[Speakers Profile] REvision2026: 15 Years of Global Energy Transition and Future Outlook for Japan | Events

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Amory B. Lovins
Cofounder and Chairman Emeritus, RMI (founded as Rocky Mountain Institute)

For nearly five decades, Amory B. Lovins has been advising firms and governments about the nexus of energy, resources, environment, development, and security in more than 70 countries including the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense. He is widely considered among the world’s leading authorities on energy—especially its efficient use and sustainable supply—and a fertile innovator in integrative design. He has published more than 30 books and 700 papers, and won numerous awards including the Right Livelihood Award (the “Alternative Nobel”) , the Onassis Foundation’s first Delphi Prize (one of the world’s top environmental awards), the Nissan Prize, the Blue Planet Prize, and the Shingo Prize (Nobel –like prize in Manufacturing). In 2009, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Foreign Policy and one of the 100 top global thinkers. He is a former Oxford don, an honorary US architect, and a Swedish engineering academician, and has received twelve honorary doctorates. His 31st book with a large RMI team, Reinventing Fire (2011, also in Japanese), roadmaps how to eliminate U.S. oil, coal, and nuclear power by 2050 and save $5 trillion, led by business for profit.
In 2013–16 he co-led a similarly rigorous and surprising roadmapping of China’s energy transformation for the National Development and Reform Commission, helping to inform the 13th Five Year Plan. He then helped the Government of India launch the transformation to shared, connected, and electric mobility. In 2016, the President of Germany awarded him that nation’s highest civilian honor for helping inspire and guide its energy transition.
Since 2020 he has been teaching half-time at Stanford on energy and integrative design—a way to make the energy efficiency resource severalfold larger, yet cheaper, by optimizing buildings, factories, and vehicles as whole systems.
Francesco La Camera
Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Francesco La Camera took office on 4 April 2019 and brings more than thirty years of experience in the fields of climate, sustainability, and international cooperation.
In his role, he is responsible for leading the delivery of IRENA’s work program and strategy in cooperation with the Agency’s Members. At a critical time for climate change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, he is tasked with redefining the structure and operations of the Agency in response to the urgent needs of its Members.
Under his leadership, the Agency has forged a series of new strategic partnerships with UN organizations including UNDP, UNFCCC and Green Climate Fund among others and Financial Institutions. A key priority of his tenure is to implement a more action-oriented approach to the Agency’s work.
Previously, he served as Director-General of Sustainable Development, Environmental Damage, EU and International Affairs at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land & Sea since 2014. In this capacity, he developed cooperation and partnership agreements with a wide range of countries.
As the national coordinator for climate, environment, resource efficiency and circular economy, he led the Italian delegation to UNFCCC’s COP 21 to 24 and the EU Presidency at COP 20. He was also responsible for the preparation and organization of Italy’s G7 Environment Presidency in 2017.
Rebecca Williams
Deputy CEO, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)

Rebecca Williams is a renewable energy, climate change and energy transition expert, and thought leader. Rebecca works for the Global Wind Energy Council, an international organisation representing the global wind industry to the world's leading political and economic institutions UN & UNFCCC, WEF, IMF, World Bank and more. Her role is to promote and facilitate the rapid acceleration of offshore wind globally, working with and advising governments and other key stakeholders in Asia-Pacific, MENA, Europe and Central Asia and the Americas. She works to create the right market, policy and regulatory frameworks for offshore wind to thrive, and leads all GWEC's offshore wind facing work, including the Global Offshore Wind Alliance. Prior to her role at GWEC, she worked for RenewableUK, and was responsible for achieving landmark policy and regulatory changes in the UK market, as well as contributing to the establishment of the UK's highly successful offshore wind sector. She has also held roles in major international NGOs, and the UK parliament.
Ali Izadi Najafabadi
Head of Asia Pacific, BloombergNEF

Based in Seoul, Ali Izadi manages BloombergNEF's activities across Asia Pacific, focusing on the transition of the region's economies to a cleaner more competitive future. Prior to his current role, Ali managed BloombergNEF’s Intelligent Mobility team as well as Japan and Korea Research team. Prior to joining BloombergNEF in 2010, Ali had worked at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, as well as fuel cell manufacturer, Ballard Power Systems.
Ali has an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, and a Doctorate in Materials Science from Meijo University.
Alison Reeve
Energy and Climate Change Program Director, Grattan Institute, Australia

Alison Reeve is the Energy and Climate Change Program Director at Grattan Institute. She has two decades of experience in climate change, clean energy policy, and technology, in the private, public, academic, and not-for-profit sectors.
Alison was previously the Deputy Program Director and before then the General Manager of Project Delivery at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University. She led development of Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy in 2019, as well as Commonwealth policy for offshore wind, energy innovation, energy efficiency, and structural adjustment.
Alison has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Queensland and a Masters of Public Policy with distinction from the Australian National University.
Patrick Graichen
Consultant / Former German State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)

