Ritsu Nacken has assumed her position as the Deputy Representative of the UNHCR Representation in Japan on 12 June 2021.

Ritsu is a Japanese national with her expertise and experience in several UN agencies both at HQ and field levels over 20 years.

Prior to the assignment with UNHCR, she was the UNFPA Representative in Sri Lanka and the Country Director in the Maldives since February 2017 and has built successful partnership with various stakeholders in resource mobilization as well as communications and advocacy. During her career with the United Nations, she also served as the UNFPA Deputy Representative in Viet Nam, the Head of the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Ethiopia, Learning and Training Specialist at the UN System Staff College in Italy and UN Coordination Specialist in the Pacific region, based in Fiji. Through these assignments, she contributed to a number of joint UN initiatives, including policy advocacy, strategy development and capacity building.

She has a Master's degree in non-profit management from the Milano Graduate School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy in New York and a BA from the International Christian University in Tokyo.

SHINO Mitsuko is the Chief of Protocol and the Ambassador in charge of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Since 2018, Mitsuko has been responsible for sports diplomacy including the preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Games, first as Deputy Director-General for Press and Public Diplomacy and later as Director-General for Cultural Affairs.

Prior to the above positions, Mitsuko served as Ambassador of Japan to Iceland and Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva, working with UN organizations such as UNHCR, WHO, OHCHR and others.

Noah Sneider is The Economist’s Tokyo Bureau Chief, covering Japanese politics, business, society and culture. Prior to this he covered Russia and the former Soviet Union as Moscow Correspondent. Before joining The Economist, he reported for a range of publications, including The New York Times and The New Republic. His writing has also appeared in Harper’s, The Atlantic, and Slate, among others. He is a member of the third generation in his family to live and work in Japan.

William Thomas is the Director of the Economist Corporate Network in South-east Asia. An experienced advisor to senior business and government leaders, he helps organisations understand the strategic, operational, and talent implications of geopolitical changes.

William holds a PhD in public policy from George Mason University in the US, as well as a degree in economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA. His academic research has centered on managing change in large, multinational organisations, with an emphasis on organisational culture.

William is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel, having spent much of his 21-year career as a strategic planner for complex operations such as humanitarian assistance and counterterrorism. He was Associate Professor of Political Science at the US Air Force Academy, and later taught at Georgetown University in Washington DC and as a Fulbright Scholar at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Having worked in Asia since 2012, William has focused on leadership development and organisational change as a consultant, leadership coach, and training facilitator.