Our Team

Kazunori Shingo

CEO, New Connections Co., Ltd.
CEO, New Connections (Tianjin)
CEO, New Connections Singapore

Joined Aisin Seiki in 2000. Armed with the “three actuals” discipline (actual place, actual product, actual facts) cultivated in the Toyota Group and a strong drive for action nurtured since childhood, he has spearheaded new-business development not only in Japan but across Southeast Asia and China, launching a wide range of product plans and projects. From 2023 he led the China business at Maruem Shokai, turning a division that had been in the red for 14 years since its founding into a profitable one. He became independent in 2024. A sales professional with a broad business network at home and abroad, he now works from bases in Japan, China, the Philippines, and Singapore. He serves as a Certified Expert of Glocal Solutions Japan and as an SME advisor (new market development) for the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN (SMRJ). Languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (basic). LinkedIn Profile

Affiliations: Certified Expert, Glocal Solutions Japan

Yuji Nakayama

CEO, Water X Technologies Co., Ltd.
Chairman, Water X (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

For 15 years at a major housing-equipment manufacturer, he drove the planning and development of toilet and bathroom (water-related) products for both domestic and overseas markets. After establishing a development base in China and leading global product development at the head of a multinational team, he became independent in 2019. He has planned and executed numerous new ventures, with experience raising capital from and forming business alliances with listed companies. Today he draws on both his hands-on expertise at a large corporation and his zero-to-one startup experience to help small and mid-sized enterprises with new-business planning and overseas expansion, while also supporting business automation using AI agents and web marketing. He completed the Globis MBA program and is certified as a “TOC for Innovation” Master Executive by Goldratt (Israel). Languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (basic). LinkedIn Profile

Speaking & media: International M&A Strategies for Corporate Transformation, On Lab Journal, Goldratt TOC Club, Assistive Devices Summit for Toileting Support

Affiliations: Certified Expert, Glocal Solutions Japan; Certified Expert, JPROS.

Naoki Inoue
CEO, Vined Production
Tengshu Consulting (Tianjin)

Graduated from the Department of Sociology at Nankai University in 2009 and, in the same year, joined “JIN Magazine,” a media outlet for the Japanese community in Tianjin, where he handled editing, planning, writing, and design. After becoming editor-in-chief in 2011, he oversaw the operation of emerging media such as official WeChat accounts, as well as video content production. In 2021 he became independent and founded Fujiki (Tianjin) Consulting & Management Co., Ltd., providing services such as video production, website creation, and visual/brand design for Japanese companies expanding into China. He has now relocated his base of operations to the Kansai region. Languages: Japanese, Chinese, English (basic).

Diana Chua

Director, New Connections Singapore

After graduating from university, she led sales and marketing at companies in Hong Kong and Singapore. From 2013, as a corporate sales manager at the Singapore branch of Aisin-Toyota, she sold mattresses and bidet toilet seats (washlets) into the Singapore, Thai, and Indonesian markets. She has a strong delivery record with a wide range of hotels, resorts, and serviced apartments, headlined by Changi Airport. Languages: English, Chinese.

Luo Dan

GM, Water X (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Brings 15 years of experience in production engineering and product development at several major Japanese companies starting in 2003, before being appointed General Manager of Heshui Technology Co., Ltd., Water X’s subsidiary in China. In addition to developing new businesses, products, and technologies for Japanese and Chinese companies, supports parts procurement and quality control. Based in Suzhou and Yuyao, China. Languages: Chinese, Japanese, English. LinkedIn Profile

Kin Li

Manager, Water X (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

After graduating from Kanazawa University and working in trade operations at a Japanese company, supported business development at a Silicon Valley firm. Joined Water X in 2019, taking charge of supplier management and procurement support as well as video production and web marketing. Based in Nanchang, China. Languages: Chinese, Japanese, English. LinkedIn Profile