A founding member and a former partner of the firm’s Tokyo office, Yoichiro Sato has played a key role in building the Brunswick Japan team. Yoichiro has extensive experience in geopolitical risk assessment, strategic communications, public affairs, financial communications, and multi-stakeholder engagement and provides strategic advice to Japanese and non-Japanese multinational clients.

Yoichiro has advised Japanese clients including Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Banking, Kirin Holdings, Otsuka Holdings, and Seven and i Holdings in addition to non-Japanese firms and organizations including Ares Management and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Prior to joining Brunswick in 2018, Yoichiro worked at Goldman Sachs, where he advised on geopolitical and regulatory developments as vice president of the Office of Government Affairs and the Executive Office. Yoichiro started his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, where he had several key roles including: driving political affairs during a two-year posting in Islamabad, Pakistan; leading the negotiations for the economic partnership agreement between Japan and the EU; promoting public-private partnerships supporting Japanese corporates in overseas markets; and working on negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). From 2013-2015, Yoichiro served Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan as his special assistant on foreign affairs issues.

Yoichiro has a MA in international affairs from the School of International Affairs, Columbia University, a BA in law from Waseda University and a BA in political science from the University of Tokyo.