Name: Masaki Yokai
Title: Vice President and Director, Marketing and Sales, The Americas
Company, city: All Nippon Airways; head office in Tokyo, Japan; regional office in Torrance, Calif.
Number of employees: 14,000 globally, 280 in the Americas
Recent project: A joint-venture sales project with United
First job: Airport check-in agent for ANA at Fukuoka, Japan
Little-known fact about you: I love to swim. When I first moved to Los Angeles I joined the YMCA, though my travel schedule limits the visits.
Your Business
Essential business philosophy: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Embracing calculated risks and learning from errors fuels continuous improvement.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: We regularly analyze SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) across our eight routes in the Americas. This structured review helps teams communicate, prioritize improvements and respond to changing market conditions.
Yardstick of success: Success is measured by meeting global and regional goals and, most importantly, by customer feedback. We run customer surveys six times a year, and every ANA employee — from call centers and check-in staff to onboard crew — is evaluated on service quality and consistency.
Masaki Yokai as a Traveler
Most important item when traveling: My slippers — they bring comfort and a feeling of home on long journeys.
How I spend time onboard: I use flight time to relax: watching movies, reading and catching up on sleep to arrive refreshed.
Favorite restaurant: I enjoy discovering local dining wherever I travel. Crustacean in San Francisco is a longtime favorite.
Favorite destination: I’ve lived in Tokyo, London, San Francisco and Los Angeles and appreciated each city. My favorite destination to visit is South Africa, particularly Cape Town, for its natural beauty and culture.
About All Nippon Airways
Tokyo as a hub and plans for North America: Domestic travel in Japan faces long-term pressure from the expanding Shinkansen bullet train network and demographic shifts, so ANA is prioritizing international growth. Over the past few years we expanded our North American presence with new hubs in Seattle (2012), San José (2013) and Vancouver (March 2014). Future strategy focuses on strengthening international routes and partnerships to serve growing demand between Japan, Asia and North America.
What premium travelers can expect on the 777 and 787: As the launch carrier for the Boeing 787, ANA configured these aircraft around passenger needs. Business class features full-flat seats, an extensive on-demand entertainment library with more than 200 films, and modern amenities including high-tech Washlets in lavatories. Above all, passengers experience Japanese hospitality: attentive, welcoming cabin crew and aircraft maintained to high standards of cleanliness and calm.
Challenges in building ANA brand awareness in North America: The name All Nippon Airways reflects our Japanese heritage, but the term “Nippon” is not widely recognized in the U.S. market. Unlike some competitors that include destinations in their names, we emphasize our identity through the tagline “The inspiration of Japan” and through service that showcases Japanese culture and quality. Expanding partnerships, including a joint venture with United, is helping ANA increase visibility and reassure American travelers that we offer convenient, high-quality service to Japan and across Asia.