Networking for Tomorrow

The ACCJ closes out 2024 with an evening of honors and connections

The Kiku Ballroom at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku erupted on December 5 with vivid lights, pulsing sounds, and the chatter of future business deals being made as the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) closed out 2024 with its final signature event of the year.

ACCJ President Victor Osumi took to the stage to the beats of the Top Gun theme as he welcomed everyone to Bridging to the Future: Networking for Tomorrow, a cocktail-style reception that brought together more than 260 ACCJ members and guests.

“This event is a moment to recognize our achievements, strengthen our network, and express gratitude to all of you here—and also those not here tonight—who made 2024 a success,” said Osumi.

Next, to mark the incredible achievements of chamber members, ACCJ Vice President Sarah Bader, Vice President–Kansai Jiro Kawakami, and Vice President–Chubu Robert Roche joined Osumi on stage to present the 2024 ACCJ Leaders and Volunteers of the Year awards (more on page 13).

“It has been a tremendous year full of accomplishments and connections,” said Osumi as he closed out the presentation segment of the evening. “As we look to the future, let’s continue to forge partnerships and bring progress and grace to a future of excellence.”

With formalities concluded, attendees indulged in the Hilton Tokyo’s culinary artistry while enjoying the beats of DJ Milky B and forming new connections in Japan’s vibrant business community.

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United to Inspire Inclusion

The ACCJ Kansai Chapter marks a decade of driving business through diversity

The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Kansai Chapter celebrated a milestone in its advocacy efforts on November 21 at the 10th anniversary Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Summit, which took place at Oriental Hotel Kobe.

Host Mie Kitano, co-chair of the Kansai Diversity and Inclusion Committee, welcomed the 130 in-person and 30 virtual guests. She shared how, over the past decade, many positive changes have been achieved, but stressed that there still a long way to go on the journey to true D&I.

“This year’s theme, United to Inspire Inclusion, emphasizes the importance of unity and collaboration in driving meaningful change,” she said. Highlighting the critical role of inclusion in creating an prosperous future for all, she encouraged all participants to actively engage in conversations aimed at realizing equality.

Jason R. Cubas from the US Consulate General Osaka-Kobe then delivered opening remarks.

“I’m pleased to join you for the 10th anniversary of this D&I summit under this year’s theme, United to Inspire Inclusion,” said the consul general. “This theme speaks to something essential. D&I must be woven into the fabric of our organizations and industries as core components of the larger strategies and operations.”

Noting that one of the four key pillars in the US national travel and tourism strategy is to ensure that tourism experiences are diverse, inclusive, and accessible, Cubas cited D&I as a guiding principle that can elevate entire industries by shaping how we engage the world.

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“An inclusive approach allows us to understand our colleagues, clients, and communities more deeply, and to unlock new markets and innovate in ways that would otherwise remain out of reach.”

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“In Kansai, we saw an inspiring example of this principle in action [in October], when Osaka hosted the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association for their global conference,” he shared. “It was the first time this was held in Asia, and it wasn’t just a milestone for tourism; it was a testament to how an industry’s inclusive practices can drive growth, innovation, and new opportunities.

“Across all sectors, organizations have the opportunity to integrate D&I into their strategic vision. Whether it’s the tourism industry committing to new ways to welcome people of all backgrounds or technology companies designing products accessible to everyone, D&I can and should be foundational to every facet of how we operate,” he continued. “An inclusive approach allows us to understand our colleagues, clients, and communities more deeply, and to unlock new markets and innovate in ways that would otherwise remain out of reach.”

Panel Discussion

Following Cubas’s remarks, Eli Lilly Japan K.K. President and Representative Director Simone Thomsen moderated a panel with three leaders from different industries:

• Irina Menshikova, president of Amway Japan G.K.
• Mari Nogami, president and representative director of Haleon Japan K.K.
• Victor Osumi, managing director and president-Japan of Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Thomsen, who is also the ACCJ Kansai governor, kicked off the discussion by asking each panelist to recount one success story from their company that has inspired inclusion and driven business.

Nogami, who was the first chair of the Kansai Women in Business Committee—now known as the Diversity & Inclusion Committee—shared how Haleon approaches diversity as a new company. The consumer health brand was spun off from GSK in 2022.

“As an independent company newly listed on the New York and London exchanges, having gender diversity is almost mandatory,” she explained. “The company already had made an external commitment that at least 50 percent of the board, executive leadership team, and the business unit leadership would be female. The board is already 40 percent female and the executive team is 47 percent female. That is a serious commitment. We do it not only for welfare; we do it because it really drives business.”

Next, Menshikova talked about Amway’s Women’s Inclusion Network, which champions flexible workstyles and drives the progression of female leadership. She was leading Amway’s operations in Ukraine, Russia, and Central Asia before arriving in Japan in 2022.

“This is a country with a lot of challenges in diversity and inclusion, so it’s my personal passion to drive this agenda,” she said. “Amway, as a leading company in the direct sales industry and one of the biggest private American companies which has always been focused on multicultural, multi-generational and disability [issues] gives me the opportunity to execute that agenda.”

Currently, Amway in Japan has employees from 16 countries, while 62 percent of its workforce here is female. Cultural matters, however, may prevent women from advancing their careers Menshikova noted. “So the flexible lifestyles help them to balance their personal responsibilities with their job responsibilities.

Lastly, Osumi, who is also ACCJ president, explained the importance of sourcing from partners who support diversity and described how Delta’s approach extends D&I to customers and the community.

“We collected hundreds of images that anyone can download free of charge to show how to accommodate a person with a disability,” he said. “We have more than 200,000 wheelchairs now in place and have an offering tailored especially to customers who use wheelchairs.”

The Atlanta-based company is also supporting entrepreneurship, creating almost $559 million of revenue for Black-owned businesses as well as women in business.

