Wakao majored in Marine Environmental Studies and Marine Biology at a university in Florida. After graduation, he worked in marine environmental conservation projects in the Maldives and Malaysia, then spearheaded the Sustainable Seafood Project at Greenpeace Japan in 2007.
He founded Seafood Legacy in Tokyo in 2015 and assumed the position of CEO. With the purpose of “passing on the abundance of seafood, which symbolizes the connection between nature, society, and the economy of the sea, to future generations (legacy),” he is working on a system shift by connecting diverse stakeholders in the domestic and international seafood industry, financial institutions, governments, NGOs, academia, and media to make seafood products that pursue environmental sustainability and social responsibility mainstream in the distribution of seafood in the Asian region.
Member, Friends of Ocean Action, World Economic Forum (2021-)
Director, Global Fisheries Transparency Coalition (2022-)
Member, IUU Forum Japan (2017-)
Member, Pacific Wide Area Fisheries Coordination Committee, Fisheries Agency (2018-)