Yumi Sato
Yumi Sato is a Longevity and Sustainability Strategist dedicated to building an age-free society. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Well Aging Economic Forum, Senior Deputy Manager of Smart Community Business and Public Policy at Sompo Holdings (Asia), and a NewsPicks ProPicker, with over 30 years of experience in public policy, government relations, strategic communications, and public-private collaboration.
She is a leading advocate for Japan’s transition to an “Age-Free Society” and a specialist in AgeTech and the longevity economy, championing the redesign of social structures, institutional frameworks, and cultural mindsets suited to the 100-year life era.
Yumi founded the Well Aging Economic Forum in November 2020, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the challenges and opportunities of Japan’s super-aged society. Under her leadership, the Forum launched Japan’s first Well-being & Age-Tech Award in 2021, which has received ministerial recognition, including the Digital Minister’s Award and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award. The Award identifies and promotes science, technology, and innovation that enhance inclusiveness and wellbeing in aging societies, with winning startups offered opportunities to present at JETRO for international delegations.
At the foundation of the Forum is the Public-Private Policy Roundtable, a cross-ministerial platform Yumi has convened since December 2009, bringing together 40 to 300 participants per session, including incumbent Finance Ministers, MEXT Ministers, Vice Ministers of MOFA and MLIT, the Commissioner of the Financial Services Agency, and executives from global companies and academia. She has organized over 50 of these roundtables on national agendas spanning economic security, innovation policy, aging society, healthcare, and sustainable development.
In response to the Financial Services Agency’s push for mandatory sustainability disclosure in securities reporting, Yumi cofounded the Sustainability Management Council together with Robert Feldman, Chief Economist of Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities, and then-Vice Minister Junichi Kanda. This consortium facilitates dialogue between corporate leadership and public policy on sustainability management and ESG promotion.
Concurrently, Yumi serves as Senior Deputy Manager of Smart Community Business and Public Policy at Sompo Holdings (Asia), the Singapore-based regional headquarters for Sompo Holdings, one of Japan’s three largest insurance groups and a constituent of the Nikkei 225. She joined in October 2020 and focuses on government relations and public policy strategy for the Asia Pacific region.
As a NewsPicks ProPicker, Yumi serves as an official commentator on Japan’s leading social and economic news platform, which has over 8 million downloads. The ProPicker system, launched in 2015, has featured approximately 900 professionals who share expert commentary and contribute knowledge to the next generation. She has appeared on programs including J-WAVE’s STEP ONE as a professional news commentator.
Since November 2009, Yumi has served as Representative at INTEGRACE, her original philosophy and platform advocating “From Gender-Free to Age-Free.” Through INTEGRACE, she organizes cross-ministerial policy forums spanning agriculture, politics, economics, finance, diplomacy, energy, education, science, and innovation, connecting policymakers, ministries, businesses, and citizens. She is also a certified food analyst and instructor of Japanese etiquette, promoting cultural continuity and public diplomacy through traditional cuisine and manners.
Between September 2019 and September 2020, Yumi was Head of Public Policy and Government Relations at FiNC Technologies, Japan’s leading health tech venture specializing in AI-driven wellness solutions. FiNC’s personal healthcare app topped Japan’s App Store healthcare category and has been downloaded millions of times. She developed a strategy for public policy and government relations while supporting business development initiatives.
From November 2017 to August 2019, she served as Public Policy Adviser at Makaira KK, where she organized research groups on SDGs and intellectual property with professors from the Kyoto Institute of Technology and directors of the Japan Patent Office. Between June 2014 and June 2016, Yumi was Senior Manager of Government and External Relations in the Ministries and Agencies team at Gurunavi, Inc. (now Rakuten GURUNAVI), Japan’s major restaurant search and reservation service.
She built strategic relationships with Members of Parliament and senior government officials, designed a government affairs strategy including policy engagement and regulatory analysis, and successfully developed joint public projects with METI, MAFF, and the Japan Tourism Agency across 47 local governments. She also led initiatives to identify, protect, and promote intellectual property rights for agricultural, dairy, and marine products in partnership with MAFF and the Japan Patent Office.
