Airbus Strengthens Presence in Japan

Airbus is expanding its presence in Japan with the appointment at the head of its Tokyo-based subsidiary of three senior executives, including a new President and CEO.

The appointments include that of Glen S. Fukushima as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Japan K.K., as well as that of Norio Yamanouchi as Senior Advisor and Hiroshi Jojima as Vice President of Airline Marketing.

Mr Fukushima, together with Mr. Yamanouchi and Mr. Jojima, have overall responsibility for Airbus activities in Japan, including marketing and commercial strategy with the airlines, further enhancing industrial cooperation with Japanese aircraft manufacturers, building closer government relations, and overseeing customer relations activities.

“These appointments clearly reflect the importance Airbus is giving to Japan, not only as a very significant market, but also from an industrial point of view,” said Airbus President and CEO Noël Forgeard on the occasion of the announcement. “There is a huge potential in Japan, and we believe that an expanded cooperation between Japan and Europe can only be beneficial to both. These appointments should greatly contribute to achieving this goal."

Mr Fukushima, 55, was the former Co-President and Representative Director of NCR Japan Ltd. He began his career in a prominent Los Angeles law firm in 1982. From 1985 to 1990, he was based in Washington, D.C. as Director for Japanese Affairs (1985-1988) and Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative for Japan and China (1988-1990) at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Executive Office of the President.

After government service, he joined AT&T Corp. in 1990 and served as Vice President of AT&T Japan Ltd. until 1998. He was also President and Representative Director of the Japan operations of Arthur D. Little, Inc. from 1998 to 2000, and President and Chairman of the Japan operations of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. from 2000 to July 2004 before joining NCR Corp. in August 2004.

A native of California where he was born in 1949, Mr Fukushima was educated at Stanford University, Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School. He has studied and worked in Japan for over 20 years, including at Keio University, a daily newspaper, an international law firm, and as a Fulbright Fellow and a Japan Foundation Fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo.

Mr Fukushima served two terms as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) in 1998 and 1999, and Vice President from 1993 to 1997. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, the Japan Forum on International Relations, and other organizations and corporations. In his free time he likes to travel, play tennis, attend concerts, and visit museums.

Norio Yamanouchi, 65, has worked for the Japanese aviation industry for over 40 years. He received his aeronautical engineering degree from the University of Tokyo in 1963 before joining Nihon Aeroplane Manufacturing Co. (NAMCO) as a design engineer for the YS-11 and the C-1 military cargo airplane development programme. After managing the marketing organisation of the Japan Aircraft Development Corporation (JADC) from 1973 to 1978, he was based in Seattle and took various positions including Senior Vice President and General Manager of the U.S. Division of Civil Aviation Engineering Service Co. Ltd. (CAESCO) until 2002.

Hiroshi Jojima, 46, graduated from the Aeronautics Dept. of the University of Kyushu in 1982 before joining Aerospace Company of Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). In 1985 he also came to the Seattle-based CAESCO and was involved in marketing and research activities for civil aircraft until 2004. Mr Jojima has long business expertise in the aviation industry. He has been appointed to lead Airbus’ marketing efforts with Japanese airlines.

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