ISS Japan 2026 Biography

Ajit Manocha is the president and CEO of SEMI, the global industry association serving the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing and design supply chain. Throughout his career, Manocha has been a champion of industry collaboration as a critical means of advancing technology for societal and economic prosperity.

In his leadership role at SEMI, Manocha has broadened the association’s scope to fuel industry growth and foster collaboration on challenges such as geopolitical and sustainability concerns, the talent gap and supply chain disruptions. He has driven SEMI to evolve with the global microelectronics ecosystem as it rapidly expands to support smarter, connected applications based on artificial intelligence, machine learning and other disruptive technologies.

Manocha was formerly CEO at GlobalFoundries. Prior to this, he held the role of Executive VP of worldwide operations at Spansion and earlier served as Executive VP and chief manufacturing officer (chief operations officer) at Philips Semiconductors. He began his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories as a research scientist and was granted more than a dozen patents related to semiconductor manufacturing processes that served as the foundation for modern microelectronics manufacturing. He has served on the boards of SEMI, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA).

Manocha has overseen the formation of more than 20 joint ventures and M&As over his career.  Out of these, some of the most noteworthy are the manufacturing JV between AT&T and Cirrus Logic, the foundry JV SSMC between Philips Semiconductors and TSMC, the back-end JV Suzhou ASEN Semiconductors between Philips Semiconductors and ASE, and the spinoff of Philips Semiconductors (now NXP Semiconductors) from Royal Philips Electronics.

Manocha served on President Obama’s committees for “Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships” and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST).

Manocha holds the rare distinction of being inducted into two Hall of Fames. In 2021, VLSIresearch (now TechInsights) added Manocha to its Semiconductor Industry Hall of Fame for his leadership of SEMI efforts to address geopolitical trade tensions as well as for his initiative in navigating the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting SEMI and the microelectronics industry. In 2020, Manocha was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame, and VLSIresearch named him an “All Star of the Semiconductor Industry” for his visionary leadership in 2019 to restructure SEMI to represent the expanded electronics supply chain. 

Kota Nosaka is Vice-President at Micron Memory Japan. Mr. Nosaka is responsible for managing the company’s fabrication facilities in Hiroshima and leading Micron Japan’s goals and strategic direction with the company’s overall objectives and mission.
He was appointed to his current position in 2025 March.

Mr. Nosaka started his career at Elpida in 2004 as a process integration engineer. He then joined Micron in 2013 as a principal engineer in process integration. In 2016, Mr. Nosaka was promoted to the role of senior member of technical staff to lead the technology transfer of 1y DRAM from the Boise fab in the U.S. to the Hiroshima fab, as well as to improve the yield of the initial ramp. In 2019, as director of Advanced Technology-Engineering Division, he led the process integration and process engineering teams in the technology transfer of 1z DRAM. After being promoted to senior director of the Engineering Division in 2020, Mr. Nosaka expanded his responsibilities to include the wafer start planning and high-performance memory new product introduction.

Mr. Nosaka earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and electronics from Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Yutaka Emoto was appointed Vice President, Center General Manager of TSMC Japan 3DIC R&D Center K.K. in June 2021. Prior to joining TSMC, Emoto was President of J-Devices Corporation. Prior to that, he worked at Renesas Electronics Corporation in Procurement, Sales and Marketing, and Corporate Planning. Mr. Emoto began his career at Semiconductor Division at Hitachi, Ltd. and has over 40 years of experience in the semiconductor industry.

Akio Yamaguchi was born in Wakayama Prefecture and joined IBM Japan in 1987 as a system engineer. After working on system development and maintenance projects for financial institutions, he held various roles including Corporate Strategy and Executive Assistant positions at IBM in the United States. He later took on leadership roles in IBM’s Services business, leading clients’ transformation through consulting, system development and maintenance, and outsourcing, and was appointed General Manager of IBM Japan in May 2019. He has also been involved in global strategy planning as a member of IBM’s executive committee since 2017.
Outside of IBM, he serves as Representative Director of the Accessibility Consortium of Enterprises (ACE), Chair of the Advisory Board of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology, member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Subcommittee on Value Creation Management, and member of the Fiscal System Council at the Ministry of Finance. In January 2026, he became Chairman of DOYUKAI (Japan Association of Corporate Executives).

Joined ABIC Corporation (now NTT Data ABIC) in 1993 and worked as a system engineer on system development projects for financial institutions. 
Moved to Oracle Japan in 1996, where roles included support, marketing, and development, before transferring to Oracle Corporation in the United States in 1998 as an internationalization engineer.

After contributing to the development of PaaS and SaaS products in various roles, led cloud product development as Senior Director. 
Joined the startup Symphony in February 2020 as Vice President of Engineering, leading the development of Fintech SaaS platforms and overseeing global teams across design, development, release, testing, and DevOps.

Returned to Japan in January 2023 and joined Microsoft Japan K.K. as Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), a role currently held.

Holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management (2016) and the National University of Singapore (2017).

Joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1996.

