Yoriaki Hyodo is a film critic based in Tokyo, a member of Japan Film Pen Club certified by FIPRESCI. He was born in Miyazaki Prefecture and earned a BA in Political Science and Economics from Waseda University. From 1995 to 2004 he was a regular writer for SANKEI SHIMBUN column “Geino Chokugen”, and from 2004 to 2005 he was a movie anchor on FUJI TELEVISION news program “Mezanyu”. The column “Yoriaki Hyodo’s Special Reserved Seat” in the movie magazine “NIHON EIGA NAVI” started in 2007 and is now in its 17th year of serialization. Since 2012, he has been a radio personality for the movie music special program “Yoriaki Hyodo’s Kodawari Eigakan (Special Movie Theater)” broadcast on FM NOBEOKA every summer. In recent years, in addition to SANKEI SHIMBUN, he has contributed to KYODO NEWS, Japan’s largest news agency, and his commentary articles on movies and film awards are distributed to newspapers all over Japan. In 2023, he was appointed as Nobeoka City Culture and Arts Planning Advisor, responsible for promoting local culture.