Citi Appoints Akira Kiyota and Taiji Nagasaka as Co-Heads of Investment Banking for Japan

TOKYO – Citi today announced the appointment of Akira Kiyota and Taiji Nagasaka as Co-Heads of Investment Banking for Japan, effective October 1, 2025, subject to necessary approvals. Akira and Taiji will report to Jan Metzger, Head of Investment Banking for Japan, Asia North & Australia and Asia South and Robert Nakamura, Citi Country Officer and Banking Head for Japan. Both will be based in Tokyo.

Akira joins Citi from Nomura where he has worked since 2002 and has served as Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Mergers and Acquisition since 2022. Akira has around 30 years of investment banking experience working across Mergers and Acquisitions, Healthcare and Consumer coverage to clients globally. Prior to Nomura, Akira worked at J.P. Morgan Securities and Sanwa Bank.

Taiji is currently Managing Director and Head of IB Products and Head of ECM for Citi in Japan. Taiji has around 20 years of experience across Japan advising clients on Capital Markets transactions and Mergers and Acquisitions. He joined Citi Japan in 2022 from Mizuho Securities where he was Head of Equity Capital Markets.  Prior to Mizuho, he worked at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.

Masuo Fukuda, Vice Chair of Citi Japan, and Head of Investment Banking for Japan will assume the new role as Vice Chair for Japan and Asia North Investment Banking alongside his existing Citi Japan Vice Chair role. As deal flow in Japan picks up, our clients across the region will benefit from Masuo’s knowledge and insights as we look to capture more opportunities both inbound and outbound from Japan.

Akira will commence his role at Citi on October 1, 2025 and during this transition period, Masuo and Taiji will continue to partner closely to ensure we are delivering for our clients.

Robert Nakamura said, “Our Investment Banking team in Japan has a strong track record of delivering outstanding results for clients.  We look to further build on this momentum with consistency. We believe these leadership updates will take our franchise to the next level. Citi will continue to provide the highest level of service to our clients as we deliver on our mission to be the best bank for them.”

Jan Metzger said, “Japan is a key market for Citi with a strong investment banking pipeline where we want to grow and support clients further. I am thrilled to welcome Taiji and Akira as the new leaders of the Japan Investment Banking business and excited to have the opportunity to work more closely with Masuo to bring his extensive experience and leadership to a wider set of clients. These appointments bringing together the best of internal and external talent reflect our continued strong investment into our business.”