Our Mentors

Mentors are experienced professionals from many different fields. They work alongside the players and tutors, participating in the projects as advisers.

(In Alphabetical Order)

  • Kazuhiro Abe

    Kazuhiro Abe is a Smalltalk programmer who has participated in many enterprise projects in Japan. He met Alan Kay in 2001 and started his career as an educator. He organised Japanese Squeak communities Squeak-ja and Squeakland.jp, with his friends. He has conducted hundreds of Etoys workshops in cooperation with VPRI and other NPOs. He created a small sensor device named the "World-Stethoscope" for science exploration. Abe-san teaches at the Cyber University and some real universities in Japan.

  • Daisuke Akatsuka

    Researcher, Mozilla Japan

    After attending the Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology, sought, yet gave up becoming a Formula 1 racer. Through experiences in a soba noodle restaurant and a welding enterprise, Akatsuka settled as a programmer. Promoted as Super Creator of 2003 MITOH(Youth) of Information-technology Promotion Agency, and from MITOH Software Development Enterprise at Information-technology Promotion Agency in 2006. Achieved masters degree at the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University in 2011. Currently researching new ways to interact with the Web as a researcher at Mozilla Japan. Awarded 2008 Good Design Frontier Award from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, and the 2011 Hideo Aiso Award from the Graduate School of Media and Governance of Keio University.

  • Tomoya Asai

    Technical Marketing Department, Mozilla Japan

    Participated translating Mozilla and Web technology texts as a volunteer in 2001, and has been dedicated to releasing Japanese versions of Mozilla products since the Firefox 1.0 release in 2004. Started participating in Mozilla Japan in the technical marketing department in 2008. Currently devoted to promote Mozilla's technologies and the Web's standard technologies in Japan. Co-author of Firefox Hacks Rebooted(O'Reilly Japan).

  • Brian Birtles

    After graduating Software Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney, Brian began work in graphics software development in 2005.Following that, and after spending time in volunteer work in Asia andstudying at theological school, Brian moved to Japan in 2010.Having worked in Web development in both Sydney and Oska and having experienced both the potential and limitations of the Web platform, in 2004 Brian began contributing to the development of Firefox. Since joining Mozilla Japan in 2011 he has been involved in developing Firefox's SVG support as well as participating as an active member on the W3C SVG Working Group.

  • CHORDxxCODE

    CHORDxxCODE is an engineering salon featuring seven women Ph.D. researchers. By analyzing daily life with feminine sensitivity (CHORD) and logical reasoning (CODE),they seek to develop new methods and devices that bring about happiness.

  • Noriaki Fukuyasu

    Director of Linux Foundation Japan Operations

    Noriaki Fukuyasu is the Director of Japan Operations for The Linux Foundation. Prior to joining The Linux Foundation, he lead the international business for a Japanese leading linux distributor, Turbolinux, Inc, as Director of International Business. He also served as the CEO of Zend Japan. He has a MA degree in International Relations from Nagoya University, and a BS from Lambuth University.

  • Chiaki Hayashi

    Co-Founder of the new-style creative agency Loftwork Inc.

    NPO Creative Commons Project Coodinator

    Chiaki Hayashi is the Co-Founder of the new-style creative agency Loftwork Inc. With 16,000 creators registered, Loftwork is a leading creative community in Japan, and offers highly reliable creative services such as Web development, content creation,advertising and promotion strategies. As a foundation for mass collaboration with creators, she promptly introduced the project management method to Japan's creative industry. She is a certified PMP by the PMI (Project Management Institute) in the US. She also holds the position of Project Coordinator in Culture and GALM at Creative Commons and Japan Liaison to the Director at MIT Media Lab.

    She was born in 1971, and grew up in the United Arab Emirates. She graduated from the Faculty of Commerce at Waseda University and received a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. In 1994, she entered Kao Corporation. Belonging to the marketing department, she was in charge of cosmetic products. After leaving the company in 1997, she went to the US and studied at Boston University. After graduating from Boston University's Graduate School, she worked for Kyodo News in their New York branch, and as a business correspondent she built up a network in American IT companies and among entrepreneurs. After returning to Japan in 2000, she founded Loftwork Inc.

