Kazumi Kawashiro – Bandai Visual

Kazumi Kawashiro
President of Bandai Visual
By focusing on popular animation titles, Kawashiro has made Bandai Visual the leader of Japan’s homevideo market.

The “Gundam” robot franchise, which includes dozens of television and film animations created by subcontractor Sunrise Animation, is the company’s signature brand.

According to research firm Media Control GfK, “Mobile Suit Gundam DVD Box 2″ was Japan’s top revenue-producing title through October, with “Box 1″ registering eighth. Read more

Mike Ellis – Motion Picture Assn.

Mike Ellis
Senior VP and regional director, Asia Pacific at Motion Picture Assn.
Since he took over antipiracy operations in the Asia Pacific region for the MPA in 1999, Ellis has participated in so many raids and legal actions that Asian pirate crews are likely considering a mutiny.

Last year, MPA operations assisted law enforcement on 12,400 raids, which netted more than 35 million illegal optical discs and 4,482 optical disc burners.

Ellis has seen tremendous progress in several countries in the Asia Pacific arena.

“In the late ’90s, piracy rates in Hong Kong and Singapore, for example, were well above 20%,” he explains. “Now, the rates in both (areas) are below 10%.” Read more

Naoshi Yoda – T-Joy Entertainment

Naoshi Yoda
Executive director of T-Joy Entertainment
Investment in technology and a commitment to innovation have made exhib T-Joy Entertainment, under executive director Naoshi Yoda, the leader in the march toward digital conversion within the world’s No. 2 film market.

A subsid of studio giant Toei established in 2000, T-Joy operates 40 of Japan’s approximately 100 d-cinema screens in its 14 plexes nationwide. It became the first chain to operate an all-digital plex when it opened its flagship Shinjuku Wald 9 in central Tokyo early last year. Read more