Yoko Inoue is a journalist, bestselling author, and communications advisor based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
I work at the intersection of Japan and the Nordics — writing, speaking, and advising through a rare first-hand perspective.
Spent 20 years as a reporter and U.S. correspondent at the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest newspaper — covering government, industry, and politics at the highest level.
Hold a Master's degree from Harvard Kennedy School, and covered Washington D.C. as a foreign correspondent during the Obama administration.
Author of the Japanese bestseller 第3の時間 — The Third Time — an investigation into how a society thrives by working less, published in December 2025. (English-language rights available)
Having lived and worked in Japan, the United States, and Denmark, I help organizations understand the Nordic region with rare clarity — through writing, speaking, and advisory engagements.
Copenhagen has been home since 2015, where I live with my Danish husband and our two children.
My New Book
The Third Time（第3の時間）began as an attempt to understand a paradox: how Denmark works some of the shortest hours in the developed world, yet remains one of its most competitive — and consistently happiest — societies. The answer, I found, was not purely economic. It lay in how Danes treat time — working efficiently enough to prosper in fewer hours, and using what remains in ways that feed their happiness.
Drawing on two decades in Japanese journalism and a decade of living in Denmark, the book weaves reporting with my own slow unlearning of a work-centered sense of worth. Released in December 2025, it quickly became a bestseller in Japan.
In the media
Japan
Since its release, my book has been covered widely across Japan — in major national newspapers, on radio and podcasts, and in leading magazines and websites. One interview, produced by a major broadcaster for its online channel, reached over 100,000 views within two weeks. I have also spoken about it to audiences including national lawmakers, and delivered keynotes for major corporations.
A full list of press coverage (in Japanese) is available here.
Denmark
"First she was annoyed by the Danes. Then Yoko Inoue began to understand us."
In March 2026, Berlingske — Denmark's oldest national newspaper, founded in 1749 — ran a major feature on the book and my story.
My work
My Work
My Work
Two decades of journalism, a bestselling book, and talks for audiences of every kind — from major corporations and national lawmakers to small groups curious about Japan and the Nordics.
Services
I write, speak, and advise at the intersection of cultures — bringing a rare, first-hand perspective to organizations navigating communication, strategy, and leadership across borders.
I write, speak, and advise at the intersection of cultures — bringing a rare, first-hand perspective to organizations navigating communication, strategy, and leadership across borders.
Organizations I’ve worked with