  • Nanako Ishido

    Chair, NPO: CANVAS

    Digital ehon CEO

    After graduating School of Engineering at The University of Tokyo, and engaging as a visiting scholar at MIT Media Lab, Ishido found the Non-profit Organization: CANVAS, which fosters children's creativity and expression. Through collaboration with industrial, academic, and political organizations, Ishido dedicates to provide an environment that nurtures creative activities among children. Ishido has held 1750 workshops, and had approximately 200,000 children participate so far. As the head of the executive committee for 2 days at the children's trade show: “Workshop Collection,” Ishido organized 74,000 participants. After, Ishido found Digital Ehon Inc., where she is currently developing children's tools that encourage creativity. In addition, she is a writer of Digital Ehon and a Solamama.

  • Hiroki Ito

    Free-lance Illustrator

    Born 1989. Graduated the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University. Avidly illustrates a variety of subjects, from fantasy and myths to science and even philosophy, in order to encourage people's curiosity towards subjects around them. Illustrated a variety of illustrations in Mozilla Projects, such as those in Mozilla Factory, Mecha-Mozilla, Parapara Animation, etc.

  • Viking KARWUR

    Mozilla Indonesia Community Manager, Mozilla WebFWD Scout, Mozilla Reps Council Member, Co-Founder WebPM - Indonesia's Web Project Managers Network, Freelance Web Designer, Sunday School Teacher, Husband & Leif's Father.

  • Makoto Kato

    Technical Adviser, Mozilla Japan

    Joined the Mozilla Project since Netscape became an open source project, becoming one of the first engineer to commit to the project in Japan. After engaging in product development in a variety of software vendors, Kato joined the Mozilla Japan Corporation as a technical adviser in 2009. While devoted to developing Mozilla products, marketing in Japan, Kato also organizes seminars and study sessions and gives lectures to spread the technologies of Mozilla in Japan.

  • Wataru Kato

    Chair, CNS Inc.

    Born in Tokyo, 1971. Graduated Hosei University, employed in a promotion/advertisement agency, and in 2003, Kato founded CNS Inc. Kato engages in a variety of creative designing, such as promotion of IT, communications, entertainment, apparel, etc., mainly through producing events.

  • Tomohisa Kawai

    FabCafe LLP COO

    While providing a human-resources consulting service in the creative department at a foreign funded enterprise, Kawai built experience as a product and brand development coordinator for manufacturers. Joined Loftwork Inc. in 2006, where he led development projects for large-scale websites and contents as a creative division leader. Later in 2009, Kawai managed promotion planning in the Asian-pacific as a digital strategic planner in an advertising agency in Singapore for 3 years. He returned to Japan in March 2012, and is currently participating in facilitating the cafe that supports creating with digital machinery: “FabCafe.”

  • Tetsuya Kosaka

    Marketing Manager, Mozilla Japan

    After engaging in the marketing department of a foreign funded enterprise in IT industry for over 10 years, Kosaka joined the Mozilla Japan as a marketing manager in 2011. While collaborating with the Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation to spread Mozilla product such as Firefox and Thunderbird in Japan, Kosaka also engages with Japanese corporations and organizes Mozilla manifesto-based workshops for children. Currently researches in a graduate school concerning the theme"Influence of Open Talent & Process on Innovation".

  • Leo Miyashita

    Organized his first image processing and digital arts exhibition in 2009, and has been avidly creating both physical and non-physical creations as a programmer and artist. Awarded the Android Application Award 2010 Spring Excellence Award, and the IVRC2011 Gifu VR Grand Award. Currently a Master course student at the Department of Information Physics and Comupting in the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo.

  • Jun Murai, Ph.D.

    Dean of Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University

    Prof. Murai graduated Keio University in 1979, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Technology. He received his M.S. in Computer Science from Keio University in 1981, and received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Keio University in 1987. He has specialized in computer science, computer network and computer communication.