Patrick Graichen is a long-time expert on energy and climate economics and politics. From 2021 to 2023 he served as State Secretary for Energy and Climate in the German Ministry for Economics and Climate Action. He was in charge of managing Germany’s energy crisis when Russia started the war against Ukraine and led Germany’s efforts to terminate its coal, oil and gas imports from Russia within just 9 months. At the same time, he pushed the renewable energy transition in Germany, the EU, inter alia by speeding up all type of regulatory processes in the field of renewables and grids. He currently is member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian grid company Ukrenergo and advisor to various companies, institutions and foundations.
Before his time as State Secretary, Graichen was for nine years the Executive Director of Agora Energiewende, a leading think tank on energy, industry and climate issues, and partner of the Renewable Energy Institute in Japan. He studied economics and politics at the Universities of Heidelberg and Cambridge (UK) and wrote a dissertation on local energy politics at the University of Heidelberg.
Hugo Lucas Porta
Director for Knowledge, New Business Models and Competitiveness, Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), Spain

Hugo Lucas Porta has over 20 years of experience working in government and multilateral institutions: he was heavily involved in the founding process of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), where, as Director of Knowledge, Policy, and Financing, he led and coordinated its activities related to energy policy.
Most recently, at the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving, he has worked on the design and implementation of key documents such as the 2030 National Energy and Climate Plan, the Green Hydrogen Roadmap, the Marine Technologies Roadmap, and the new design of renewable electricity auctions, among others.
He holds a doctorate in Energy Policy from the University of Lleida. He has a Master's degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He completed postgraduate studies in the energy sector at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
Nathan Hultman
Director, Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland, United States

Nathan Hultman is the Founder and Director of the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland and Professor in the School of Public Policy. Hultman’s work focuses on developing, setting, and achieving ambitious national climate goals, including nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. He was recently Distinguished Senior Advisor for Climate Ambition in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate at the U.S. Department of State, and previously served for two years in the Obama White House including for the Paris climate negotiations. He has participated in 20 COPs over nearly 30 years, starting with COP3 Kyoto. He holds a B.A. in Physics from Carleton College and a Ph.D. in Energy & Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.
Shuichi Abe
Governor of Nagano Prefecture / Chair of the Renewable Energy Council

Born in Tokyo in 1960. Joined the Ministry of Home Affairs (now the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) in 1984. From January 2001 to July 2004, Shuichi Abe served as Director-General of the Planning Bureau of Nagano Prefecture and later as Vice Governor of Nagano. After serving in roles including Deputy Mayor of Yokohama City, he was elected to the current position in September 2010 and is now in his fourth term. Since July 2025, he serves as Chair of the Renewable Energy Council and since September 2025, as Chair of the National Governors’ Association.
Osamu Ikki
CEO, Principal Analyst, RTS Corporation

Since the establishment of RTS Corporation in March 1983, Osamu Ikki has been engaged in various researches and consulting services as the CEO of the consulting company specialized in the PV sector covering from silicon material to PV system. He provides consultation services covering mainly supporting establishment of business strategies from the upstream sector to the downstream sector including governmental agencies, municipalities, electric companies, power generation businesses, construction companies, manufacturers of PV cells, modules and systems, as well as financial institutions. He serves as the member of various committees related to PV power generation such as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Optoelectronics Industry and Technology Development Association (OITDA), etc. In December 2007, he was awarded the “Special Award” at the International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference (PVSEC). He is devoted to making PV a mainstream power source and developing PV into a social system with his motto as “continuity is the father of success”.
Toru Morotomi
Professor, Kyoto University School of Government

Toru Morotomi graduated from Doshisha University with a B.A. in Economics in 1993, and completed the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University in 1998. He has been associate professor at the Faculty of Economics in Yokohama National University, and associate professor and professor at the Graduate School of Economics in Kyoto University before assuming his current position.
His major publications include "Theory and Practice of Environmental Taxes" (Yuhikaku, 2000), "Environment: Frontier of Thinking" (Iwanami Shoten, 2003) among others on tax and economy. He is co-author of "Road to Low Carbon Economy" (Iwanami Shinsho, 2010), "Decarbonizing Society and Policy Mix" (Nippon Hyoron Sha, 2010), "Japanese Electricity Market Liberalization and Renewable Energy" (Nippon Hyoron Sha, editor and author, 2015), "Renewable Energy and Regional Development" (Nippon Hyoron Sha, editor and author, 2015), "An Introductory Guide to to Renewable Energy and the Electric Power System” (Nippon Hyoron Sha, editor and author, 2019), among others.
He has served on numerous government and municipal committees, as ad-hoc member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy," member of the Ministry of the Environment's joint subcommittee of the Central Environment Council's “Experts Committee on Environmental Taxation," member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Environment Council," member of the Ministry of the Environment's "Experts Committee on Policy Design of Domestic Emissions Trading System," member of the Asahi Shimbun's "Book Review Committee," an ad-hoc member of the Ministry of the Environment's "Central Environment Council," and an affiliate member of the 25th Science Council of Japan.
Hiroshi Takahashi
Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Hosei University