Challenges and Solutions

As the discussion continued, Eli Lilly’s Thomsen pointed out that D&I is a complex, ongoing journey and asked the panelists about the challenges they face and the solutions they are finding.

An example given by Osumi is how cultural differences impact perceptions of D&I among Japanese employees, and how life events such as pregnancy can lead to unintentional exclusion. The lack of women involved in discussions at the government level about D&I reform make finding solutions more challenging, he noted.

Menshikova cited hurdles for team integration created by the Covid-19 pandemic. With many employees joining remotely and lacking in-person interaction, she said, challenges in managing cultural and generational differences have arisen and linger. Adjusting communication styles to suit a diverse workforce is essential, she added.

Looking at multinational work environments, Nogami sees expectations for how female leaders should behave as an obstacle. Because Asian women may have grown up in cultures where they were told not be assertive, they may struggle to overcome this when making a point at work. She advocates for companies to have not only a mentor but career sponsors who are very serious about promoting these talents who may not be showing their real potential due to cultural expectations.

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“While D&I is an important part of an organization’s overall strategy, it takes individuals at all levels to play an active role in building an inclusive culture.”

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Targeted Learning

After the panel drilled down into more detailed aspects of D&I, participants split up into three breakout groups:

• Beyond the Quota for PWD
• Managing Uncomfortable Conversations
• Breaking Boundaries: Closing the Gender Gap and Retaining Talent for Salesforce Diversity

In Beyond the Quota for PWD, Kenji Hirano (president and representative director of Adecco Japan and director of LIXIL Advanced Showroom Corporation) joined Asahi Group Holdings’ Senior Manager of Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mizuki Hsu to promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities (PWD). The workshop, facilitated by Kitano, highlighted the importance of creating inclusive environments that go beyond mere compliance with quotas to foster genuine opportunities for PWDs and to uncover biases.

Managing Uncomfortable Conversations featured Lumina Learning Global Partner for Japan Elizabeth Handover guiding participants through the key skills and techniques for professional, objective communication. The session covered techniques for crafting the conversation and highlighted factors that can lead to success or failure. Handover provided highly practical advice that could immediately be applied in the workplace. The session was facilitated by committee Vice-Chair Naomi Iwasaki.

Breaking Boundaries: Closing the Gender Gap and Retaining Talent for Salesforce Diversity explored gender diversity in Japan’s sales sector. Shimako Takayama (commercial diversity, equity, and inclusion leader at Eli Lilly Japan), alongside facilitator Alison Chen (vice-chair of the ACCJ-Kansai Diversity and Inclusion Committee), discussed the trends, barriers, and strategies to foster greater inclusion and empowerment to help retain talent.

Connections

The summit concluded with a networking session, and at the end of the day, participants no doubt felt the embodiment of what Consul General Cubas said in closing his opening remarks: “While D&I is an important part of an organization’s overall strategy, it takes individuals at all levels to play an active role in building an inclusive culture. Thank you all for your commitment to this work. I hope today’s discussions inspire everyone to keep moving forward, weaving D&I into every part of what you do.”

A Night of Stars and Stripes

ACCJ members and partners celebrate Independence Day and 75 years as the voice of global business in Japan.

Photos by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

Tokyo American Club’s New York Ballroom pulsed with energy—and music—on July 2 as the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) marked the 248th birthday of the United States and its own 75th.

Dubbed “A Night of Stars and Stripes,” the evening was an expansive celebration of American heritage and the enduring bilateral relations that connect the United States and Japan.

More than a Fourth of July bash, the event marked the diamond anniversary for the ACCJ. Organized by the Board of Governors, the party was the chamber’s largest gathering since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and highlighted the vibrant reengagement that has been underway throughout the year.

As more than 400 members, guests, and VIPs made their way into the ballroom, emcee Emily noted that, since its founding in 1948 with the support of General Douglas MacArthur, the ACCJ has been the most active and influential foreign business organization in Japan, fervently pursuing its mission to: 

• further develop commerce between the United States of America and Japan,
• promote the interests of US companies and members,
• and improve the international business environment in Japan.

ACCJ President Victor Osumi surprised the crowd by singing the national anthems of Japan and the United States before delivering opening remarks. “There’s no budget problem,” he jokingly noted, explaining that he chose to perform these important songs himself because of his heritage, which fuels his passion for US–Japan relations.

“Having grown up in the US and Japan, both countries have greatly shaped my identity and values, and have given me a bicultural perspective that made me who I am today. I’m honored to serve as a bridge connecting our two great nations,” Osumi said.

“To our members and our incredible committee leaders, thank you for your involvement with the chamber, which drives everything we’ve accomplished over the past 75 years,” he continued. “And to our valued partners, thank you for working with us to strengthen the US–Japan economic partnership, which is one of the most important alliances in the world.”

Japanese Vice-Minister for International Affairs Takehiko Matsuo spoke next on behalf of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

“The Japanese government continuously provides its strong support to all of you,” he said. “I believe, and I do hope, that the ACCJ could play a very important, very key role to further strengthen our two countries’ economic ties.”

US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel then shared congratulations via video, as he was traveling in the United States at the time and unable to attend.

“Since the birth of the chamber, Japan has emerged as a respected global leader in a multitude of areas—in business, technology, manufacturing, and most importantly, research and development,” he said. “Through the dedicated efforts of the chamber, and all the companies that make up the chamber, our two nations have worked side by side to make groundbreaking strides across the spectrum, from next-generation technologies to clean energy.

What we accomplish together in the years ahead will set a benchmark and will shape the lives of millions for decades to come. I wish all of you a very happy Independence Day and another 75 years of success as we build a future for the United States and Japan.”

