Notice of Appointment of Kunitaka Sunami, formerly of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as Advisor
Proud Partners, providing specified skilled worker recruitment services, appointed Kunitaka Sunami (ex-MLIT) as advisor on March 1, 2026, to promote foreign employment in the construction sector.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 22:30
- 🔍 Collected: March 30, 2026 at 22:56 (26 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 07:04 (584h 8m after Collected)
Proud Partners Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Ryuji Suzuki), which operates a business introducing and supporting the retention of Specified Skilled Worker human resources, announces the appointment of Mr. Kunitaka Sunami as an advisor effective March 1, 2026. He formerly held roles such as Director for Construction Market Access Promotion at the Construction Industry Division, Construction Economics Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), and Chief Economist/Executive Research Fellow at the Research Institute of Construction and Economy.
1. Appointment of Advisor (Effective March 1, 2026)
Kunitaka Sunami
2. Main Background and Objectives
- Promotion of foreign employment in the construction, logistics, and shipbuilding/marine equipment industries
- Strengthening the management structure for the company's next phase of growth
3. Biography of Mr. Kunitaka Sunami
After graduating from the Department of Economics at the University of Tokyo, Mr. Sunami joined the former Ministry of Construction (now MLIT) in April 1985.
He held key positions at the Construction Economics Bureau, Land and Construction Industry Bureau, National and Regional Planning Bureau, and Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau. He also served as First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in the United States (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Chief Economist/Executive Research Fellow at the Research Institute of Construction and Economy, and Auditor at the Building Research Institute (National Research and Development Agency), gaining extensive knowledge of the construction industry.
(Currently serving as Advisor to Tokyu Land Corporation and Executive Director of the Environment and Town Planning Support Organization)
Aspirations upon Assuming the Role of Advisor
"Labor shortages in the construction industry are structural, not temporary."
The construction industry has experienced labor shortages many times since the end of World War II, but each time it shifted to a surplus of human resources due to economic downturns. Particularly because the period of stagnant demand after the burst of the Heisei bubble economy lasted a long time, it can be said that both the government and the industry were slow to take measures against the shortage of construction personnel.
Today, the aging of construction workers is a serious issue. When analyzing the increase and decrease by age group, it is clear that the labor shortage since 2012 is not a temporary phenomenon caused by earthquake reconstruction work or economic fluctuations, but a structural problem. In response, the government and the industry are working together to improve the treatment and productivity of construction workers, but the labor shortage is likely to continue in the future. Under these circumstances, the importance of the option to introduce foreign employment is expected to increase further.
I have seen foreign workers employed even at construction sites under the direct control of the government. Some young people were working with great ambition, saying, "I want to study not only technology but also construction management in order to start a construction company in my home country."
I would be happy if I could contribute to the promotion of foreign employment, which is beneficial not only to Japan as the receiving country but also to the sending countries.
About Proud Partners Co., Ltd.
Proud Partners Co., Ltd. aims to realize a system where foreign talents can work fairly and borderlessly and contribute to Japanese society, operating primarily in the construction and food service industries for specified skilled fields...
1. Appointment of Advisor (Effective March 1, 2026)
Kunitaka Sunami
2. Main Background and Objectives
- Promotion of foreign employment in the construction, logistics, and shipbuilding/marine equipment industries
- Strengthening the management structure for the company's next phase of growth
3. Biography of Mr. Kunitaka Sunami
After graduating from the Department of Economics at the University of Tokyo, Mr. Sunami joined the former Ministry of Construction (now MLIT) in April 1985.
He held key positions at the Construction Economics Bureau, Land and Construction Industry Bureau, National and Regional Planning Bureau, and Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau. He also served as First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in the United States (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Chief Economist/Executive Research Fellow at the Research Institute of Construction and Economy, and Auditor at the Building Research Institute (National Research and Development Agency), gaining extensive knowledge of the construction industry.
(Currently serving as Advisor to Tokyu Land Corporation and Executive Director of the Environment and Town Planning Support Organization)
Aspirations upon Assuming the Role of Advisor
"Labor shortages in the construction industry are structural, not temporary."
The construction industry has experienced labor shortages many times since the end of World War II, but each time it shifted to a surplus of human resources due to economic downturns. Particularly because the period of stagnant demand after the burst of the Heisei bubble economy lasted a long time, it can be said that both the government and the industry were slow to take measures against the shortage of construction personnel.
Today, the aging of construction workers is a serious issue. When analyzing the increase and decrease by age group, it is clear that the labor shortage since 2012 is not a temporary phenomenon caused by earthquake reconstruction work or economic fluctuations, but a structural problem. In response, the government and the industry are working together to improve the treatment and productivity of construction workers, but the labor shortage is likely to continue in the future. Under these circumstances, the importance of the option to introduce foreign employment is expected to increase further.
I have seen foreign workers employed even at construction sites under the direct control of the government. Some young people were working with great ambition, saying, "I want to study not only technology but also construction management in order to start a construction company in my home country."
I would be happy if I could contribute to the promotion of foreign employment, which is beneficial not only to Japan as the receiving country but also to the sending countries.
About Proud Partners Co., Ltd.
Proud Partners Co., Ltd. aims to realize a system where foreign talents can work fairly and borderlessly and contribute to Japanese society, operating primarily in the construction and food service industries for specified skilled fields...