Yotetsu HAYASHI
Executive Vice President for Research
Yotetsu Hayashi has been executive vice president for research at Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) since July 2026.
Before joining Science Tokyo, Hayashi worked as director-general of the Chugoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, an arm of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, from 2025 to 2026. Stationed in Hiroshima, he focused on promoting economic growth policies in the five prefectures of the Chugoku region — Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Tottori and Shimane.
Hayashi began his career at Sumitomo Trust and Banking Co., Ltd., a major Japanese bank, in 1989. He then moved to Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., the largest electric power company in western Japan, in 1995. In 2004, he joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as the first mid-career recruit to a central government office, where he applied his experience in launching new businesses in the private sector.
Hayashi’s global experience includes serving as an economic counsellor at the Japanese Embassy in Germany and as the chief executive director of JETRO in San Francisco, where he made significant contributions to research collaboration among industry, academia, and government between Japan and the United States.
Hayashi graduated from Waseda University School of Law in 1989 and completed his Master of Laws at the University of Chicago Law School in 1994. He is fluent in several languages, including Japanese, English, and Chinese, and possesses a deep understanding of cultural diversity.
