I’m Tomoko Kurabayashi

Broadcaster, Journalist, Writer and Communication Specialist

Establishing a career with experience as a news and sports anchor at several TV and radio stations and as a communication specialist at international organizations

Since launching her media career in 2009, Tomoko has reported a wide range of news and sports for media in Japan and other countries including the shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe for Australian radio. She has conducted interviews with CEOs of multinational companies for Nikkei CNBC Japan. In 2019, she was the official live reporter of a Japanese professional baseball team, reporting on all of its home games in that season.

In addition to media, Tomoko has become involved in international organizations as a communication specialist and partnership specialist. She joined the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development in 2020 and now is working at the Washington D.C.-based Global Partnership for Education as a Communication Consultant.

Career

After graduating from university, Tomoko started her career as an announcer at a local TV station in the Tohoku region of northern Japan and as an anchor for its evening news program. She was also a reporter covering politics, economics and medicine, writing her own scripts. Tomoko worked as a director, producing a seven-minute feature a month. She handled the entire production process, including digging for story ideas, scripting, editing and narrating.

After leaving the local TV station, Tomoko started working independently as a freelance announcer and interpreter/translator.

She has worked mainly in the fields of news and sports in both Japanese and English, including as a business anchor for Nikkei CNBC Japan, news announcer for Radio Nippon, live reporter for Japanese professional baseball broadcasts, radio sports anchor, and reporter for NHK WORLD-JAPAN.

From 2020, Tomoko started working for international organizations, in addition to her journalism activities.

From 2020 to 2022, she was a Media Relations and Outreach Consultant and Partnership Specialist at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), an international financial institution and specialized UN agency.

In 2023, she moved to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). She continues to build her career as a communication specialist. Details are in her LinkedIn page.

Born

Kanagawa, Japan

Nationality

Japanese

Education

University of Essex (BSc in Economics). Specialized in Development Economics and Labor Economics. Studied French too.

Dissertation title “Recent trends in the Japanese labour market with emphasis on gender disparities”.

LanguageS

Japanese
English
French

Volunteering

Tomoko has over 25 years’ experience volunteering in Japan and abroad, including at NGOs and assisting the elderly in their homes and refugees. One assignment took place at Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India. Tomoko also volunteered for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conferences and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Japan.

Hobby

Playing and watching sports, including baseball, soccer, tennis, swimming and golf.
Travelling to World Heritage Sites.

Certifications

E-Learning Module on “Operationalizing the Right to Development in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals”, jointly conducted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the University for Peace, and the United Nations University’s International Institute for Global Health.
Online course “Macroeconomist training program” conducted by International Monetary Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Online webinar series “Sustainable and socially conscious? The reality of 21^st century business” and “The Cost-of-Living Crisis – How is the Global Economy reacting” (2023 ver. and 2024 ver.) conducted by Essex Business School, University of Essex
Three-day training course “Understanding the UN as a Norm-sharper and Standard Setter, as Actor and as Employer” conducted by United Nations University
Five-month programme “International Cooperation” conducted by Japan Committee for UNICEF
Dainippon Shogeiin Japanese calligraphy 2nd dan
The League of Japan Abacus Associations Japanese Abacus 4th level

Experiences

Television

(in English and Japanese including interpretation and translation)

NHK WORLD-JAPAN “NEWSLINE”, ”News Room Tokyo” Reporter, Narrator
Nikkei CNBC Japan “Business Headline”, “Tokyo Market Watch”, “Japan-US Market: Morning Express” Business Anchor
Nikkei CNBC Japan Special Program “Nikkei Global Management Forum” Caster
Nippon Professional Baseball team Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Official Reporter (Reported all of its home games in that season in live)
Nippon Professional Baseball team Saitama Seibu Lions Autumn Training live reporter
Yokohama Marathon live reporter