About Makaira

Makaira is a public affairs firm specializing in support for reformers who aim to implement innovations in the three areas of technology, culture, and society, with the mission of "Advocacy for Changemakers."

Public Affairs refers to the strategic involvement of companies and organizations in the public and non-profit sectors and society in order to achieve their business objectives, as well as the planning and implementation of non-market strategies. Makaira offers a wide range of public affairs services, including consulting on non-market strategies, policy research and advocacy, lobbying, coordination of cross-sector collaboration, symposium and event planning, media relations, branding development, campaign planning, and creative production, with a diverse team of professionals to provide support in these areas.

Global Partnership
Makaira aims to support Japan in contributing to the world in the field of international public strategic communication—an area in which Japan has historically faced challenges—while also helping the global community bring new value to the Japanese market and society to drive its revitalization. To achieve this, with Tokyo serving as our hub, we leverage a robust network spanning major cities such as Washington D.C., Brussels, and Singapore to assist Japanese companies with their overseas expansion and international enterprises with their market entry into Japan.

Makaira and Global Expansion
Makaira’s global partnerships began through our relationship with the late Jim Harff, a renowned international PR practitioner. In the 1990s, Mr. Harff spearheaded PR strategies for independence movements in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, engaging in lobbying and international communications to shape public opinion and influence U.S. political and media circles. These information and PR campaigns surrounding the former Yugoslav conflicts attracted widespread attention in Japan, notably featured in the NHK Special “Ethnic Cleansing” and Toru Takagi’s book “War Advertising Agency.” With our expertise in international public communications and public diplomacy, Makaira was selected as the strategic partner in Japan for Global Communicators, founded by Mr. Harff. Building on this alliance, we have expanded our network with partners around the world.

Makaira is a member of the IPRN (International Public Relations Network), a global organization of PR and PA agencies, where Ko Fujii serves as a member of the Board of Directors.
We collaborate with The Good Lobby, an NPO who envisions a society where power is accessible to all, and advocacy is driven by transparency and the common good. Through this partnership, we actively promote a broader understanding of appropriate PA and emphasize the importance of governance when utilizing lobbying as a tool for social change.

The origin of the name “Makaira”
"Makaira" is the Latin word for blue marlin. It is the fastest fish in the ocean, migrating off of the coast and into the blue ocean of the high seas. “Makaira" is also the word for a type of ancient Greek sword. It means to run around the wide world at high speed, to always be sharp, and to solve problems brilliantly.

A Message from Makaira at its Founding
What is needed to make the world a better place? New technologies and business models? A new legal system? Or a huge amount of money to carry out various projects? The truth is, no matter how many of these components you bring together, without the support of the people, you will not be able to bring about change in society. It is communication that brings about people's support. Through mass media, events, publications, exhibitions, etc., we can gain the understanding of people in society. Through individual appeals and negotiations, we can win over key people from various fields and industry groups one by one. We can use social media to create a movement in the world.

This kind of "communication" work has been well established as a profession in the commercial field, such as public relations, advertising, marketing, and liaison. However, in the socially and publicly oriented fields, the establishment of a systematized profession is still lagging behind, especially in Japan. Specifically, this field is called public affairs (public strategic communication), which includes advocacy, lobbying, policy communication, and public/non-profit marketing. Makaira is a company dedicated to developing this field and contributing to the enrichment of Japanese society and the world.

We live in an age where the market society is maturing and the "public context" of products and services is becoming more and more important. An era in which we, as a people, are required to improve our policy dialogue skills in order to be selective about our future, as the economy cannot be counted on to grow steadily. The need for international dialogue skills is also pressing. Modern society is made up of perceptions (impressions, images), such as fashion, politics, corporate activities, and art. The job of communications is to create the world by creating perceptions. Therefore, this job comes with great responsibility. Communication work must not become an unjustified intervention in people's smart behavioral choices or their democracy. For this reason, as a consulting firm, Makaira carefully selects the projects we take on. We only work with clients who are truly trying to make the world a better place, and who have the courage and determination to make social changes through honest dialogue with the public, not through manipulation of public opinion. To enrich the world through the power of communication. That is the mission of Makaira. June 3, 2014
Ko Fujii

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