior to that.

Nischint holds a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University School of Management and is also a Certified Chartered Accountant.

Born in Tokyo in 1980. Active as an entrepreneur, entrepreneur, and investor. Founder of BITPoint, a cryptocurrency exchange. Currently, Managing Executive Officer (President's Special Missions) at SBI Holdings, Inc., and Representative Director of the Japan Cryptocurrency Business Association. Works on amending laws and self-regulatory rules to utilize cryptocurrencies to rebuild Japan's economy and finances. Selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

1966-born. Graduated from Kyoto University; joined the Bank of Japan in 1990. Held a wide range of positions across the Research, Markets, Payment and Settlement Systems, Prudential Policy, Quantitative Analysis, and International departments, as well as serving as Head of the FinTech Center and Director-General of the Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies. Since the 1990s, has introduced advanced methods such as AI, big data, and network analysis into central banking research. Founded several flagship publications, including the Financial System Report. As an expert member of BIS and global central bank initiatives, has participated in international conferences on financial regulation design, market monitoring, and CBDC-related issues. Concurrently serves in the AI and Digital Strategy Promotion Office at SBI Holdings.

Founded Holyday Inc. in 2011, leading creative production and system development businesses. After relocating to Singapore in 2021, founded Slash Vision Labs in 2023 and has led the company as Founder and CEO from initial concept through team building, fundraising, and token listing.
Currently issues “SlashCard,” a payment card backed by USDC and usable on the Visa network, in Japan. With “Credit Portability” as the core philosophy, enabling Japanese individuals to use their credit across borders, SlashCard is deployed in the Japanese market as a payment interface built on existing card networks.

Hirokuni Onozawa is responsible for the Strategy and Development Group as an executive officer in 2019. 
Earlier in his career, Hirokuni developed technical skill as a system engineer at IBM Japan. He got experienced international assignment to IBM corporation in 2007 and deeply engaged in sales of a big US financial group and Financial solution planning. After returning to IBM Japan, proven success in service delivery of a mega bank and regional bank. 
In 2013, he was appointed a Director of IBM Japan and the Vice President in 2017, where he led business development in the outsourcing business.
In 2023, he became a board member of Fintech Association of Japan, and in 2024, a board member of Japan Association for Financial APIs.

Satoru Iwata has extensive experience in the development and product planning of ERP systems for accounting firms and general enterprises. He later worked in the Cloud Strategy Division and the New Business Strategy Team, where he was involved in launching new business projects. He is currently engaged in supporting digital transformation initiatives for small and mid-sized companies in the DX Business Strategy Department.

Gen Adachi - Netstars Chief Financial Offer / Director since 2021. He graduated from Keio University then he started his career as an investment banker in Citigroup. He has been a specialist in capital market. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2015 and became a head of syndicate division.
He leads Netstars' Web3.0 projects with his deep experties in this area.

Became a journalist at the dawn of the 21st century, working in the securities, economics, and politics departments. Covered finance and markets from multiple perspectives in Kabuto-cho, Kasumigaseki, and Nagatacho. Became a fintech editor in 2020 and assumed the current position in 2025. Co-authored “Cryptocurrency Bubble” and “The NFT Handbook.”

ボストンコンサルティンググループにおいて、同社のデジタル事業開発部門であるBCG Digital Venturesにて東京オフィス最年少のVentureArchitect(投資・事業開発担当者)として日本及び中国でのプロジェクトに従事。
2018年に株式会社HashPortを創業し、代表取締役に就任。また、日本暗号資産ビジネス協会理事、東京大学工学系研究科共同研究員、慶應義塾大学グローバルリサーチインスティテュート「暗号資産研究プロジェクト」共同研究メンバー。

Hailey Yang is a Business Development Manager at Kaia, a Layer 1 blockchain focused on building a regulation-aligned digital asset ecosystem in Asia.

Before joining Kaia, she worked as a journalist covering Japan’s Web3 policies and digital asset regulations, introducing related developments to the Korean market during the launch of the global conference WebX in 2023. In 2025, she presented an overview of Japan’s digital asset market at the National Assembly of Korea for policymakers and industry participants, and participated in the Digital Asset Committee under Rep. Min Byung-deok.

Drawing on her experience in both Japan and Korea, she works on facilitating communication and collaboration between the two markets within the broader Asian digital asset landscape.

SB Seker is the Head of Asia Pacific (APAC) at Binance. He leads Binance’s strategic growth and regulatory engagement across the APAC region, driving the company’s commitment to responsible expansion within dynamic markets.

He previously worked in litigation in Australia and as a central banking lawyer for the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Seker has held in-house counsel roles at Rothschild & Co, and served as payments, remittance, digital banking, money markets, structured products, microlending, and blockchain counsel at Ant Group. Before joining Binance, he was Senior Vice President at Crypto.com Group.