Newly arrived Deputy Chief of Mission Katherine E. Monahan followed up these remarks with her own reminiscence of coming to Japan in 1987 on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, as well as her past work with the ACCJ Financial Services Forum. “It was a really interesting and fun time,” she said. “I have a deep love of Japan, and a part of me has always been here. Japan is a really special place, and the things we do together are amazing.”

Monahan raised a glass to toast the birthdays of both the United States and the ACCJ, and the evening gave way to a rousing performance by legendary American guitarist Marty Friedman. Well known as the lead guitarist of American thrash metal band Megadeth, Friedman moved to Japan in 2004 to pursue his love of the country, language, and a desire to perform with Japanese musicians. He was named an ambassador of Japanese heritage by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2016.

“It takes a lot of motivation and kind of an insane story to want to come here to Japan and make a life here,” he said. “But I know all of you will agree with me that it’s probably the most cool thing that we’ve all done in our lives. Japan is like a country of dreams … and my dream came true in so many different ways because of Japan.”

Friedman performed as part of the generous support of iconic guitar maker Fender, which presented two Stratocasters—one manufactured in the United States and one in Japan—to the chamber. ACCJ President Victor Osumi joined Fender Senior Vice President APAC Giorgio Guerrini and Product Management Director APAC Masato Fujikawa onstage to receive the gifts.

Following another spectacular performance by Friedman, members and guests began networking as they were treated to a flavorful Fourth of July-inspired spread curated by Michael Anthony, executive chef of New York’s Gramercy Tavern. Anthony, who was brought to the event by Delta Air Lines in collaboration with Tokyo American Club and the ACCJ, got his start in Tokyo in the early 1990s. Anthony’s goal in crafting the Independence Day menu, he told The ACCJ Journal, was to “serve foods that connect with childhood memories of the holiday.”

To go along with the bites, Brown-Forman bartenders served up more-adult libations made with the company’s Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey and Woodford Reserve bourbon, including the signature Woodford 75 cocktail, named in honor of the ACCJ’s diamond milestone.

The night’s theme of music continued across the way in the Brooklyn Suite, where ELAC, innovators of speakers and audio equipment for 98 years, presented an immersive sound experience featuring more than seven decades of classic American and Japanese vinyl.

The evening was made possible thanks to the generous support of Aflac, Boeing Japan, Delta Air Lines Japan, Google Japan, and GR Japan, who contributed at the highest level as Stars and Stripes sponsors, as well as Red, White, and Blue sponsors FedEx Japan, RGA Reinsurance Company, and Toyota.

Along with ACCJ President’s Circle member companies Cisco Systems, connectFree, and Eli Lilly Japan, and other partners, the community came together to deliver a night to remember as the ACCJ continues the mission it set out on in 1948: to be the voice of global business in Japan.

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2023 Leaders and Volunteers of the Year

The ACCJ recognizes exceptional contributions from across its three chapters

The 2023 Leaders and Volunteers of the Year with ACCJ leaders at the December 19 Leadership Forum, which honored their accomplishments. Photo: C Bryan Jones

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Each year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) honors members who have shown extraordinary dedication. We congratulate the 2023 ACCJ Leaders and Volunteers of the Year for their dedicated time and effort to the betterment of the community, and their contributions to the ACCJ mission, whether through philanthropy, advocacy, or engaging events.

Leaders of the Year

Barbara Hancock

Chair of the Charity Ball Committee for the past 15 years, Hancock kept fundraising a top priority during the Covid-19 pandemic through her management of virtual opportunities. In 2023, she devoted the same resources and energy to ensure that the spectacular Diamond Anniversary Charity Ball was a resounding success, overseeing every aspect from start to finish.

Hancock’s longtime dedication has not only led to outstanding events year after year, but has helped the ACCJ raise millions of yen for organizations working to improve the lives of those in need, including children and the homeless. She truly embodies the spirit of giving back to the community.

Ryan Watson (Kansai)

As co-chair of the Kansai Young Professionals Forum, Watson played an indispensable role in the group’s, from the initial proposal to the successful launch event in July. His efforts have provided new opportunities for Japan’s next-generation leaders to network and engage with the ACCJ.

He has also been a strong leader of the Healthy Urban Gardening, or HUG, project, which hosts hands-on community workshops while raising funds for Food Bank Kansai. This initiative has profoundly impacted the community by fostering sustainable gardening practices and addressing food insecurities for a greener, healthier Kansai.

Watson’s energy and dedication have created new opportunities for members to participate and get involved in the ACCJ and the wider Kansai community.

Yuji Suzuki (Chubu)

As co-chair of the Chubu External Affairs Committee, Suzuki organized a pivotal ACCJ meeting with US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, industry executives, and Aichi government officials to discuss the importance of resuming direct flights from Chubu Centrair International Airport to the United States. He was directly responsible for ensuring that Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura and Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura attended.

Suzuki’s endeavors have set the stage for an agreement to reinstate the route and were therefore integral to enhancing the Chubu region’s economic growth and strengthening US–Japan relations.

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Volunteers of the Year

Yoshiko Zoet-Suzuki

In support of the Women in Business Committee, Zoet-Suzuki worked tirelessly throughout the year to prepare information and materials for a crucial advocacy viewpoint on the impact of Japanese parent-teacher association demands on parents. She spent countless hours researching media reports and government websites, as well as coordinating input to bolster the comprehensive viewpoint. Zoet-Suzuki is also responsible for translating materials for an upcoming ACCJ member survey on this issue, and translating the ACCJ privacy policy into Japanese.

Kanayo Okai (Kansai)

Okai was responsible for planning and executing several Kansai Business Programs Committee (BPC) events. She invited high-level speakers and came early to support the staff and connect with participants, always with her trademark positivity. In July, she served as emcee for the Kansai CEO Series event with Karl Hudson of Marriott, and was instrumental in the success of the event.

Furthermore, Okai shares an important perspective during the monthly committee meetings, and her motivation is an inspiration to both BPC leaders and members alike. Thanks to her, the committee will maintain the momentum generated by the successful events she has spearheaded.

Zan Diamantis (Chubu)

One of the Chubu Chapter’s most active and enthusiastic participants, Diamantis is not only participates in the Chubu Walkathon but also serves on several committees. He is responsible for co-organizing multiple events, including a grassroots cherry blossom-viewing fundraiser in April, resulting in new and exciting opportunities for engaging with ACCJ members.

Diamantis is an integral part of the ACCJ Chubu community, and we are grateful for his involvement and many contributions.

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Shining Bright

Diamond Charity Ball celebrates the ACCJ’s 75th anniversary.

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Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) and guests gathered at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku on December 2 for one of the chamber’s largest annual events. And this edition, the Diamond Charity Ball, offered a chance to celebrate a major milestone—the chamber’s 75th anniversary—while also raising funds for charity.

The exceptional venue, amazing culinary offerings, spectacular entertainment, stellar selection of fine wine and spirits, and expansive silent and live auctions and raffle helped us achieve our goal.

Jesper Koll and Nahoko Bolden emceed, and performers included Marcus Pittman and the High Roller Horns (featuring the Q Factor G.N.P.) and Wakiri, a group of passionate artists comprising drummer and dancer Akira Katogi, shamisen player and composer Etsuro On, and Shunsuke Kimura, a Japanese composer who plays flute and tsugaru-shamisan. ACCJ intern and Bishop Scholar Matthew Trani also shared his singing talents.

“Success would not have been possible without the invaluable support of our generous sponsors, enthusiastic attendees, and the many individuals who took part in our online raffle and auction.”

Together with the ACCJ staff, the Charity Ball Committee—Barbara Hancock, Kevin Naylor, Ryan Watson, Tomomi Fujita, Sonia Dhillon Marty, and William Titus—worked diligently to organize the event.

But success would not have been possible without the invaluable support of our generous sponsors, enthusiastic attendees, and the many individuals who took part in our online raffle and auction.

The committee extends its deepest gratitude to our sponsors and the ACCJ community for making a big difference in our ability to help those in need. We are grateful to each and every person involved, and extend a huge thank you to all!

Photos: Media Sense K.K.

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Legacy of Giving

The Charity Ball is not only one of the biggest events on the annual social calendar, it is also one of the ACCJ’s most important fundraisers. The money raised during the event is key to the chamber’s ability to support the community and help those in need.

The Charity Ball Committee works closely with the ACCJ Community Service Advisory Council to activate this effort with the generous participation of member companies and the membership at large. The annual Charity Ball is a time when we come together to share our success in Japan with each other and, at the same time, generate funding for charities qualified by a rigorous process.

This year we are proud to support the Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless, Food Bank Kansai, and the ACCJ Community Service Fund. We will also contribute to charities that help at-risk children, families, children’s hospitals and homes, and programs for these children.

“The ACCJ has a well-rounded mission that includes not only networking, information sharing, and advocacy, but also constructive engagement with the community.”

Together with the ACCJ staff, the Charity Ball Committee—Barbara Hancock, Kevin Naylor, Ryan Watson, Tomomi Fujita, Sonia Dhillon Marty, and William Titus—worked diligently to organize the event.

But success would not have been possible without the invaluable support of our generous sponsors, enthusiastic attendees, and the many individuals who took part in our online raffle and auction.

The committee extends its deepest gratitude to our sponsors and the ACCJ community for making a big difference in our ability to help those in need. We are grateful to each and every person involved, and extend a huge thank you to all!

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President’s Circle Sponsor

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Platinum Sponsor

Aflac

Bronze Sponsors

AIG Companies in Japan

Chevron International Gas Inc. Japan Branch

Prudential Holdings of Japan, Inc.

Silver Sponsor

Boeing Japan K.K.

Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd.

Mercury Sponsors

Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP

NRK Sogo Kikaku Co. Ltd.

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Prize Sponsors

Diamond

Air Canada

CIC Toranomon G.K.

Delta Air Lines

Hakuba Hotel Group

Herman Miller Japan, Ltd.

Ichijiku

KPG Hotel & Resort

Kraft Heinz Japan

Marriott International, Inc.

MediaSense K.K.

Ratko Back Painting

The Peninsula Tokyo

United Airlines, Inc.

Vega Project K.K.

Ruby

Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Hilton Nagoya

Park Hyatt Tokyo

There’s No Accounting for Taste

Sapphire

Amway Japan G.K.

ELC Japan K.K. (Estée Lauder)

Fukushima Garo

Good Morning Tokyo Co., Ltd.

Hakkaisan Brewery

Moegi

Simon Dalby Art

Tokyo American Club

Emerald

Andaz

Asian Tigers Japan

Conrad Tokyo

DevilCraft

Eastern Carpets

Elana Jade

Godiva Japan Inc.

grapeoff

Hilton Osaka

Hilton Tokyo

Hilton Tokyo Bay

InterContinental Osaka

Japan Design Collective

Jupiter International Corporation

McLarty Associates

Minamiaoyama7chome Gyoseishoshi Office

pearls.jp

Riedel Japan

Shop Japan

Takata Co., Ltd.

The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo

Temple University Japan Campus

Yellow Toes Art Gallery

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2022 Person of the Year: Akio Mimura

The ACCJ honors the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry honorary chairman for his enduring support of international businesses in Japan.

Photos by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

From left: ACCJ Executive Director Laura Younger, Akio Mimura, and ACCJ President Om Prakash

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On November 9, 2023, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) recognized Akio Mimura as the 2022 ACCJ Person of the Year. He was chosen for his efforts to bring the Japanese and international business communities closer together during his nine years as chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).

