Mr. Toshiharu Tanaka (Former Senior Executive Officer and Head of Economic Security at Sumitomo Heavy Industries) Appointed as Advisor at FRONTEO
FRONTEO has appointed Toshiharu Tanaka, former Head of Economic Security at Sumitomo Heavy Industries, as an Advisor to bolster its practical consulting and 'KIBIT Seizu Analysis' AI solutions for corporate supply chain risk management.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 10, 2026 at 01:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:29 (23h 29m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 23:55 (215h 25m after Collected)
FRONTEO Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Masahiro Morimoto; hereinafter "FRONTEO") announces that Mr. Toshiharu Tanaka, former Senior Executive Officer and General Manager of the Economic Security Division at Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., has assumed the position of Advisor as of April 1, 2026.
In an era where economic security heavily influences the core of corporate management, dealing with economic security has become the most critical management issue for companies. Under these circumstances, FRONTEO has welcomed Mr. Toshiharu Tanaka as an Advisor, who previously established and led the Economic Security Division at Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Mr. Tanaka is a leading expert who possesses extensive experience in overseas business management, supply chain management, and risk management in the semiconductor and advanced technology sectors on the front lines of the manufacturing industry, having positioned practical economic security at the core of corporate management.
By combining Mr. Tanaka's practical expertise with its AI solution for economic security measures, "KIBIT Seizu Analysis," FRONTEO will support the construction of systems that allow companies to autonomously operate economic security measures, and will further strengthen its provision of solutions and consulting services in this field.
[Comment from Mr. Toshiharu Tanaka]
Through my experience of establishing the Economic Security Division at Sumitomo Heavy Industries, I have acutely realized how important it is to build a system where companies can autonomously grasp and manage economic security risks. In manufacturing workplaces that handle critical technological information such as advanced technologies, the management of supply chains and technological information dictates management itself. What I felt during that experience is that the "invisibility" of risks is the greatest threat. However, for many companies, it is not easy to continuously keep track of risks related to their own company from an enormous amount of information. FRONTEO's "KIBIT Seizu Analysis" has the potential to solve this issue through technology. I hope that my experience will be of some help in making FRONTEO's solutions even more practical.
[Biography]
Completed a master's program in Production Mechanical Engineering at the Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology in 1983. Joined Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. in the same year. Engaged in the development of iron-making facilities and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Stationed in the UK and the US. As a Director and Executive Officer, leveraging his broad frontline experience domestically and internationally, he globally expanded businesses such as cryogenic cryocoolers and motor reducers. During a period of management transformation involving the introduction of the Corporate Governance Code and ESG responses, he promoted organizational reform and risk management.
Appointed General Manager of the newly established Global Promotion Office at Sumitomo Heavy Industries in 2023, while simultaneously promoting a geopolitical risk working group (WG) across the headquarters organization. With the establishment of the Economic Security Division based on the WG in January 2024, he assumed the position of General Manager. As Senior Executive Officer, he directed economic sanction risk countermeasures, supply chain risk visualization and evaluation methods, and measures against the leakage of critical technological information, formulating basic policies that positioned economic security as a management risk. Retired in December 2025. Appointed Advisor to FRONTEO in April 2026.
In an era where economic security heavily influences the core of corporate management, dealing with economic security has become the most critical management issue for companies. Under these circumstances, FRONTEO has welcomed Mr. Toshiharu Tanaka as an Advisor, who previously established and led the Economic Security Division at Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Mr. Tanaka is a leading expert who possesses extensive experience in overseas business management, supply chain management, and risk management in the semiconductor and advanced technology sectors on the front lines of the manufacturing industry, having positioned practical economic security at the core of corporate management.
By combining Mr. Tanaka's practical expertise with its AI solution for economic security measures, "KIBIT Seizu Analysis," FRONTEO will support the construction of systems that allow companies to autonomously operate economic security measures, and will further strengthen its provision of solutions and consulting services in this field.
[Comment from Mr. Toshiharu Tanaka]
Through my experience of establishing the Economic Security Division at Sumitomo Heavy Industries, I have acutely realized how important it is to build a system where companies can autonomously grasp and manage economic security risks. In manufacturing workplaces that handle critical technological information such as advanced technologies, the management of supply chains and technological information dictates management itself. What I felt during that experience is that the "invisibility" of risks is the greatest threat. However, for many companies, it is not easy to continuously keep track of risks related to their own company from an enormous amount of information. FRONTEO's "KIBIT Seizu Analysis" has the potential to solve this issue through technology. I hope that my experience will be of some help in making FRONTEO's solutions even more practical.
[Biography]
Completed a master's program in Production Mechanical Engineering at the Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology in 1983. Joined Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. in the same year. Engaged in the development of iron-making facilities and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Stationed in the UK and the US. As a Director and Executive Officer, leveraging his broad frontline experience domestically and internationally, he globally expanded businesses such as cryogenic cryocoolers and motor reducers. During a period of management transformation involving the introduction of the Corporate Governance Code and ESG responses, he promoted organizational reform and risk management.
Appointed General Manager of the newly established Global Promotion Office at Sumitomo Heavy Industries in 2023, while simultaneously promoting a geopolitical risk working group (WG) across the headquarters organization. With the establishment of the Economic Security Division based on the WG in January 2024, he assumed the position of General Manager. As Senior Executive Officer, he directed economic sanction risk countermeasures, supply chain risk visualization and evaluation methods, and measures against the leakage of critical technological information, formulating basic policies that positioned economic security as a management risk. Retired in December 2025. Appointed Advisor to FRONTEO in April 2026.