Philip Howard, a former British diplomat, has been dealing with the Japanese government and business for 20 years.  Responsible for developing the Japan practice of the premier global strategy intelligence firm, he spent five years working alongside senior executives at many of Japan’s largest corporations and financial institutions. 

He served previously on the International and Communications Committees of the DPJ, working closely with Japan’s former Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy, Motohisa Furukawa, and was a visiting fellow at DPJ-affiliated think tank Think Net 21.  He served with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office for nine years, specializing in Asian affairs, including at the Political Section of the British Embassy in Tokyo.  He has a degree in economics, an MBA from Insead, and speaks fluent Japanese and English.