MIGM Graduates

Career Paths

Graduates

Aspiring to be leaders in their professions, whether as politicians, businesspeople, social entrepreneurs, or otherwise, more than 260 MIGM graduates have taken Konosuke Matsushita’s ideals and the experiences acquired at MIGM out on the front lines of their chosen fields. Here we introduce seven of those graduates.

• 
  Yoshihiko Noda

  Year of 1980 Entrant

  Member of the House of Representatives, Supreme Advisor to the Democratic Party of Japan Served as Minister of Finance, then Japan’s 95th Prime Minister (2011-2012). “My career has been dedicated to the kind of politics that doesn’t burden the next generation, including pursuing comprehensive tax and social security reform and realizing a consumption tax hike.”
• 
  Takayuki Kamikura

  Year of 1981 Entrant

  Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Imagineer Co., Ltd. Member of the Miyagi Prefecture Disaster Management Council. Known for his entrepreneurship in producing the hit simulation game Sim City and his promotion of small-scale hydropower generation together with Dr. Hiroshi Komiyama, former University of Tokyo President.
• 
  Sanae Takaichi

  Year of 1984 Entrant

  Member of the House of Representatives. Has served as Minister of State and Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party Research Council; currently Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. A leading conservative, Takaichi is considered a prime candidate to become Japan’s first female prime minister.
• 
  Seiji Maehara

  Year of 1987 Entrant

  Member of the House of Representatives. Has served in a number of key posts, including DPJ President, Minister of State, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Minister for Foreign Affairs. A major force behind Japan’s tourism drive, including making Haneda Airport an international airport and opening airline markets for low-cost carriers.
• 
  Itsunori Onodera

  Year of 1990 Entrant

  Member of the House of Representatives. Served as a Director of the LDP Foreign Affairs Division and State Minister for Foreign Affairs before his appointment as Minister of Defense. Considered an expert on foreign affairs and national security, as part of the Abe administration Onodera was a prime mover behind security legislation enabling Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense.
• 
  Yoshihiro Murai

  Year of 1992 Entrant

  Served as a member of the Miyagi Prefectural Assembly before becoming Governor of Miyagi Prefecture. A leading figure in the rebuild and recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Ten years into his service as governor, Murai is highly respected for his stable management of the prefectural government.
• 
  Tomoko Shirai

  Year of 1995 Entrant

  Representative Director of Japan Association of New Public, former Representative Director of Toybox (a not-for-profit organization), a social entrepreneur, and a member of the Cabinet Office New Public Commons Roundtable as well as the Subcommittee on the Promotion of Youth Experience Activities (Central Council for Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). Engaged in providing support for children with developmental challenges and dropout, bullying and truancy issues, as well as for their families.