    He has been the Dean of Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University since 2009. In addition, he was the former director of the WIDE project from 1988-2010., as well as the Vice-President of Keio University from 2005 to 2009. He was an Executive Director of the Keio Research Institute at SFC in Keio University from 1999 to 2005.

    He is appointed as one of the advisory members of IT Strategy Headquarters (established within the Cabinet of Japan from 2000 to 2009 and 2012) and the Information Security Policy Council (established within the Cabinet of Japan since 2005), and has also been a member of the Science Council of Japan since 2005.

    Furthermore, he is a visiting professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing since September 2007and is also a IPSJ Fellow.From 1993-1995, he was a member of Internet Architecture Board (IAB), and from 1997-2000, was a board of trustee of Internet Society (ISOC).Lastly, from1998-2000, Prof. Murai was the Board Director of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

  • Kohei Nishimura

    Since his youths, Nishimura engaged in contemporary origami, and has been avidly creating origami works. Dissatisfied by society's lack of recognition towards contemporary origami, he found the origami club: Orist after entering The University of Tokyo in 2008. Nishimura dedicated to spread origami. Under the name of Orist, he published Toilet Paper Origami and Communication with Origami.(both published with Kodansha Ltd.) Currently a member of Square Origami Creators. Master course student at the Graduate school of Interdisciplinary Information Studies of The University of Tokyo.

  • Keiko Okawa

    Professor at Keio University Graduate School of Media Design

    Chair, School on Internet Research Institute

    After 12 years of computer industry experience, she started her research in "the Internet and the higher education" at United Nations University, Institute of Advanced Studies in 1996, continued her research at KEIO University from 1997. She has been leading the "School of Internet (SOI)" research group in WIDE project since 1997 where she conducts research and experiment of distance education technology. She has been serving as a director of the "SOI Asia project" since 2001 which is focusing on the new form of educational collaboration among universities in Asia. She is organizing educational programs shared by 27 partners (universities and research institutes) in 13 countries in Asia. She had been a research faculty member at Keio University, Graduate School of Media and Governance for 6 years from 2002 and currently teaching at Keio University, Graduate school of Media Design (KMD) since 2008 April. She’s currently leading the Global Education Project at KMD focusing on the research in globalization of the education and global citizenship education, utilizing ICT.

    She received Ph.D. in Media and Governance from Keio University in 2001 and a master degree in engineering from Keio University in 1985.

  • Mark Surman

    Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation

    A community activist and technology executive of 20+ years, Mark currently serves as Executive Director ofMozilla, makers of Firefox and one of the largest social enterprises in the world. At Mozilla, he is focused on using the open technology and ethos of the web to transform fields such as education, journalism and filmmaking. Prior to Mozilla, Mark served as the Director of Telecentre.org, a $26M initiative to connect community technology centres around the world supported by Microsoft, Canada's International Development Research Centre, and the Swiss Development Cooperation. Earlier in his career, Mark worked as a consultant and social entreprenuer working on technology projects for organizations as diverse as Government of Canada, 211 Toronto, the Association for Progressive Communications and the Canadian Labour Congress. In the early 1990s, he started the web development arm of Canada's first nationwide non-profit internet provider. Mark has raised more than $30M for projects he has led, authored two books, presented at 100+ conferences, written dozens of papers, and traveled to more than 40 countries. Mark holds a BA in the History of Community Media from the University of Toronto. He was also awarded a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship in 2008 to to explore the application of open source thinking to the field of philanthropy.

  • Eisuke Tachikawa ／ NOSIGNER

    He carries out design work as the founder of NOSIGNER, in the sense of “vocation that makes invisible objects”.He work with social innovation design projects for sustainability, education, isolated locality, disaster restoration and break stereotypes by creating fresh design experience beyond the boundary of design within products, graphics, art, commnication, space and architecture.He presides over OLIVE project, which is wikipedia style website to share open designs, ideas, and know-how as quickly as possible with the disaster victims.Since he started as an independent designer in 2006, he received remarkable awards include the D&AD Prise, The design for Asia award Grand Award and Special Award, NYADC Young Guns 7, Pentawards Platinum(the world best food package design award), iF Design Award, and Good Design Award.。

  • Yuka Takagi

    Facilitator of Learning Labo, Mozilla Japan

    After building experience in the legal department of a foreign-funded enterprise, Takagi jumped into the world of open source in 2010, and directly experienced the significance of open source and the open source community. Based on her experience as a university student when she engaged in establishing an elementary school in the rural areas of Vietnam, Takagi aspires to spread the significance of open creativity not only in Japan, but also to Asia, and to a global stage, as the educational administer of Mozilla Japan.