After studying in the USA (Northwestern, Georgetown Law School, NY State Bar), working in the Defense Policy Division of the Defense Agency (US-Japan defense cooperation), the Trade Organization Department (WTO Doha Round negotiations), and the Finance Division of the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (countermeasures against the 2008 financial crisis), he served as a Policy Planning Officer in the Minister's Secretariat, where he implemented general coordination and measures in the wake of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake.

After being involved in the launch of the Revitalization of Japan Strategy as a Policy Planning Officer in the Industrial Policy Bureau, he was posted to Singapore as an industrial researcher in charge of Asia, where he was responsible for economic integration in Asia.

Upon returning to Japan, he was involved in trade strategy formulation and the globalization of industrial policy.

In July 2017, he was appointed Director of the Healthcare Industries Division.

After serving as Counsellor in the Minister’s Secretariat (overseeing information industry strategy and healthcare industries), he was appointed Director of IT Industry Division in 2020 and Principal Director of the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau in 2022, in charge of Japan’s semiconductor and digital strategy.

After serving as Counsellor in the Minister’s Secretariat (overseeing economic security policy) in 2023, he was appointed Principal Director of the Trade and Economic Security Bureau, newly established in 2024.

As of July 2025, he assumes the posts of Deputy Director-General for Semiconductor, Information Policy and Deputy Director-General for Economic Security.

As of October 2025, he assumes the additional post of Deputy Director-General for Manufacturing Industries Bureau.

Education
PhD in Business Administration, National Taipei University(Sep. 2002 June 2006)
Master’s Degree in Business Administration, National Taipei University (Sep. 1999 June 2001)

Current Position
Chair Professor at National Taipei University
Director, Taiwan–Japan Relations Association
Director, Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry

Professional Experience
Visiting Scholar, Keio University
Visiting Scholar, Waseda University
The 36th Minister, Ministry of Economic Affairs (May 2024 - Sep.2025)
Chairman, Topco Group (June 2014 - Apr. 2024)
Chairman, Topco Scientific Co. Ltd. (Nov. 2004 - June 2014)
Honorary President, Taiwan Japan Semiconductor Technology Association
Honorary President, Taiwan Global Eastbound A ssociation of Launching America
The 5th and 6th President Taiwan Management Institute
The 27th and 28th President, Chinese Professional Management Association
Executive Supervisor , Chinese Professional Management Association
The 11th Vice President Chinese Taipei Baseball Association
Director, Ten Outstanding Young Persons Foundation
Director, New Front ier Foundation
Honorary President, Taiwan Management Institute

Awards
2023 The 19th Taiwan International Inventor Prize
2020 / 2022 Top 100 Best Performing Business Leaders, Harvard Business Review Taiwan
2018 The 1st K.T. Li Fellow Award
2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award
2017 Academician, 18th Chinese Society for Management of Technology (ROC)
2015 9th National Excellence Achievement Award, Chinese Professional Management Association (ROC)
2004 Distinguished Alumnus, National Taipei University

2009: Joined TMI Associates, Tokyo Office.
2013: Complete LL.M. program at Georgetown Law Center 
2014: Work at WilmerHale (Washington, D.C. office, Trade/Litigation team).
2015-2017: Seconded to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Responsible for negotiations related to TPP, Japan-EU FTA, RCEP (covering tariffs, anti-dumping, state-owned enterprises, digital trade), as well as WTO dispute settlement procedures.
After returning to TMI, appointed as a member of the Trade and Investment Policy Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
Main areas of practice include export control, investment regulations in M&A, support for overseas expansion, customs and anti-dumping measures, fraud investigations, information law, international arbitration and litigation, and drafting international contracts.

- "Understanding Economic Security" (KINZAI Value Series, August 2023)
- SEMI Business Update "Trends in Economic Security Legislation in the Semiconductor Industry and Required Responses" (May 11, 2022)
- "Trade Policy Engagement with Achievements through Monitoring and a Multifaceted Approach" (Business Law Journal, May 2018 issue)
- Study Report on the Protection of Trade Secrets in Litigation Procedures in Foreign Countries, etc. (2010, a project commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
- Chambers Global Practice Guides - Litigation 2024 (Japan Chapter), among many other publications and lectures.

Shuhei Yamada worked as a journalist at Nikkei from 1991 and spent a total of nine years stationed in the Greater China region, serving as Taipei Bureau Chief and China Headquarters Chief. In Japan, he covered the manufacturing sector, particularly the electronics and machinery industries. In 2023, he assumed his current position. His research focuses on industrial developments in Greater China and economic security in East Asia. He graduated from Waseda University and completed the EMBA program for foreign enterprises at Peking University.

After working at Fuji Bank and an advertising agency, completed an MBA at the Kellogg School of Management. Maintained a career in building marketing strategies at companies such as Coca-Cola Japan, Time Warner, Sony Pictures, and Nissan Motor, and also served as Counselor at the International Public Relations Office of the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Cabinet Secretariat) and Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. After serving as Chief Marketing Innovator (CMI) at Accenture Japan Ltd, assumed the position of Executive Officer and Chairman of Cinnamon in November 2019. Since 2020, Chairman and CSDO.

