In August 2015, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) specialist Takashi Kawabata joined UZABASE, Inc. (Head office: Tokyo, Shibuya Ward; Co-Chief Executive Officers Ryosuke Niino and Yusuke Umeda). Kawabata’s extensive and invaluable experience, expertise, and networks will help to strengthen ASEAN coverage on NewsPicks (a social financial news platform) and SPEEDA (the largest company and industry information platform in Asia).
NewsPicks and SPEEDA to Increase ASEAN Coverage.
ASEAN Specialist Takashi Kawabata Joins UZABASE, Inc.
SPEEDA is currently used by over 500 firms, bolstered by sales and research locations in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore, in addition to its headquarters in Japan. In order to solidify SPEEDA’s reputation as the premier platform for Asia-related business information, the team has been working to expand coverage on unlisted companies, industry reports, and statistical data for Asian and ASEAN countries. Many users have praised SPEEDA’s extensive scope, saying: “If you need information on Asia, SPEEDA is the place to go”.
NewsPicks, now at 650,000 subscribers, is also kick-starting its ASEAN strategy, with an eye toward the end-2015 launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). “Zakkuri ASEAN”, a series by Kawabata outlining everything readers need to know about ASEAN, will start from Tuesday, 18 August. Another series, beginning September, will feature an in-depth look into Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries. NewsPicks also has plans to publish a series of special features with a focus on emerging nations such as India. Finally, “ASEAN and India Financial Forum by SPEEDA” (tentative title), a seminar based on the content covered in the NewsPicks articles, is set to take place in September.
The addition of Kawabata is expected to further enhance company and industry analysis for ASEAN countries as well as the region as a whole, and will no doubt help both the NewsPicks and SPEEDA platforms provide an above-and-beyond experience for users.
Message from Kawabata
“ASEAN relations are my life’s work. I have worked for 16 years as a diplomat and economist specialising in the ASEAN region, and also worked in academia as a researcher at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS). I vow to deliver the highest quality information about ASEAN in Japan using my experience, expertise, and networks. I will also actively deliver information outside of my specialty and related areas on global issues from emerging countries in Greater Asia, including India and China, the Middle East, and Africa. Please look forward to ever-improving ASEAN coverage on NewsPicks and SPEEDA.”
Kawabata’s Profile
NewsPicks Global Strategist / SPEEDA Asia Economist
Born 1976 in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, Kawabata graduated from TUFS in the Southeast Asian department (Malaysia specialisation) in 1999 and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Malay training).
After studying abroad at the National University of Malaysia (UKM), Kawabata followed Malaysian domestic and foreign affairs at the Japanese embassy in Malaysia from 2002–2006. He has also worked in the intelligence sector, gathering and analysing government information related to international terrorism and Asian countries. From November 2010 to July 2015 he worked at SMBC Nikko Securities, where he wrote government financial reports and provided institutional investors, individual investors, and industrial companies information as the senior analyst in charge of ASEAN issues. He joined UZABASE, Inc. in August 2015.
NewsPicks profile:
https://newspicks.com/user/171977/
Related links:
NewsPicks Series “Zakkuri ASEAN” (preview)
https://newspicks.com/news/1112994
SPEEDA site:
http://www.uzabase.com/speeda/
NewsPicks site:
https://newspicks.com/
Contact
UZABASE, Inc. (ATTN: PR)
Telephone: +81-3-4574-6552
Email: mcc-overseas@uzabase.com
