WSJ hires deputy DC bureau chief

Wall Street Journal Washington bureau chief Paul Beckett sent out the following announcement on Monday afternoon:

All: I am delighted to let you know that Jathon Sapsford will be joining the Washington bureau as deputy bureau chief, starting in late September.

Jay and I worked closely together on the banking beat in New York in the late 1990s and early 2000s and I count him among the very finest reporters I have had the privilege to work with. I am excited about the prospect of his return to journalism and to the Journal. His focus will be on our coverage of business issues, economics and regulation in Washington — a big priority for our global readership — as well as enhancing our enterprise coverage and managing the bureau with Jeanne and me.

Jay started his career in journalism as a freelance writer in Beijing. After four years as a Tokyo-based wire reporter for Reuters and Bloomberg, he joined the WSJ’s Tokyo bureau in 1983 as news editor while also covering finance (and working along side such luminaries as Jake Schlesinger, Bill Spindle and Yumiko Ono). He moved to Money & Investing in NY in 1999, where he covered banking (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1016056865582454600), capital markets, Wall Street, the revolution in payments (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB109053116869571496), and some financial shenanigans in the broader business world, including a series of stories on an accounting scandal at Dynegy Corp. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1017784196586387160), and the subsequent fallout (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1038173128901062468). In 2004, Jay moved back to Tokyo to cover the economy (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112897999458864771), and the automotive industry (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113513433039828175).

In 2006, Jay joined Morgan Stanley where he ran a team of more than 100 employees as chief administrative officer for Japan. Since he moved to Washington last year, he has been President of the U.S.-Japan Business Council, part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He has stayed in touch with the Journal during that time, of course: he is married to Yuka Hayashi on our financial regulation team here in the bureau.

Please join me in welcoming Jay (back) to the Journal.

Paul