Parker is President & CEO of public relations firm Parthenon Japan, co-host of the Tokyo Wave podcast, and has vast experience in Japan’s notoriously difficult to navigate real estate market. Parker came to Japan in 2007 from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he graduated from Tokyo’s Sophia University. For over a decade, Parker has been focused on supporting global firms in Japan, with experience spanning strategic communications, government relations, and PR consulting.
An active participant in the Public Relations Society of Japan, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and the America-Japan Society, Parker is passionate about using communication to promote social good. As an example, Parker led an initiative in 2017 to establish a sister city relationship between his hometown and Tono City, in Iwate, where he participated in an exchange program in high school.
Aside from his work in the communications industry, Parker has facilitated over 50 rental and purchase contracts, and has served as de-facto advisor to many on seeking, finding, analyzing, and closing on Japanese real estate deals. With a taste for adventure that has led him to drive, tour, and stay extensively throughout the Kanto, Koshinetsu, and Tohoku regions, Parker is also an interior design and DIY otaku with hands-on experience (and splinters) renovating his own house in Japan.
Parker is active on Twitter at @alleninc