ABOUT
UMITO Partners

OUR TEAM

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  Shunji Murakami

  CEO & Founder

  Shunji graduated from San Francisco State University majoring in business and geography focusing on river restoration and salmon habitat assessment. After returning to Japan, he spent years at Patagonia Japan, as well as US based NGO, Wild Salmon Center as Japan program coordinator, and Ocean Outcomes as Japan Program Director until 2018, working with fishing communities and suppliers on fishery improvement projects. In 2018, Shunji joined Seafood Legacy as Vice President/COO, and as of 2021, Shunji launched UMITO Partners Inc., working hand-in-hand with fisheries and fishing communities in partnership with chefs, business, financial sectors to help them become more sustainable, and help the government design equitable policies in inclusive ways connecting with voice and realities on the ground.

  • Asia Pacific FIP Community of Practice Council Member
  • Fisheryprogress.org Advisory Committee Member
  • Japan Fishery Agency Aquaculture Growth Industrialization Promotion Council Member

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  Satoshi Fukuyama

  Science and Research Analytics

  Ph. D in Biosciences Resources.
  Satoshi was born and raised in Kanagawa near the "Shonan". His major is marine phytoplankton in relation to phisico-chemical properties and planctonic food webstructure. After got Ph. D, he worked at FRA (Nagasaki Joint Government Office) as a postdoctoral researcher, and private environmental assessment firm. He cultivated his experience as a researcher and a human being working in the field. Now at UMITO Partners, from both a scientist's and field perspective, he supports ocean and fishermen using his expertise through the project.

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  Mao Mori

  Science and Research Analytics

  PhD in Antarctic Science.
  Mao was born and raised in Tokyo. After guraduating from Tokyo University of Science with a bachelor degree of civil engineering, she decided to study overseas and completed a Doctor of Philosophy program in Quantitative Antarctic Science with Graduate Diploma of Marine and Antarctic Science at University of Tasmania in Australia. She worked as a posdoc at the ACECRC in the same university at the same time of the completion of PhD program and then, conducted a new research as the JSPS reserch fellow at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology in Japan. She was impressed by the vision of UMITO Partners and its challenging sprits and now, she supports UMITO`s mission using her scientific background.

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  Louie Okamoto

  Fishery Engagement & Business Development

  Born and raised in Los Angeles, Louie obtained his Bachelors of Science degree in Earth Systems, Science & Policy with an emphasis in Marine and Coastal Ecology at California State University, Monterey Bay. While working as a STEM educator and academic and career counselor for first-generation college bound students, he also served as a naturalist and sustainable seafood guide at Monterey Bay Aquarium. Louie moved to Japan in 2016 to join Ocean Outcomes where he supported the development and implementation of Japan's first FIPs and AIPs. At UMITO Partners, Louie is responsible for engaging with fisheries and market stakeholders to advance sustainability efforts of fisheries and its communities.

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  Ai Iwamoto

  Fishery Engagement & Business Development

  Born in Saitama. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from the University of Tsukuba. She has wide career experience including working in the financial industry and IT for seven years and five years for Japanese Olympic Committee in international relations. She shifted her focus to sustainability issues in 2019. After working as a CSR/ESG consultant, she joined the United Nations University where she studied sustainable coastal management and gained Master’s Degree in Sustainability Science. She is currently working with local fishers to regenerate damaged marine ecosystem. She joined UMITO Partners in 2022.

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  Ryoko Furusawa

  Public Relations Department

  Born in Tokyo. She obtained a master's degree in tidal flat ecology at the Kagoshima University Graduate School of Fisheries. At the Japane Fisheries Information Center she was in charge of sardine and mackerel species and was engaged in summarizing fishing sea conditions, provided briefing sessions for fishermen, collected data used for stock assessments and managed databases. She joined UMITO Partners in November 2022 and is is charge of public relations in order to further convey the appeal of marine products and fisheries.

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  Kazumi Fujii

  Organizational Development & Back Office

  Born in Miyagi Prefecture. She graduated from Yokohama National University, Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, Earth and Ecology Course.While working at a food trading company, she participated in a women's empowerment project through dialogue at a postnatal care NPO and gained a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach license in 2017.After working at Seafood Legacy, she was involved in the establishment of UMITO Partners and is in charge of organizational development and back office work .