  • Shohei Takei

    Technical Director and the Founder of design firm Nomena Inc.

    Contract teacher of The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Information Science and Technology

    He was born in 1984. He majored in electoric engineering at the Gifu National College of Technology and cognitive psychology at Nagoya University. From 2006 to 2010, he worked at Tanseisha Co. Ltd. which design and construct commercial space and was in charge of project management. After leaving the company, he studied at The University of Tokyo's Graduate School. In 2012, he received a Masters in Interdisciplinary Informatics and founded Nomena Inc. He has involved in creative activities and received several awards such as the 'Koizumi International Lighting Design Competition Gold Award and Best Design Award Internet Voting' (2011), the 'Japan Sign Design Association Incentive Award' (2011) and the 'President Award of The University of Tokyo' (2012).

  • Satoko Takita Yamaguchi

    Chair, Mozilla Japan

    Employed at former NEC-Toshiba Information Systems as a software engineer in 1986. After, she engaged in the UNIX and Internet industry at companies such as Fuji Xerox Information Systems Co. and Toshiba Co. Employed by the Japanese Corporation of Netscape in 1996. Immediately after, she went to USA and dedicated to the globalization of products and their Japanese translation. In 2001, after the disbanding of the Japanese Corporation, she continued as a project manager at the head office in USA, and organized the financial support and the promotion in Japan. In 2004, Takita found the non-profit corporation: Mozilla Japan, which is dedicated to promote and educate the marketing and open source philosophy of Mozilla products such as Firefox. Selected chairperson of Mozilla Japan in 2006. Part-time lecturer at the graduate school of Keio University since 2007. Awarded the 2009 Nikkei BP “Woman of the Year: Leader Category,” and “2009 Japanese OSS Contributor” of Information-Technology Promotion Agency, Japan.

  • Hiroya Tanaka

    Associate Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, A founder of FabLab Japan and FabLab Kamakura.

    Born in 1975 and raised in Sapporo, Hokkaido. His specialties are in the fields of design science and design engineering. In 2011, he established the first East Asian FabLab in Kamakura. FabLab, short for Fabrication Laboratory, is a workshop for digital fabrication that is free and open to the public, of which concept was created by the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and developed for the community, based on "Learn by doing" education, providing the ideal environment for invention. BA in Integrated Human Studies at Kyoto University (1998), MA in Human Environmental Studies, Kyoto University (2000), Ph.D in Engineering at University of Tokyo (2003). Visiting Researcher at MIT (2010).

  • Michelle Thorne

    Michelle Thorne is Mozilla's Global Event Strategist, aiming to grow webmaking communities through live events. She helps host small informal events, to larger hack jams and pop ups, to the annual Mozilla Festival. She was previously the International Project Manager at Creative Commons coordinating over seventy countries (jurisdictions) worldwide to localize Creative Commons tools and to promote legal sharing and Free Culture.

  • Shimpei Toyofuku

    Executive Research Fellow and Associate Professor at International University of Japan Global Communication Center

    Specializes in the field of educational psychology, educational engineering, and educational business management. Most recent research theme is multimedia and computer-aided education.

  • Kohei Yoshino

    Participated in the Mozilla Community as a volunteer for the translation project in 2002, translated fundamental contents of Mozilla into Japanese and constructed the Japanese community website. One of the founding members of Mozilla Japan in 2004, dedicated in the dawning as well as the spreading of Firefox and Thunderbird, alongside chairperson: Satoko Takita. Currently a multi-player of Mozilla Japan, engaging in the marketing department, management websites, technological support with partner organizations, etc.