The person of the year is normally honored in spring, but this year’s event was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During a special luncheon at The Place of Tokyo, the former chairman and president of Nippon Steel Corporation spoke about his long career.

The event began with a VIP session where ACCJ leaders greeted Mimura, after which ACCJ Executive Director Laura Younger welcomed guests and provided background about the award. ACCJ President Om Prakash delivered remarks and invited Mimura to the podium.

“I am truly honored to be nominated as the 2022 ACCJ Person of the Year, because 2022 was the year I concluded my 60-year business career, 51 years in the Nippon Steel Corporation and nine years as the chairman of the JCCI,” Mimura began.

“The last nine years have been especially worthwhile periods in my life,” he continued, noting that the coronavirus pandemic, during which he closed out his time as JCCI chairman, required action and guidance to protect the most vulnerable people and businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“I devoted my energy to three initiatives,” explained Mimura, who requested:

• Balanced measures to contain Covid-19 that allow free economic activity
• All possible measures from government to ensure that businesses survive
• SMEs use the pandemic as a wake-up call and promote self-reformation

“Luckily, Covid-19 is finally coming to an end, and most SMEs were able to preserve their business continuation,” he said. “Overall unemployment in Japan was kept very low, at 2–3 percent. Our real challenge is to position this pandemic and the worldwide inflation as a turning point, and to rejuvenate the Japanese economy, which has been stagnant for the past quarter century.”

Mimura shared that another great memory is encountering the philosophy of Eiichi Shibusawa. Born in 1840, Shibusawa played a key part in business development during the Meiji Period (1868–1912) and is often referred to as the father of Japanese capitalism.

“He was involved in the founding of 481 companies and played an active role in the launch of 600 social contribution institutes. Can you believe it?”

The latter especially resonates with Mimura.

“In recent years, I have been very heartened to see the increasing global interest in [strategic development goals] and stakeholder capitalism,” he said. “However, I have personally felt dissatisfied with the fact that this interest often remains only on the surface, limited to general overviews or investor-related presentations without translating into concrete actions.”

Shibusawa, he notes, insisted earnestly that business leaders should pursue profit but also contribute to the public interest, namely by enriching society and making people happier.

“He was not only a person of action but also a visionary leader,” Mimura said. “We business leaders must somehow achieve the harmony of private and public interests in our own way.”

Surf the DX Wave

Five big lessons for Japan from Hawaii

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As Japan’s fledgling Digital Agency finds its way through its second year of existence, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s new start-up strategy takes hold, a digital transformation (DX) wave is sweeping across the country. Learning to surf that wave takes experience, however, and another group of islands that know a bit about surfing, and have ridden DX to their advantage, could be a guide for Japan.

How the Hawaiian tourism industry found renewed life through digital transformation was the subject of a February 28 event held at Tokyo American Club and online, and entitled How to Surf the DX Wave: Five Big Lessons for Japan from Hawaii. The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan Tourism and Hospitality Committee luncheon—co-hosted by the Digital Transformation and the Information, Communications, and Technology Committees—welcomed Mayumi Nakamura and Mike Birt of Ascent Partners, LLC to discuss the restructuring of Hawaii’s tourism management system.

When the Covid-19 pandemic forced a total shutdown of travel, tourism hot spots such as Honolulu, which had welcomed a record 10.4 million visitors in 2019, went from overtourism to dead empty in just a few days. The islands fell quiet. And when tourism returned in 2021, it was not the same.

Recovering from Wipeout

“As people started coming back, the domestic travel industry was just a madhouse,” Birt explained. It was clear that the pandemic had left Hawaii’s tourism industry scarred and unprepared for the influx. Change was needed.

The seeds for change were planted even earlier. When heavy storms hit Haena State Park, on the island of Kauai, in April 2018, major access roads were shut down and neither tourists nor locals could enter.

It was a needed pause, however. Before the disaster, some 3,000 tourists had visited daily, leaving little room for Hawaiians. “There was some conflict there, and many people couldn’t enjoy their own homeland,” Nakamura explained.

While the storm was a multi-million-dollar disaster for many, others saw it as divine intervention, an opportunity to reappraise the management of state parks and give greater consideration to the balance of tourists and locals.

When the decision was made to transform the system, the Hawaiian government approached Ascent Partners for help. Nakamura led a team that designed a timed-entry reservation system. Entry was restricted to those with reservations, and daily tourist admission was capped. This allowed locals more opportunities to enjoy their own land. Greater emphasis was also placed on hiking the trails and evoking the experience of the natural land as the Native Hawaiians saw it.

Due to the pandemic, all the work had to be done remotely. The Hawaii project was run from Seattle, while the software development team was in India and various support staff were scattered across the US mainland.

The project was a great success. Not only were there societal benefits, but economic ones as well. The state brought in 250 percent of its projected tourism revenue in the first year.

The island of Kauai, home to Haena State Park

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Model for DX

Birt believes the fact that this project could be carried out remotely with such great success shows the potential for adapting the approach to other countries, with each following their own philosophy of reimagining post-pandemic tourism.

“It became a model for how to scale and develop very effective software digital transformation projects that can literally span the world,” he explained. “Destination management is a key element—and this isn’t just Hawaii. Venice, Iceland, Amsterdam … there are a number of [places] that have really had to work on how to manage their destination so that it doesn’t become overrun, and the community can still enjoy where they live.”

“It became a model for how to scale and develop very effective software digital transformation projects that can literally span the world.”

Birt and Nakamura said they learned a lot during their three years working with the Hawaiian state government. They shared five lessons which they believe Japan could put into action to transform its own post-pandemic tourism.

Lesson 1: DX requires leadership and vision
“Without a vision, none of the people around [you] can support the project. In the case of Hawaii, it was a return of aloha spirit,” Nakamura said. What made the project possible, she added, was that both the state government and private individuals were on board and committed to using the pandemic to take a bold step.

