Takehiko Kusaba

Director, Office of Global Policy, Planning and Cooperation News Department NHK-Japan Broadcasting Corporation

Takehiko Kusaba is the Director of the Office of Global Policy, Planning and Cooperation of the News Department of NHK, Japan’s sole public broadcasting corporation.  He assumed this position in 2001 when it was first created in the News Department to develop and strengthen the network of cooperation in all aspects of television newsgathering and broadcasting with NHK’s overseas partners.

Prior to the current position, Mr. Kusaba was stationed in London as NHK’s correspondent and covered numerous economic and political issues all over the Europe including the introduction of the euro currency and the Kosovo conflict.

Mr. Kusaba joined NHK after graduating from the Law Faculty of Tokyo University in 1987.  After working as a reporter at NHK Kobe Bureau following local police and other news events, he moved to the Current Affairs Division of NHK’s News Department in Tokyo, where he was assigned to cover the Public Prosecutor’s Office and engaged in investigative reporting of corruption and other serious crimes involving Japan’s national politics and major businesses.  Mr. Kusaba's association with international news coverage began in 1996 when he finished a Master’s Program at The Kennedy School of Governmentl, Harvard University.

Mr. Kusaba is a native of Arita, a town with a population of 20,000 in Kyushu, Southern island of Japan, home of the Japanese porcelain wares known as Arita or Imari porcelain, which has been treasured by many Europeans since its introduction to Europe by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century.