Chuo University graduate Mr. Shinjiro Takagi has been the subject of much attention after being selected as leader of the JAL Reconstruction Task Force. This task force is an advisory body that seeks the management restructuring of JAL (Japan Airlines), which is experiencing severely poor business performance. The task force operates under the direct control of Mr. Seiji Maehara, Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

This task force is a group of five business reconstruction professionals. The task force is working to formulate measures with the objective of achieving an independent reconstruction of JAL. Much attention has been given to the outstanding competence of Mr. Takagi, the leader of the task force and an eminent figure even among reconstruction professionals. (The task force formulated reconstruction measures during one month of intensive work. A summary of the measures was then submitted to the Minister. At the end of October, the task force moved to the next stage as a result of the change in policy from self-reconstruction by JAL to a policy of reconstruction under government control using the corporate reconstruction support system.)

Beginning in 1963, Mr. Takagi spent 25 years working as a lawyer involved in a large number of reconstruction cases. In 1988, he was appointed to the position of judge as the first person selected for Japan's lawyer-to-judge system. Mr. Takagi volunteered for the position by making the following statement: "In order to reform our laws, judges should not consist of legal professionals alone. Instead, it is desirable for experienced legal scholars who possess a variety of knowledge to serve as judges." Mr. Takagi served as judge at the Tokyo High Court and Tokyo District Court, as director of the Yamagata Family Court and District Court, and as director of the Niigata District Court. In 2000, he retired from his final post of chief judge at the Tokyo High Court. He re-registered as a lawyer that same year. Later, he served as reorganization trustee for Kyoei Life Insurance Company, a company with the largest scale of debt in the world. Additionally, he created the Guidelines for Voluntary Debt Adjustment and the Business Reconstruction ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) and has restructured a large number of major corporations through fair resolutions. His status as the foremost figure in the field of corporate reconstruction was recognized by his appointment as Chairman of the Industrial Revitalization Committee at the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan, a position that he held from 2003 to 2007.

A wide range of in-depth knowledge in areas such as finance, law, and accounting is required to create a corporate reconstruction plan. Outstanding skill at negotiation is also essential. Stories are often told of Mr. Takagi's humane personality, such as when he drove his own car and exerted himself in his role as coordinator with a creditor's bank.

In 2002, Mr. Takagi acquired his Doctoral degree in Law at the age of 66. He also served as a professor at the Chuo Law School (2004 to 2006). Since 2007, Mr. Takagi has acted as an advisor to Nomura Securities Company. His life shows the true vigor and performance of a practical education received at Chuo University.