Lesson 2: DX has customers—and adversaries
“The state parks are literally part of [Hawaii’s] soul; Hawaiians think of their parks as almost a living thing,” Birt explained. Undertaking such a large-scale project, therefore, brought together many parties with a vested interest, whether emotional or financial.

Naturally, with this came those who strongly opposed the transformation. But nobody, Birt and Nakamura acknowledged, knowingly played the role of adversary; they resisted change simply for self-preservation. What saved the project from failure was that powerful friends in the Hawaiian state government shared the vision and supported it from the start.

Lesson 3: Technology is powerful
DX is not a simple one-and-done operation. It is an everyday effort that must be constantly analyzed and adjusted to fit the needs of the project. The DX wave does not stop or slow down. Everyone must be skilled and educated to properly participate in the journey. Questions must be constantly asked. In the case of the Hawaii project: Where are the tourists going? How are they going? How could communication be improved? What could smooth entrance into the parks?

Lesson 4: Expectations change
While the aloha spirit is the genuine treasure of Hawaii, it must always be met in balance with malama, the respect for the state and environment, as well as the customs and culture that come with it. You receive the generosity of Hawaii, but you are obliged to pay it back in appreciation. The same balance is sought in DX, where it has the potential to bring revenue and benefits, but we must be careful to not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Lesson 5: DX waves won’t stop, learn to surf them
Lastly, there must be an emphasis on change, and an understanding that there is no final resting point in DX. Nakamura referred to the decline of Facebook and the rise of the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT as examples of the unpredictable nature of technology. “You have to be ready to ride the waves as they comes,” she said. “Be adaptable, be adjustable. Don’t think of it as a destination, but as a journey.”

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Winds of Change

First in-person Charity Ball since 2019 brings the ACCJ together

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After two years in virtual space, one of the largest annual events held by the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) returned to its traditional in-person format on December 3, when chamber members and guests gathered at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku for Chicago: An Evening in the Windy City.

The first live Charity Ball since 2019 kept some virtual aspects of the pandemic galas to give the whole chamber community—across the Tokyo, Chubu, and Kansai chapters—the opportunity to participate.

The goal was to raise funds for charity while also bringing one of the ACCJ’s most important social events back to life, and the evening was a roaring success thanks to a great venue; spectacular entertainment, inspired food, wine, and spirits; and a special guest: Chicago’s own Rahm Emanuel, US ambassador to Japan.

The Charity Ball Committee, with the help of the amazing ACCJ staff, worked together to make this event happen. But it would not have been possible without the support of our generous sponsors, all those who attended, and the many people who participated online in our raffle and auction.

With everyone’s support, we raised ¥4.5 million for charities, making a big difference in our ability to help those in need.

The Charity Ball Committee cannot thank our sponsors and the ACCJ community enough for making the event a success. We are grateful to each and every person involved, and extend a huge thank you to all!

Photo of Ambassador Emanuel: US Embassy, Tokyo  •  All other photos: Media Sense K.K.

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President’s Circle Sponsors

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Platinum Sponsor

Thomson Reuters

Bronze Sponsors

AIG Companies in Japan

Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd.

Prudential Financial, Inc.

Gold Sponsor

Boeing Japan K.K.

Mercury Sponsors

Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP

American Automobiles Space

NRK Sogo Kikaku Co. Ltd.

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Prize Sponsors

Diamond

Air Canada

Aquasense Hotel & Resort

Delta Air Lines

Double Bounce Productions Inc.

Fufu Hakone

Herman Miller Japan, Ltd.

KOA Production Inc.

Marriott International, Inc.

MediaSense K.K.

MnK Niseko

United Airlines, Inc.

Vega Project K.K.

Ruby

Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills

Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Hakuba Hotel Group

Sapphire

Amway Japan G.K.

Dhillon Marty Inc.

ELC Japan K.K. (Estée Lauder)

Mondelēz Japan Ltd.

Park Hyatt Tokyo

Shop Japan

Sunrockers, Ltd.

Tokyo American Club

Emerald

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

ANA InterContinental Tokyo

Antenna America

Asian Tigers Mobility

Big Picture International, K.K.

Bistro Vino Cellars

Conrad Tokyo

DevilCraft

Eastern Carpets

Elana Jade

Enplus Inc.

Food-e

Godiva Japan Inc.

Hafele Japan K.K.

HARIBO Japan

Hilton Tokyo

Hilton Tokyo BayHotel Indigo Inuyama Urakuen Garden

Hotel Indigo Karuizawa

Hyatt Regencv Kyoto

Jupiter International Corporation

M. ISHII & SONS

Northrop Grumman Japan

Palmer House

pearls.jp

Riedel Japan

Sazerac Japan

Simon Dalby Art

The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo

Temple University Japan Campus

Tsingtao Brewery

Yellow Toes Art Gallery

YouMeWe

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Leading the Way

The ACCJ recognizes exceptional contributions for 2022 from across its three chapters

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Each year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) honors members who have shown extraordinary dedication. On December 20, recipients were recognized in person for the first time since 2019 at a special Leadership Forum networking event, chaired by ACCJ Governor John W. Carlson III, at The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon.

“ACCJ leaders set the bar high, but are incredibly generous about sharing their knowledge and experience, and I have benefited so much from being a part of this community,” Leader of the Year Anne Smith told The ACCJ Journal. “To be recognized and to have my name officially added to the history of the ACCJ in this way is a career highlight.”

Steven Brown, who created the Ten Points on Business Dinner Series, said being named Leader of the Year for Chubu was “a great honor and quite a surprise.” He added that the most challenging part of the year was overcoming the long hiatus from in-person events forced upon the chamber by Covid-19. “In truth, I was a bit nervous about whether the presentations would be a success, but the speakers have been excellent—both entertaining and informative.”

