Ko Fujii
Co-Representative Director & CEO

As a public affairs professional with strong focus on the tech sector, Kos expertise ranges from strategic global communications to local community engagement.

Prior to his current position, Ko was Head of Public Policy and Government Relations for Google in Japan, and before that, a public affairs consultant at FleishmanHillard Japan. Ko originally started his career at the Japanese government’s Science and Technology Agency, Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), where he was mainly responsible for international policy.

Ko is a board member of Information and Communications Policy Forum (ICPF), Vice Chair of Toyama Prefecture’s Growth Strategy Committee, a board member of the International Public Relations Network (IPRN), and a Certified Public Relations Planner of the Public Relations Society of Japan. Ko was selected as “The Innovator 25 Asia-Pacific 2019” by the Holmes Report (PRvoke Media). In 2022, he was chosen as “30 Rule Makers in Japan” by Forbes JAPAN. Ko graduated from the University of Tokyo and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, majoring in marketing, as well as public and nonprofit management.

Mai Toda
PR Director

Mai has about 20 years of experience in marketing, PR, and media production for domestic and international markets at Rakuten, Mercari, and startups. Following that, she began working independently, developing and executing communication strategies and providing PR and marketing support for startups and venture capital firms aiming to solve major social issues. At Makaira, she supports advocacy activities of UN agencies and other organizations through public-private-academic partnerships based on the theme of “solving social issues x PR x global,” and also provides support in the communications area to help companies and organizations provide value in solving social issues. In the non-profit area, she was a founding member of the public litigation platform “CALL4” and was instrumental in its launch. Holds a PhD from the Osaka School of International Public Policy and an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology School of Management.

Maika Furuhashi
Senior Consultant

With approximately 10 years of experience in public relations, Maika has worked at Vector Group, Japan’s largest integrated PR agency, the Strategic Public Relations Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Policy Planning Bureau, and a startup support accelerator.

She has supported foreign IT companies entering the Japanese market, helping them establish a strong presence through strategic PR and integrated marketing. In brand strategy for one of Japan’s largest C-to-C marketplaces and a global consumer goods manufacturer, Maika incorporated social contexts to develop multifaceted and multidimensional communication strategies, contributing to brand awareness centered on empathy.

During her tenure at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, she was in charge of public relations for measures to combat the declining birthrate and crisis communication. Specifically regarding measures to combat the declining birthrate, Maika promoted public relations measures that conveyed the significance of policies in an easy-to-understand manner, while in crisis communication PR, she established a system for prompt and accurate information dissemination. Later, at a start-up support company, Maika supported business growth through PR strategies, and contributed to start-ups’ recognition, fund-raising, and business expansion through media relations and market awareness.

Yusuke Matsumoto
Consultant

Yusuke is a seasoned media and communications strategist with a unique blend of creative and business expertise. He brings 15 years of experience as a TV director and producer at Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), where he specialized in information and science programming. Following this, Yusuke pivoted to strategic communications, leading digital marketing, PR, and advertising initiatives at a venture company to support innovative startups while bridging the gap between creative content development and business objectives.

He joined Makaira in 2025 to spearhead strategic communications initiatives, leveraging his ability to create contents that inspire and move people’s hearts.

Yusuke holds a master’s degree in Media and Governance from Keio University Graduate School.

Aiko Ohguri
Consultant

After graduating from university, Aiko worked at a job information company, consulting on corporate recruitment strategies. She then handled internal and external public relations, as well as newspaper column writing.

In 2021, she joined the largest domestic NPO in Japan. Aiko has been involved in various PR campaigns aimed at policy proposals from the private sector and fostering awareness and cultural change in society, such as promoting paternity leave, supporting multiple births childcare, campaigning for the mandatory installation of prevention devices for children left on nursery school buses, and advocating for policy proposals for preventing child sexual abuse, known as the “Japanese version of DBS”.

Her public affairs efforts, starting in 2022, to raise awareness about the social issue of “children without nursery school enrollment” and solutions for it, became the impetus for the government’s consideration of the “universal nursery school enrollment system for all children”. In 2023, she received the ACC Gold Award (PR category) at the 63rd ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS.