Juntaro Fujii

Juntaro Fujii, the president of Tokyo Mitsubishi Securities, is remarkably buoyant when he sits down to explain the planned merger between TMS, Kokusai Securities and Tokyo-Mitsubishi Personal Securities. A diehard supporter of Chelsea FC, he is delighted by the 4-0 victory his team inflicted on Liverpool the previous day. Football is in his thoughts when he starts talking about the deal. "This merger will be like us moving into the top quarter of the Premier League, sitting behind Manchester United, hopefully a bit better than Chelsea, perhaps more like an Arsenal," he says.

The Tokyo-based banker developed a passion for football during the seven years that he spent living and working in London. He also developed a taste for British tabloid newspapers. Some people weren't that impressed by his choice of reading matter. "My ex-secretary was a very intelligent lady and she used to look at my paper and go 'Jesus! You've bought the Mirror again'," he says.