Joined Shinko Securities (now Mizuho Securities) in 2009. Began working as an analyst in 2011 after some time in retail sales. Served as junior tech sector analyst (SPE, EC, precision instruments, consumer electronics) in Hong Kong. Joined SMBC Nikko Securities in 2015.

M.S. from Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Science (Department of Chemistry) in 1990. Joined Dow Chemical Japan the same year as a research scientist, and was promoted to Financial Planning Manager - Pacific Area before starting his equity research analyst career at Goldman Sachs in 2001. Covered the chemicals and textiles sectors at JP Morgan from 2002, and joined Mizuho Securities in 2016 after stints at Lehman Brothers and Barclays.

Graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a BS in Mathematics and joined McKinsey & Company in 2017. As a core leader in the Tech & AI practice, supports clients across financial services, energy, and telecommunications globally on a range of digital agendas, from enterprise IT strategy development to system implementation. Since the rise of generative AI (GenAI), has been driving end-to-end AI transformations spanning AI strategy, governance, and system implementation.

Dr. Naoko Doi, a Japanese national, is currently serving as the senior research director of the Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Unit, the Institute of Energy Economics Japan. She had received a Ph.D. degree from Kyoto University in Global Environmental Studies.

Hear research areas includes (1) energy modelling, (2) energy savings and potential analysis, (3) global energy efficiency policy analysis, and (4) energy project evaluation. As the project leader she has authored a number of research reports on these areas, including the studies commissioned by Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC), Economic Research Institute of Asia (ERIA), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Dr. Doi specializes in energy efficiency and conservation analysis. She has published reports and articles in those areas. Her current research theme includes the energy savings potential anlysis with the use of AI for industry, transport and buildings.

[Education]

[Professional Experience]

Present

Masahiro Kobayashi
General Manager, Business Development Department, Industry Business Division, Industrial Co-Creation Business Unit, Tokyu Land Corporation

Masahiro Kobayashi joined Tokyu Land Corporation in 2003 and has been involved in the company’s real estate development business for over 20 years. He currently oversees business development in the industrial infrastructure field, including the development of logistics facilities, data centers, and industrial parks. He is also working to create next-generation industrial clusters through co-creation with the renewable energy sector and cutting-edge industries.

Olivier Faynot received the M.Sc and Ph.D. degrees from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France in 1991 and 1995, respectively. His doctoral research was related to the characterization and modeling of deep submicron Fully Depleted SOI devices fabricated on ultrathin SIMOX wafers.
He joined LETI (CEA-Grenoble, France) in 1995, working on Partially Depleted and Fully Depleted SOI technologies development in the frame of Industrial Partnerships.
From 2008 to 2017, he managed various teams focussed on advanced CMOS, memories and 3D technology integration and was assigned on manufacturing sites to implement FDSOI technologies.
During that period, he was engaged in the transfer to production of 28nm and 22nm FDSOI technologies with industrial partners. Those technologies are now available in production.
From 2017 to 2019, he managed the Patterning department at CEA-LETI, within the Silicon Technology division. 
Since 2019, he is managing the whole Silicon Component division at CEA-LETI.
He is author and co-author of more than 400 scientific publications in journals and international conferences, and was successively in the committees of the main international Semiconductors conferences like International Electron Device Meeting (IEDM), the symposium on VLSI Technology, the IEEE International SOI conference, the EUROSOI network, the Solid State Device and Materials (SSDM) conference and the International S3S conference.
He received the ‘Général Férié’ award in 2012 and the ‘Electron d’Or’ award with CEA-Leti, ST Microelectronics and SOITEC in 2017.
He has been elected as an IEEE Fellow in 2024 for leadership in CMOS technology development.

Executive Chairman and Member of the Board, and former President and Chief Executive Officer of NTT, Inc. (formerly Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.) During his presidency, he pursued drastic reforms, including the announcement of the next-generation information and communication infrastructure concept “IOWN,” the reorganization of the NTT group, and the promotion of partnerships both domestically and internationally. He is also known for his deep appreciation of philosophy. In his book Paraconsistent World, he proposes a vision of the future from the perspectives of philosophy, life sciences, and information sciences. He also serves as a Vice Chair of the Japan Business Federation, an Outside Director of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc., Co-Chairperson of the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy and a Visiting Professor of Ritsumeikan University Business School. In June 2024, he was awarded Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to UK/Japan trade and investment and to UK/Japan relations. He graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering, Kyoto University.

ATSUYOSHI KOIKE established Rapidus Corporation, a Japanese advanced logic semiconductor company in August 2022.  Prior to this role, Koike had served as President of Western Digital Japan since April 2018. Prior to joining Western Digital, he held the position of president and chief executive officer at Trecenti Technologies, Inc., as well as served as corporate chief engineer for Renesas Technology Corporation. Prior to that, he held senior manufacturing management and executive leadership positions at Hitachi, Ltd. Koike received the B.S. and M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Waseda University and Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering from Tohoku University.