Hiroshi Takahashi specializes in public policy and energy policy. He obtained a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, MA, USA and a doctoral degree from the University of Tokyo, and currently serves as Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Hosei University. His former career includes Deputy Director at IT Policy Office of Cabinet Secretariat, Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, and Research Fellow at Fujitsu Research Institute, and Professor at Tsuru University. He has actively participated in the policy formation of Japan’s electricity system reform and renewable energy policy as a member of the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy, a special advisor to the Cabinet Office and a member of Regulatory Reform for renewable energy deployment. He is the author of "International Political Economy of Energy Transition" (2021, Nihon Hyoron Sha), "Energy Policy Studies" (2017, Iwanami Shoten) and "Market Liberalization of Electric Utilities" (2011, Nihon Keizai Shimbun Shuppansha), among others.
Hirokazu Kobayashi
Director-General, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Department, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Hirokazu Kobayashi joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry after graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo in 1996. Since then, he has worked in various policy areas, including energy, trade, environmental, and automotive policy.
In 2023, he served as Director of the Personnel Division in the Minister's Secretariat, overseeing human resources and organizational development within the ministry.
Since 2025, in his current position, he has been responsible for policies related to renewable energy, hydrogen and ammonia, energy efficiency, and energy systems.
Hiroko Kuniya
Journalist

From 1989 to 1993, Hiroko Kuniya was assigned as an anchor of “World News” on NHK BS. She hosted “Close-up Gendai”, a daily current affairs program on NHK-TV from 1993 to 2016. She is a Trustee of Tokyo University of the Arts, a Specially Appointed Professor of Keio University Graduate School, FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Japan and works as a journalist covering topics related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Awarded Broadcast Woman Prize in 1998, Kan KIKUCHI Award in 2002, Japan National Press Club Prize in 2011 and Galaxy Special Prize in 2016. She graduated from Brown University, US.
Mana Nakazora
Executive Fellow，Japan Post Insurance

Mana Nakazora graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Keio University. She began her career at Nomura Research Institute before being seconded to the Postal Research Institute of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. Since 1997, she served as a credit analyst specializing in the financial sector and sovereigns at Nomura Asset Management. She went on to hold key positions such as Head of Credit Research, Chief Credit Analyst, and Chief ESG Analyst at Morgan Stanley Securities (2000), J.P. Morgan Securities (2004), and BNP Paribas Securities (2008), serving in the current position since March 2026. She holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Hitotsubashi University Graduate School.
Nakazora has also served as a member of important government advisory bodies, including the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, the Fiscal System Council’s Fiscal Subcommittee Drafting Committee, and the Tax Commission.
She is the author of numerous publications, including The Eurozone-linked Recession (PHP Institute), Quick Guide to the Subprime Recession (Asahi Shimbun Publishing), and Trends in Global Financial Regulation (Kinzai).
Masato Yamada
SVP Japan, JERA Nex bp

Masato Yamada has been appointed as SVP Japan at JERA Nex bp since August 2025. Before the company’s launch, He was Managing Executive Officer, Domestic Offshore Wind Power, at JERA, joining in April 2025. Previously, he was CEO of MHI Vestas Japan Co., Ltd. He joined MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (MVOW) in Denmark as Chief Strategy Officer in 2014 as one of the founding members. In April 2020, he returned to Japan to serve as Vice President, Regional Manager of Asia Pacific. He started his career at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. in 1987.
Since June 2020, he has served as Senior Vice President of the Japan Wind Power Association (JWPA).
Hideki Takada
Director (Finance and Sustainability), GX Acceleration Agency

Hideki Takada serves as the Director at the GX (Green Transformation) Acceleration Agency which was launched by the Japanese Government in July 2024 to accelerate GX investments. He joined the Ministry of Finance in 1995 and worked on various policy areas including public finance, tax and financial services. His secondment experiences include: study in the UK (1997-99); HM Treasury (the UK finance ministry, 2003-06); National Policy Unit (2009-11); OECD, Paris, where he was engaged in green finance (2015-18); and the Director for Strategy Development at the Financial Services Agency (2022-24). From 2018, in his private capacity, Takadahe runs the Green Finance Network Japan, an informal network of key players on green finance in Japan. TakadaHe received a Bachelor degree in Law (University of Tokyo), a Master degree in Law (Cambridge University) and an MBA (Imperial College London).
Takeo Sugii
Director, Climate Change Policy Division, Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan

Joined the Environment Agency (now Ministry of the Environment) in 2000. He has been involved in waste regulation, container and packaging recycling, environmental taxation, animal welfare, and regional decarbonization. After serving as the head of the public relations office and the head of the decarbonization business promotion office, he assumed his current position in July 2025. He is currently in charge of overall domestic measures to realize a decarbonized society and decarbonization of the public sector based on the National Government Action Plan.
Tomas Kåberger
Chair of Executive Board, Renewable Energy Institute

Tomas Kåberger has been the Chair of Executive Board of Renewable Energy Institute since its foundation in 2011. Academically, he got an MSc in Engineering Physics, a PhD in Physical Resource Theory, and Docent in Environmental Science at Chalmers. He has been professor in International Sustainable Energy Systems at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University, and he is currently affiliate Professor of Industrial Energy Policy at Chalmers University of Technology.
Industrially, he has had leading roles in companies providing fuels and technology in the bio-energy industry, another company developing sustainable energy solutions for the automotive industry, and a company operating wind power plants. Currently he serves on the board of Persson Invest, a company building wind and solar plants and a retailer of cars, trucks and busses; increasingly electric. He is also the Chairman of the Swedish Delegation for a Circular Economy.
He has served as Director General of the National Swedish Energy Agency, Board of Director of the power company Vattenfall, and as member of the Swedish Climate Policy Council.
Other key positions he has held include board of the Swedish and European environmental citizens organizations, government committees and commissions on energy and environmental policy in Sweden, as well as member task forces under China International Council for Cooperation on Environment and Development.
He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Swedish Society of Energy Economists.
Takejiro Sueyoshi
Vice-Chair of Executive Board, Renewable Energy Institute

After graduating from University of Tokyo, Takejiro Sueyoshi joined the Mitsubishi Bank (MUFG Bank, Ltd.) in 1967 and worked for the bank until 1998. During his years with Nikko Asset Management as Deputy President, he was appointed as a member of the UNEP FI Steering Committee.　In addition to the involvement in the UNEP FI activities in the Asia Pacific Region, he is giving many educational speeches about environmental problems and CSR/SRI in various government councils, seminars, universities and TV programs. Former member of the Council for Japan’s Prime Minister on Climate Change Policy, a Trustee member of Carbon Disclosure Project and Chairperson of WWF Japan since September 2018.
His publications include “Ondanka Kogi　(A lecture on Global Warming)” (Toyo Keizai), “Yugai Rensa (Chain of Harmfulness)” (Gentousha), “Green New Deal” (Editor,Kankyou Shinbun), “Saishin CSR Jijyo( The Newest Book on CSR)”(Hokuseido).
Mika Ohbayashi
Director, Renewable Energy Institute

Mika Ohbayashi is Director at Renewable Energy Institute since its foundation in August 2011. Before joining the Institute, from 2010 to 2011, she worked in Abu Dhabi for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as Policy and Project Regional Manager for Asia Oceania. Prior to that, she worked at the British Embassy to Japan as Climate Change Project Advisor from 2008 to 2009, and served as Director at the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies from 2000 to 2008. She started her career in the energy field by joining the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center in 1992. In 2017, she was awarded the ISES Global Leadership Award in Advancing Solar Energy Policy - in honour of Hermann Scheer by the International Solar Energy Society.
Kaae Takase
Senior Manager, Climate Change, Renewable Energy Institute

Kae Takase joined Renewable Energy Institute in 2023. Previously she was Associate Director at CDP Worldwide-Japan, where she was responsible for helping Japanese companies and investors to set science-based targets (SBT), procure renewable electricity (RE100), and disclose TCFD-aligned sustainability information. She worked as a modelling analyst at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, and Center for Low Carbon Society Strategy under the Japan Science and Technology Agency, built and ran Integrated Assessment Model for Climate Change, Computable General Equilibrium Model, Econometric Model, Energy System Model, bottom-up model for the energy system. She also initiated and conducted pilot projects for 'Pay as You Save' scheme for solar power and other energy efficiency improvement measures in several municipalities. She graduated from Keio University (B.A., M.A.) and the University of Tokyo (PhD). She has also spent a year in Yongin University in South Korea to devote herself to taekwondo and take a break from research.

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Speakers Profile REvision202615 Years of Global Energy Transition and Future Outlook for Japan

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