About
Strategy and Planning Section
The Strategy and Planning Section enhances the promotion of the real-world implementation of university-owned intellectual property that the Office for Open Innovation is responsible for, and it supports the strengthening of activities within each division. Additionally, it is responsible for formulating and implementing inter-division collaboration strategies and the overall strategy of the Office for Open Innovation.
Member
Yuji Fukuyama
Project Senior Assistant Professor
Yuji Fukuyama
Project Senior Assistant Professor
Yuji Fukuyama joined the Strategy and Planning Section in November 2023 to contribute to society through collaboration between academia and business and the creation of a startup ecosystem.
Fukuyama began his career working at a major distribution company, before moving to HR at Recruit. Gaining experience working as a corporate agent in the agent business, he then transferred to the RPO side of the company, which was a new in-house business at the time. After primarily being in charge of project management for solutions for large-scale clients, he served as the organizational head, where he was responsible for projects, member management, and structuring and proposing new projects.
Fukuyama has a B.A. in Economics from Keio University.
Naoyuki Watanabe
Project Senior Assistant Professor
Naoyuki Watanabe
Project Senior Assistant Professor
Watanabe joined the Strategy and Planning Section of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in July 2024 to contribute to the use of impact measurement and management (IMM) for the social implementation of research seeds. With 12 years of experience at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he specialized in strategic communication and UN policy. He also supported digital transformation in developing countries at a consulting firm. Working with technology startups, he has been actively involved in solving social problems and practicing IMM methods. His professional journey includes assignments in France, Benin, and Canada, including project implementation in Bhutan, India, Mauritius, Vietnam and Morocco. Watanabe holds an MA in International Relations History from the University of Strasbourg in France.
Nao Taishi
Project Senior Assistant Professor
Nao Taishi
Project Senior Assistant Professor
Nao Taishi joined the Strategy and Planning Section in February 2025 with the goal of delivering new value from universities to society. She began her career at an education company before moving to a consulting firm specializing in small and medium-sized enterprises. She then joined FCE Inc., where she gained extensive experience in the education, corporate training, and publishing industries, focusing on marketing, PR, and new business development. At FCE, she played a key role in planning and promoting an online program for innovation talent development which sparked her interest in startup creation. In publishing, she was responsible for promotional activities for The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in Japan, while also serving as an editor for related publications. Additionally, she led the launch of new businesses related to community building and certification programs. To systematically explore the process of creating new value, she pursued research in design thinking at the Kyoto University of the Arts Graduate School, earning an MFA. She holds a B.A. from the Faculty of Letters, Keio University.