Our Team

• Ai Tominaga JOICFP Ambassador

  
  Debuted at 17 years old during New York Fashion Week, and rapidly acquired a great reputation in the fashion world. While working worldwide as a top model, she was also in demand as a personality and an actress for TV, radio, and event appearances, applying her passion to these and other areas. As a Japanese supermodel, her career is unique and continues to expand, including significant charity and social action work and efforts to promote traditional Japanese culture to the world and to new generations in Japan. In addition to being JOICEF’s Ambassador, she is the Ethical lifestyle SDGs Ambassador for Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency.

• Sumie Ishii Chairperson

  Sumie Ishii is the Chairperson of the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP), and an Executive Committee member of the Global Health and Human Security Program of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE), which Japanese Diet member Keizo Takemi chairs.

Senior Management Team and Experts

• Mayumi Katsube Executive Director

  Mayumi started her career in international cooperation as a Junior Professional Officer of the United Nations Development Programme in the Gambia, followed by a reconstruction project in drought-stricken Ethiopia with the Japanese Red Cross Society. Since joining JOICFP in 1991, she has conducted numerous reproductive health projects ever since. Mayumi has successfully run projects in countries such as Cambodia, Ghana, Nepal, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Zambia. She became Executive Director of JOICFP in 2015 and is serving the Board of Directors since 2017.

• Lisa Asamura Assistant Executive Director

  With more than 30 years of experience, Lisa specializes in developing and implementing human resource development programs and has welcomed over 1,100 trainees from more than 70 countries.

  Area of expertise
  Community engagement, health promotion, SBCC tools development, and HRD

  Country experience
  India, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zambia

• Michiyo Ono Director, Design Strategy/I LADY. Director

  Michiyo has been the Chief of Public Relations since 2009, focusing on branding and public relations for JOICFP. Her strength is in launching tie-up projects under themes such as SRHR and gender equality to connect the Japanese civil society with mass media, private companies, and the general public. Since becoming Chief of the Civil Society Partnership Group in 2016, she has overseen many public relations and fundraising campaigns, including the White Ribbon Run. She is the key person of the ILADY. Activist network, where more than 150 youth activists, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and opinion leaders of Japan strive to empower girls and women every day.

• Fumie Saito Global Advocacy Manager

  Formerly the first Asia Regional Coordinator for PMNCH, a Senior Policy Coordinator for the State Minister on Gender Equality, and a nationally certified senior legislative aide, Fumie has over 15 years of experience working on public policies and projects in the field of gender equality and SRHR in both national and international settings. She has published “Women’s empowerment and gender equality in Japan,” in “Civil and Political Rights in Japan”(Routledge, 2019) and “Women and the 2011 East Japan Disaster” in Gender & Development (Vol. 20, 2012). The last piece has been quoted many times in academic papers and UN documents

• Etsuko Yamaguchi Chief Program Manager, International Programs

  Etsuko has 15 years of experience in project formulation, management and M&E, and working as an expert in the promotion of SRHR, MCH, and HIV prevention, through SBCC in Africa and Asia. She collaborated with the national and decentralized government offices and communities in establishing/ consolidating mechanisms to strengthen primary health care.

  Area of expertise
  SRH, MCH, HIV/AIDS, SBCC

  Country experience
  Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Myanmar, Tanzania, Vietnam

• Emmanuel Obeng M&E Expert

  For a long time he has worked at Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, an affiliate of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), as M&E Expert for the betterment of SRHR. He also worked with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in similar capacity. Mr Obeng moved to IPPF Africa Regional Office and held different positions including M&E Advisor and Policy and Organisational Learning Advisor. He has traveled extensively in Africa and has a lot of experience in qualitative research, strategic planning, project design/management, and organizational development. Currently, he is providing technical support to JOICFP’s programs in the area of M&E and research.

  Area of expertise
  M&E, research

  Country experience

  42 countries in Africa

• Makoto Yaguchi Senior Expert

  Makoto has managed community based MCH and SRH projects and has expertise in 5S-KAIZEN, which contributes to quality improvement of services at health facilities. She also has experience in capacity building of communities hit by disasters and in post-conflict areas.

  Area of expertise
  SRH, Maternal Health, 5S-KAIZEN

  Country experience

  Ghana, Myanmar, Nepal, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia

• Kei Yoshidome Senior Expert

  Kei has been working as an SBCC Expert for international programs run by the UNFPA, World Bank, and JICA since 2008. Her expertise is communication strategy development, BCC material planning, and GO/NGO staff and community members’ growth and training on communication and community engagement.

  Area of expertise
  SBCC, SRH

  Country experience

  Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Sudan