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 Pacifica Capital. When the pandemic hit, he launched his first internet startup, a gourmet food-delivery service called Food-e 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.