Longtime journalist Katayama departing Reuters

Fred Katayama, who has been at Reuters since 2005 as an anchor and producer, is leaving the news organization.

His last day is Friday.

Katayama is joining the U.S.-Japan Council as its executive vice president overseeing development.

“I’m thrilled I’ll be working with someone I truly respect and have known for over a decade, Suzanne Basalla, her team, boards of directors and counselors, and devoted members,” he said in a message.

In a note to friends, Katayama wrote, “In my nearly four decades as a journalist, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing and covering big events such as the rise and fall of Japan’s bubble economy, the Kobe Earthquake, the collapse of Enron, 9-11, the dot-com boom and bust, Hurricane Katrina and the global pandemic. I’ve interviewed newsmakers ranging from Bill Gates to Jeff Skilling; Lee Kuan Yew to Serena Williams. And I’ve worked with the finest journalists at the AP, Fortune magazine, NHK, KIRO-TV, CNN, and Reuters. But it’s time for my next chapter.”

Katayama has been an anchor and producer for Reuters Business Video Online, Reuters TV and Reuters Insider. He worked at Fortune from 1985 to 1990 in New York and Tokyo.

He worked nearly a decade at CNN as a correspondent on “The Moneyline News Hour” and as an anchor of “Business Asia” and “Digital Jam.”