Yuri Fujita joins the program with a journalistic background. She has over 13 years of experience reporting for NHK, Japan’s largest broadcasting network. As a political news reporter, Yuri covered pivotal decision-making processes, including those during the COVID-19 pandemic. She engaged in numerous conversations with policymakers to gain deep insights. Often, these stories were "off the record," which led her to realize the importance of passing meaningful stories to the next generation and sparked her interest in oral history. She now aims to capture nuanced and complex stories "on the record" despite the challenges of convincing people to participate in such interviews.

Yuri's sensitivity to language, social norms, and identity has been honed through diverse cultural experiences. She spent most of her life in Japan, both in Tokyo and rural areas such as Aomori. Her early years in Portland, Oregon, and a year studying abroad at Bates College exposed her to diverse perspectives. She profoundly values these experiences and is excited to see what comes next in her journey.