News Mar 29, 2023

Jacobs Opens Japan Office to Meet Growing Demand for Technical Consultancy

Tokyo-based team is focused on energy transition, nuclear decommissioning, advanced facilities and defense

  • Taking part in the traditional kagami biraki ceremony are (left to right): Koti Vadlamudi, Senior Vice President and General Manager; Karen Wiemelt, Senior Vice President, Energy Security and Technology; Bob Pragada, Chief Executive Officer (all Jacobs); and Masakazu Hamachi, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives.

    Taking part in the traditional kagami biraki ceremony are (left to right): Koti Vadlamudi, Senior Vice President and General Manager; Karen Wiemelt, Senior Vice President, Energy Security and Technology; Bob Pragada, Chief Executive Officer (all Jacobs); and Masakazu Hamachi, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives.

  • Tokyo office

    A glimpse into a workspace in our new Toyko office

  • Jacobs leaders pose for a celebratory selfie (left to right): Indo-Pacific Operations Director Julie Hong, Karen Wiemelt, Koti Vadlamudi and Bob Pragada

    Jacobs leaders pose for a celebratory selfie (left to right): Indo-Pacific Operations Director Julie Hong, Karen Wiemelt, Koti Vadlamudi and Bob Pragada 

  • A toast to the new Japan office

    Celebrating the opening of our new Tokyo office

Jacobs has opened its first ever office in Japan to meet a growing demand for technical consultancy services in energy, defense and advanced facilities.

The new office in Tokyo was officially opened by Jacobs’ CEO Bob Pragada on March 28 at a celebration attended by clients and employees.

In keeping with Japanese cultural tradition, a kagami-biraki ceremony was performed in which the lid of a sake (rice wine) barrel was broken open with a wooden mallet before guests were invited to drink to the health of the new venture.

The Jacobs team based in the Tokyo Club Building in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, is a mix of Japanese and expatriate employees supporting clients in nuclear decommissioning, energy transition, data centers, cybersecurity and military infrastructure.

Since 2016, Jacobs has provided program management support to Tokyo Electric Power Company for the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where it is also developing new robotic tools to obtain crucial information about conditions inside one of the damaged reactors. The company is also involved in facility planning, programming, design and construction management for the United States Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Misawa Air Base and Camp Zama.

“Jacobs is facilitating some of the biggest national security efforts in Japan and working with our clients on several new data center campuses,” says CEO Bob Pragada. “We will leverage our technical consulting capabilities and deep domain experience in key sectors to create positive change in the communities we serve, lasting benefits for our clients and even stronger relationships in the country.”