Kansai Volunteer of the Year Naomi Iwasaki said the award was “like receiving a Christmas present. But I know I am receiving this representing the D&I Committee. Without their love and support, I would not be here today.”

Taking on the emcee role at the D&I Summit and Leadership Series “was exciting and challenging,” she explained.

The ACCJ also honored Ritchell Madikaegbu with a Special Recognition Award for her work as liaison from the US Embassy, Tokyo. Her valuable updates on women’s empowerment and leadership development initiatives—along with spearheading opportunities to connect and share best practices with other organizations supporting the committee’s shared goals—made a big difference in 2022.

“I am truly happy about the honor, and it is a reminder of the importance of the US Embassy–ACCJ partnership,” she said. “I look forward to doing my part to advance US Embassy and ACCJ priorities in Japan in 2023.”

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Anne Smith

Dual roles led to Leader of the Year honors for Anne Smith, whose tireless work as vice-chair of both the Government Relations and Healthcare Committees has elevated the ACCJ’s relationships with US and Japanese government partners. She is the face of the Government Relations Committee, setting meeting agendas and running committee-hosted events, and she spearheaded several defining events of the year, including the welcome luncheon with US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, attended by more than 160 members and guests. And her work with the Healthcare Committee resulted in meetings with top-level government and industry leaders. Smith’s passionate dedication serves as an inspiration to others and the ACCJ is grateful for her impactful contributions to the chamber’s position as the voice for global business in Japan.

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Akimasa Kataoka (Kansai)

Recognized for his superb leadership as co-chair of the Kansai Membership Relations Committee (MRC), Akimasa Kataoka revitalized the MRC and was a driving force behind the committee’s first in-person event in more than two years. Thanks to his efforts, the committee now has a growing membership base and many new events underway, including a young professionals mentorship program. Kataoka’s energy and commitment have created new opportunities for members to participate and get involved in the Kansai Chapter.

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Steve Brown (Chubu)

As a founding member of the Chubu Independent Business Committee (IBC), Steve Brown served as the committee’s first chair. He returned to IBC leadership this year, determined to reinvigorate the Chubu Chapter, and provided exceptional leadership as co-chair. He conceived of the Ten Points on Business Dinner Series, in which experienced business leaders shared key insights that led them to success and mistakes that have proved educational. Brown’s enthusiasm and tireless efforts made these monthly events a tremendous success, reengaging members and reestablishing the solid foundation of the Chubu community, and he continues to inspire leaders in the Chubu Chapter and throughout the chamber.

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Takako Onoki

Contributing endless energy and expertise to the Competition Policy Committee, Takako Onoki has made invaluable contributions, proactively organizing new speaker events and coordinating advocacy initiatives. She swiftly marshals the committee’s views on public comment opportunities to ensure that the ACCJ has a strong voice on key industry issues. As the committee’s most active member for several years, Onoki is an integral part of the committee’s leadership. The chamber is grateful for her passion and continued dedication.

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Naomi Iwasaki (Kansai)

It is for her proactive and enthusiastic support of the Kansai Diversity and Inclusion Committee that Naomi Iwasaki was named Volunteer of the Year. She was critical to the success of the D&I Summit Series, where she managed the Day 2 networking session and served as emcee on Day 3. She also collaborated directly with committee leaders and the speaker for one of the popular Leadership Series speaker sessions. Iwasaki provides an important perspective during committee meetings and is an indispensable asset to leaders and members alike. Her inclusive workstyle encourages others to further participate in realizing the committee’s goals and inspires inclusive business practices.

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Rafael Dantas (Chubu)

The ACCJ expresses its deepest appreciation to Rafael Dantas for his outstanding efforts in support of the Chubu Aerospace and Manufacturing Committee (AMC). He organized the Chubu Chapter’s first in-person networking event since before the pandemic, secured a venue where adequate social distancing was possible, and planned activities to facilitate networking among the participants. Due to his ingenuity and initiative, this and a follow-up event were resounding successes, resulting in three new members joining the ACCJ Chubu Chapter. Dantas’s positive energy, superb ability to organize, and strong networking skills are an asset to the entire chamber.

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Healthy Ideas

Innovators empower elderly patients at ACCJ Healthcare x Digital Ideathon

Started in 2020, the Healthcare x Digital (HxD) initiative of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) has grown to become a key platform for collaboration among innovators, startups, entrepreneurs, and top pharma executives.

After hosting pitch events for the first two years, the first ever HxD Ideathon took place late last fall with a hybrid in-person and online kickoff at the Hilton Osaka on October 29. This was followed by two virtual sessions on November 5 and 12, then finalized by the hybrid pitch event on November 19 at the Hilton Osaka. The four-day event was inspired by the tagline “empowering elderly patients through digital health.”

Participants included university students from the United States and Japan as well as healthcare professionals and a panel of judges from healthcare fields. Their aim? To forge new partnerships and create solutions for some of Japan’s most critical challenges in community healthcare and individual patient care.

Ideathon

The 2022 HxD event was modeled on the concept of ideathons, or workshop-like gatherings of groups tasked with challenges for which they are to propose solutions. Through this model, a total of 86 ideators, facilitators, and mentors worked together through a cyclic ideation process to identify root causes and develop the next big project in healthcare.

Day one began with opening remarks by Simone Thomsen, president and representative director of Eli Lilly Japan K.K. as well as ACCJ governor-Kansai, and continued with a panel discussion and ideation in groups to define problem statements and the healthcare challenges to be tackled. Ideation continued on days two and three, when teams focused on initial designs and worked to find agreement on a solution—one per group—that was to be presented on pitch day.