Seker is qualified to practise law in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK. He holds a background in statistical economics and has completed financial practitioner certification in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Angelina Kwan, CPA, CA ANZ
Angelina is a passionate advocate for technology, digital assets, and blockchain, focusing on advising start-ups. She is the CEO of Stratford Finance, a consulting firm addressing regulatory and operational challenges in financial services and digital assets. Angelina has held senior management roles at HKEX, SFC, Cantor Fitzgerald, CLSA, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, and HG Asia/ABN AMRO. She was the Global COO of BitMEX and the HashKey Group, consulting for brokerages, fund managers, and technology providers.
Angelina contributes to various Hong Kong government boards and committees, including the Financial Services Development Council and the Cantonese Opera Development Fund. She chairs The Women’s Foundation and serves on the boards of the Ebenezer School for the Blind, the University of Wollongong Hong Kong, Web3 Harbour, Chevalier Hong Kong, and Zurich Life Insurance, Hong Kong.
Angelina is a Certified Public Accountant in the US, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, an MBA from Pepperdine University, an LLB from the University of Hong Kong/Manchester Metropolitan University, and an LLM from Harvard Law School.

Ken Koyanagi, based in Tokyo, writes features and commentaries with focuses on the technology, tech businesses, technology-related policy, cyber security issues and Indian politics and economy. Prior to the current role, he was a member of Nikkei’s Editorial Board, Nikkei Asia Editor-at-large based in Southeast Asia and in India, Founding Publisher of the Nikkei Asian Review (renamed to Nikkei Asia in 2020). Prior to those roles, he led online product development projects for the Nikkei Online Edition. After joining Nikkei Inc. in 1988, Ken covered such fields as capital markets, financial and technology sectors in Tokyo, and then the U.S. tech sector at Nikkei’s Silicon Valley bureau in the 2000’s.

Born in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture in May 1964. Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Hosei University. After working for several foreign IT vendors, as a chief evangelist at SoftBank, and as a managing director at Fujitsu, he is currently active in a wide range of fields, serving as CXO (Chief Transformation Officer) at Asteria Corporation and as representative director of the No-Code Promotion Association. He is also responsible for promoting next-generation financial digital transformation as the Chief Director of the stablecoin business Unit.

Colin Payne is a distinguished leader in financial innovation, currently serving as the Head of Innovation at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Chair of the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN) convening over 90 national regulators to build a powerful, collaborative network. In these roles, he spearheads strategic initiatives to foster growth through responsible innovation, such as the newly launched AI Lab, Sandboxes and TechSprint Programme. Before joining the FCA, Colin was the Senior Director at PwC, where he delivered programs across the GCC, including national payment strategies and digital asset initiatives with Central Banks in the region. He has also held Partner and EVP positions at EY and Capgemini with an early tenure at Apple working with Steve Jobs. With over 30 years at the forefront of technology and change, Colin has built an award-winning portfolio designing and deploying world-class innovation. He has held honorary positions at Kings College and Middlesex University.

Alan is the head of the Financial Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence Office at the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He is responsible for strategies to advance Singapore’s digital financial infrastructure and leads initiatives to foster responsive innovation in AI and digital asset. Prior to this, he held leadership roles in the private sector including managing consulting and development teams across Asia Pacific.

Carole House is a strategic technology executive who has spent her career focusing on leveraging innovative technologies to combat national security threats. She is the founder and CEO of a strategic technology and national security advisory practice, Penumbra Strategies, and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center and Georgetown University CyberSMART Center. Carole recently departed the White House National Security Council (NSC) as Special Advisor for Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure. She previously served as the NSC Director for Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation. During her time at the White House, Carole architected two Executive Orders driving critical steps to promote innovation in cybersecurity, digital identity, artificial intelligence, and digital assets. Carole has held positions in the private sector as an Executive in Residence at Terranet Ventures, Inc., co-founder and interim COO for a stealth fintech startup, and served on advisory boards for three financial regulatory agencies and three non-profits. She also has been recognized for her leadership in cyber and emerging tech initiatives, to include the prestigious "Fed100" award and AFFIRM's "Leadership in Crisis" award, in addition to various publications across the Atlantic Council, Bloomberg, the Small Wars Journal, and the Military Review. Carole’s prior government experience includes service as a U.S. Army Captain as well as positions leading emerging tech, cybersecurity, and national security initiatives across the White House, Senate Homeland Security Committee, and the U.S. Treasury.

Tek Yew has more than 30 years of consulting experience and is a subject matter expert in multiple aspects of financial services, including working with central banks and regulators across Asia and the Middle East.
He is now an Adjunct Professor and Advisor to the National University of Singapore's Asian Institute of Digital Finance, a collaboration between the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the NUS. Additionally, he also serves as a senior advisor to Boston Consulting Group as well as the ASEAN Bankers’ Association.
Prior to this, he was Vice Chairman of Oliver Wyman Singapore and had held senior positions in KPMG, Hewlett Packard Consulting & Integration and PwC Consulting East Asia.