Speakers
Hajime Amano
Representative Director, Mobility Innovation Alliance Japan, Japan
Mr. Amano joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 1982 and started his career as a factory automation engineer, developing industrial robots and manufacturing operation management systems. Then he expanded his areas covering transportation. He was involved in a variety of projects on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) both in Japan and overseas. He assumed the position of President and CEO of ITS Japan in 2009. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of ITS World Congress and the Secretary-General of ITS Asia-Pacific since 2009. He was a Visiting Professor at the Advanced Mobility Research Center of the University of Tokyo from 2014. After retirement from those positions in 2022, he assumed the Representative Director of Mobility Innovation Alliance Japan, to facilitate collaboration across the academic disciplines, industrial sectors and jurisdiction.
Norihiro Izumi
Dean, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Japan
Prof. Norihiro Izumi received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1993. He began his academic career at Tokyo Institute of Technology and subsequently served as Associate Professor at Tohoku University and the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. In 2006, he joined Hokkaido University as Professor of Civil Engineering and currently serves as Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering. His research focuses on river hydraulics, sediment transport, river morphology, and flood disaster mitigation. He currently serves as Vice President of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE). He previously served as Chair of the Hydraulics Committee and the Applied Mechanics Committee of JSCE.
Makoto Nakagawa
Counsellor at the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy in the Cabinet Office, Japan
Makoto Nakagawa began his career at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in 2009. Over the years, he has held key positions in international cooperation, technology policy, and maritime safety, including roles as International Cooperation Officer, Assistant Director in both the Technology and Crisis Management Divisions, and Technical Development Officer at the Japan Coast Guard. In July 2025, he was appointed Counsellor at the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy in the Cabinet Office. In this capacity, he leads strategic initiatives such as “The Construction of a Smart Mobility Platform,” contributing to innovation in mobility, infrastructure, and public sector technology.