Dr. Obara graduated from Waseda University, and studied at University & Business School of Missouri - Columbia, and earned his DBA at Hamilton University.    

Dr. Obara served in the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MOF) for 20 years. He served in the Budget Bureau of the MOF as a Computer System Engineer in a project for the computerization of the national accounts settlement procedures, and served in the International Finance Bureau of the MOF to assist in matters related to the Summit Meetings of the Industrialized Nations, the meetings of the United Nations, IMF, OECD, the yen-based loan arrangements made by the Japanese government, the approval procedures for capital procurement by Japanese companies overseas, and so on. He also served in the National Tax Agency as a Chief Programmer for the corporate taxes and as a National Tax Auditor.

After Dr. Obara moved to the United Sates, he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers where he performed audits and reviews of Japanese companies of various sizes and industries.

Prior to joining Hotta Liesenberg Saito in 2006, Dr. Obara also worked for one of Japanese automotive parts manufacturers in Indiana as a Senior Vice President of General Service Group, responsible for the Human Resources, Legal, and Business Strategy Department, the Finance and Accounting Department, and the Information Systems Department.

Dr. Obara is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of California and Indiana, and a Certified Information Technology Professional. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant. He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor. He is a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.