From November 2013 to March 2014, Yumi served as Manager of Government Relations and Public Relations at the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), a Tokyo-based independent nonprofit health policy think tank established in 2004. HGPI has been ranked third worldwide in “Domestic Health Affairs,” fourth in “Global Health Policy,” and first in Asia for 12 consecutive years in the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go To Think Tank Index.
During her tenure, she led the successful establishment of the Japanese Parliamentary League on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) within six months through strategic advocacy and coalition-building with policymakers, academics, media, patient groups, and civil society. She designed and implemented a public mental health initiative in post-disaster regions in partnership with the Reconstruction Agency and coordinated the participation of prominent political figures such as Shinjiro Koizumi, then Parliamentary Secretary for Reconstruction. Her work was widely covered by national media and recognized as a model public project in the Cabinet Office’s White Paper on Aging Society in 2014.
Concurrently, Yumi led volunteer efforts to commercialize three local products—stem seaweed and Yuzu-kosho—made by elderly female residents at temporary housing in Rikuzentakada, one of the areas most affected by the 2011 earthquake. She designed and named the products “Nadeshiko Yuzukosho”, coordinated a Michelin-starred chef to produce the recipe, and developed sales channels at Ginza-Plaza in Tokyo. The project was reported by Yomiuri Shimbun, Tohoku-Shinpou, Iwate-Nippou, and NHK.
From January 2001 to July 2013, Yumi served as Executive Policy Adviser and Policy Secretary to Members of Parliament at the Diet Office for over 12 years. She contributed to legislative processes by drafting questions for Diet sessions and coordinating policy discussions among MPs, ministries, and party councils, including the Policy Research Council and the House Steering Committee.
She built strategic relationships with political parties, industry groups, media outlets, NPOs, and opinion leaders, drafted policy proposals, represented MPs at policy conferences, and planned and executed national election campaigns in local districts. During this period, she coordinated and conducted interviews with high-profile figures, including Warren Buffett, Ministers of FSA and MOFA, and senior officials across all ministries.
In January 2012, she planned, coordinated, and interviewed Warren Buffett for President magazine about his investment philosophy during his visit to Tungaloy Co., Ltd. in Fukushima, publishing a series titled The Rules of Investment by Warren Buffett, She also published a 39-part serial, “Interviews of Elite Government Officials 2009–2010” in Nikkei Business Online.
From December 1999 to September 2000, Yumi served as Head of Branch at Electoral Constituency and Candidate for the seat in the House of Representatives for the Democratic Party of Japan in Ibaraki Prefecture. She led the electoral campaign as both the Head of Branch and the official candidate in Japan’s 2000 general election. She secured 53,184 votes as runner-up, demonstrating strong public engagement and policy resonance.
Yumi began her career at Public Center Ltd., a public relations and advertising agency, where she served as Director of Public Relations and Public Affairs from April 1991 to December 1999 in Sapporo and Tokyo. In her public affairs capacity, she planned and conducted advocacy strategies to enhance government responses to public project proposals commissioned by the Cabinet Office regarding Japan’s Northern Territories for three consecutive years, and promoted and organized the Active Healthy Aging Week campaign and events in Sapporo, commissioned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Yumi studied at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, from 1989 to 1990. Lewis & Clark is a private liberal arts college ranked among the top National Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States, known for its emphasis on international education and environmental studies, and for its 137-acre campus.
She holds certifications as Executive Policy Advisor to Members of Parliament (issued June 2004 by the House of Representatives), a certified food analyst, and an instructor of Japanese etiquette, reflecting her commitment to integrating cultural values as a foundation for wellbeing and public diplomacy.
In 2022, Yumi coordinated a conference featuring Professor Linda Gratton of the London Business School, author of LIFE SHIFT: The 100-Year Life, to discuss transformative approaches to living and working in an era of longevity. She has spoken at TEDx Kioicho on the importance of a mindset that transcends gender, age, and chronological frameworks, presenting historical, cultural, and religious perspectives on new ways of living and working.
Yumi is recognized as a strategic bridge-builder between government, industry, and civil society, with a proven ability to craft compelling messages that mobilize action at the highest levels of policy and leadership.
Visit her LinkedIn profile and INTEGRACE profile. Follow her on X and at the Well Aging Economic Forum.