About us

Our team

JLGC is staffed by officers from local governments and central government.
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Our office develops officials who can take back practical insights, comparative knowledge, and international networks that improve how Japanese local governments design and deliver policy and infrastructure at home.

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Staff gain international, comparative policy experience by working directly within a UK context while retaining a strong link to Japanese local government practice, which enhances their professional expertise, networks, and future leadership capacity.

Office Staff

JLGC London is staffed by a combination of Japanese local government officials seconded from prefectures or related national-local government bodies, alongside UK-based locally recruited staff with expertise in the public sector, research, and programme delivery. This structure reflects its core purpose as an overseas office of CLAIR: to combine first-hand Japanese municipal experience with on-the-ground understanding of UK and European local government systems, enabling effective comparative policy analysis, international exchange, and support for Japanese local authorities engaging overseas.

MATSUTANI Akira Director General
Seconded from Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
MATSUI Shinichiro Deputy Director General
Seconded from Aichi Prefectural Government
ANDO Shingo Assistant Director
Seconded from Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
HASHIMOTO Ayaka Assistant Director
Seconded from Tokyo Metropolitan Government
AWATA Yuki Assistant Director
Seconded from Oita Prefectural Government
OYABU Masaki Assistant Director
Seconded from Wakayama Prefectural Government
KOIKE Shuma Assistant Director
Seconded from Kamakura City Government
SUZUKI Mika Assistant Director
Seconded from Ichikawa City Government
WATANABE Kosuke Assistant Director
Seconded from Fukushima Prefectural Government
KATAYAMA Yumiko Assistant Director
Seconded from Tokushima Prefectural Government
Andrew Stevens Head of Research and Policy
Keith Kelly Head of Public Affairs and Communications
Harry Broughton Programme Coordinator