Makiko is originally from a small village at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Japan. She was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and studied history at the Albert Ludwigs Universitaet, Freiburg, Germany in 1982-83. This extraordinary experience paved a road for her to get a staff writer’s position at the world’s largest financial newspaper, Nikkei, in its headquarters in Tokyo and its LA bureau. She joined the Rotary Club of Glendale, CA, in 2004 to become the club’s 2 nd woman president in its 104-year history. She is also the charter president of the Rotary Club of Little Tokyo, LA. In 2023-24, she was the District Governor of D5280. Makiko is currently the editor of the Big West News, the Zones 26/27 monthly newsletter.