Originally from Chicago, Seth Sulkin, 56, first came to Japan in 1987 as a financial journalist for the Wall Street Journal, but soon switched careers and went into real estate. Thirty years on, he is now CEO at commercial developer . When the pandemic hit, he launched his first internet startup, a gourmet food-delivery service called that courriers meals to homes from such high-class restaurants as Nobu Tokyo, the Tokyo American Club and Elio Locanda Italiana.
1. How did Japanese financial news become your beat? I joined the Wall Street Journal around the time Japan was starting to become an economic superpower. I woke up one morning and the Plaza Accord was happening. I ran over to the Plaza Hotel and had a chance to interview the Finance Minister Noboru Takeshita. After that, I covered a lot of Japanese investment in the U.S. and interviewed Japanese organizations all the time. Eventually, I decided that Japan was the place I wanted to report from.
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