3rd CWC Japan LNG & Gas Summit

Masato Sasaki

Director, Oil & Gas Division

Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI)

Mr. Masato Sasaki has served as Director for Oil and Gas of the Agency for Natural Gas Resources and Energy at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and is in charge of policies for upstream development and procurement of oil and gas for Japan. He has had a long career in energy affairs at METI as Director of Nuclear Facilities Development and Public Relations Division, and as Director of Energy Strategy Office.
He obtained his LLB from the University of Tokyo (1995).

Hitoshi Nishizawa

Executive Officer, Senior Operating Officer, Optimization Dept.

JERA

Toshi Nishizawa is Executive Officer, Senior Operating Officer, Optimization Department, in charge of LNG procurement of JERA. Toshi has been with JERA (and formerly TEPCO) for more than 30 years.  Prior to taking the current role in May 2019 he was Managing Director of JERA Australia and affiliates in Perth, where he managed several LNG upstream companies and investments there.  Throughout his career Toshi worked for various aspects of LNG businesses: numbers of long/short-term/spot procurement negotiations, LNG upstream businesses including the first participation in the history by TEPCO, and related JV/commercial/financial/corporate aspects.  He has an MBA from Cornell University and a BA from University of Tokyo.

Satoshi Tanazawa

Executive Officer & Senior General Manager, Gas Resources Dept

Tokyo Gas

Mr. Tanazawa has been assigned as Executive Officer, Senior General Manager of Gas Resources Department of Tokyo Gas and President of TOKYO LNG TANKER CO., LTD. since April 2019.

He has been working for Tokyo Gas for about 30 years since joining in 1990. He has various experiences mainly engaged in Production Department, Gas Resources Department and Power Business Department. Through his career, he has been involved substantial duties from the fields of a company’s overall strategies, including power business, LNG procurement and to the design and operation of LNG receiving terminals.

Hiroshi Hashimoto

Senior Analyst - Head of Gas Group

The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ)

Hiroshi Hashimoto has been a Senior LNG / Natural Gas Analyst at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) in Tokyo since April 2010, after working on energy and natural gas issues for four years from 2006 at the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Prior to those, Hiroshi worked for Tokyo Gas for 20 years, assuming positions in LNG procurement (strategy, project development, and contracting), business development (infrastructure development), the New York Representative Office (liaison and research), and the Sodegaura LNG receiving terminal (LNG receiving, storing and sending-out operation management).