Mr. Takao Kusakari became chairman of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, commonly referred to as NYK Line, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, in April of 2004 after leading the company for five years in his position as president of the company.

Mr. Kusakari joined NYK Line in April of 1964, and since that time he has been an integral part of the world of shipping in a variety of trades - conventional liners, container liners, car carriers, and bulk carriers, to mention a few. He was appointed to the position of director of NYK Line in June 1994, and to the position of president in August 1999. Throughout this time, he has continued to demonstrate an openhearted, common sense, rational approach to business as he has encouraged and continues to advocate needed reformation and the creation of new business models in a variety of shipping-related fields.

Mr. Kusakari was elected to the position of chairman of the Japan Shipowners' Association in June of 2003. In addition, he has continued to contribute to the Japan Business Federation (JBF) as co-chairman of the Committee on Administrative Reform, and he was recently appointed vice-chairman of the JBF in May of 2004.

In the field of government, he was nominated as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Headquarters for the Promotion of the Reform of Public Corporations in July of 2002 by the government of Japan. He was also nominated as a member of the Council for Regulatory Reform under the Cabinet in April of 2004.

Additionally, Mr. Kusakari holds the following titles:

-Arun LNG Transport, Inc., President
-The Association for Promoting Safety and Sanitation for Seafarers, Representative / Director
-The Japan Shipowners' Mutual Protection & Indemnity Association, Deputy Chairman
-Japan Maritime Promotion Federation, Vice Chairman
-The Association for the Promotion of International Trade, Japan, Director
-Japan-China Economic Association, Director, etc.