Maoko Kotani

Newscaster
TV TOKYO's
World Business Satellite

Maoko Kotani, born in Osaka Prefecture, was employed as a cabin attendant at Japan Airlines in 1986.

After leaving Japan Airlines in 1990, she served as the main caster of the following news shows; NHK General TV's "Morning Wide" and "Good Morning Japan" and NHK-BS' "World Report," etc. She visited the former Yugoslavia from May to June 2004 where she covered the situation of war at the mercy of the media; her reportage was presented as "A Lone Woman Goes to War-Torn Yugoslavia" in the "Bungeishunju" magazine published that September.

She has participated in TV Asahi's news show "News Station" since October 1994. She was immediately on the scene at the Great Hanshin Earthquake of January 1995 where she covered the affected areas for the subsequent four weeks.

She has worked as the main caster on TV Tokyo's "WBS (World Business Satellite)" since April 1998. She is the longest-serving economic caster in Japan with 16 years experience having appeared on a number of programs such as the economic documentary "The World's Most Powerful Manager – the Challenge of J. Welch (GE)" and economic specials "Shacho Shikkaku" and "Election Specials," etc. She also appears as an interviewer on "Maoko Kotani's KANDAN," a program airing on BS Japan that interviews the heads of Japanese corporations.

Her column series appears in DIAMOND, Inc.'s "Weekly Diamond."