The event culminated on November 19 with a pitch contest in which nine teams presented their concepts, and engaged in question and answers sessions with judges, who then selected the best ideas. The winning teams will move forward to the next phase of the competition—a hackathon—to be held in 2023.

Pitch Day

The final day was divided into two rounds during which each group had five minutes to pitch their solution to a panel of judges.

Perhaps the biggest draw of HxD is the opportunity to present ideas directly to—and receive invaluable feedback from—industry leaders. There’s also the possibility of entering into a joint venture with, or receiving investment from, an industry player.

Winners also receive cash prizes and, this time, will have the chance to present their ideas at the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo and as part of the Japanese government’s Super City Initiative.

Let’s take a look at this year’s pitches.

Kyocare

Presented by Hiba Abulgasim, Kyocare is a digital customer-to-customer and business-to-business platform that provides flexible, personalized, quality care.

In the pitch, Abulgasim noted that 28.9 percent of Japan’s population is over the age of 65 —a record number that is growing. But the workforce tasked with caring for them is understaffed and overworked, and about 70 percent want to leave the profession.

This means care services are poorly coordinated. Many elderly people feel lonely and disconnected as a result, and family members tasked with their care feel stressed out.

The solution? Kyocare provides on-demand caregiving services for the elderly through an app that matches those who need long-term home care with nearby care workers.

Hi-Real System

A digital ecosystem pitched by Masato Suzuki and Sachiko Nakatsuka, Hi-Real System allows emergency-patient health records to be accessed by healthcare professionals even before emergency care is provided.

In their problem statement, Suzuki and Nakatsuka asked, “How do we support emergency triage when medical resources, such as medical staff, are limited?” Their solution involves a blockchain emergency information transmission service that instantly shares patient information to the hospital before patient arrival, which can then be used for smoother emergency treatment diagnosis.

Maya Mind

Osaka University Assistant Professor Gajanan Revankar presented Maya Mind, a web platform accessible via smartphones, tablets, or personal computers that targets patients who suffer from dementia. Revankar noted that, during early onset of dementia, diagnosis is time consuming and costly, while accuracy is low. Maya Mind seeks to tackle all these challenges.

The app uses eye tracking, speech processing, artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytics, and machine learning algorithms to create an index score for classifying different kinds of dementia, among other provisions.

AI Assistant

Ajinkya Takawale and Tomoko Mitsuoka pitched a voice-controlled AI assistant with a focus on early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes. The challenge before Takawale and Mitsuoko included how to leverage digital technologies to make the elderly more aware of their health risks through early diagnosis. Their voice-controlled robot uses non-invasive methods such as retinal imaging to track, record, and analyze an elderly person’s healthcare data. Using the results, they provide a diagnosis and help the person plan their lifestyle based on the insights.

Toilet Light Sensor for CKD

Chisato Banno and Reiko Tsubaki, both third-year students at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, also pitched a digital solution for patients at risk of CKD. Their solution offers a low-cost yet accurate Internet of Things device that samples, analyzes, and visualizes a person’s real-time health data, helping them to diagnose the onset of CKD early.

Their first prototype will use toilet-based light sensors that can analyze urine. The data gathered can be visualized via a smartphone app, which also can share data with a relevant healthcare provider, such as a hospital.

Helper-san

An avatar bot that identifies and neutralizes triggers that cause aggression in dementia patients, Helper-san is a digital platform that was presented by students and researchers Shobha Dasari, Allison Jia, Kanon Mori, Aarushi Patil, and Tsubasa Tanabe.

The students and researchers are part of a collaboration involving universities in Japan and the United States brought about by the Japan-American Innovators of Medicine, a four-month program in which medical innovators from both countries join to tackle a global healthcare issue related to dementia, such as aggression.

Their bot, which is embedded in a small, television-like device, can track a patient’s behavior, identify aggression triggers, and defuse them. An example would be dimming or turning off a light source that has been identified as the trigger.

Parapul

A web app presented by Kasper Watanabe, Parapul helps caregivers obtain the information they need, build relationships with like-minded people, and support their caregiving lives.

As the portion of society classified as elderly increases, Watanabe noted, the physical, mental, and financial burden on family members will grow, and yet such caregivers often lack the information necessary to provide care.

The Parapul platform is based on three pillars:

• Providing customized information, such as nursing care, educational materials, or local service listings to family members who are caregivers
• Connecting caregivers so they can share their challenges on bulletin boards, question-and-answer boards, or via direct messaging
• Offering a caregiving management system that, for instance, allows users to schedule nursing care support

Mobile Health

Pitched by Jingwen Zhang and Nondo Jacob Sikazwe, Mobile Health (mHealth) is a community platform that allows those at risk of CKD to be inspired to connect and receive information that can help them manage the condition.

During their presentation, the ideators noted that there are few digital tools on the market to help patients prevent or manage CKD. Why is this? First, individuals at risk, or who have early onset, of CKD have no or only slight symptoms that cause them inconvenience in daily life.

What’s more, those with middle-to-low incomes often struggle with daily living, which leaves little time and few resources to access primary healthcare.

Lastly, current biomarkers used to screen for CKD are affected by many factors, so there is a need for regular checkups.

Their community platform solves these challenges by incentivizing elderly people and their caregivers in three key areas:

• Motivation: where you can collaborate with the local community and receive community rewards for positive lifestyle changes
• Connection: where you can communicate directly with a healthcare provider
• Education: participate in customized, immersive games, quizzes, audio guides, and more that shed light on the issues of CKD

Coupon Kun

The final pitch, by Zechen Zeng and Keita Tsuyuguchi, addressed loneliness among elderly, which has reached epidemic levels. Zechen and Tsuyuguchi’s solution is a social network being developed in four phases. Phase one is to create a “Groupon experience,” through coupons for groups, that incentivizes elderly individuals to experience new things—such as hobbies, lessons, or traveling—with new social connections.

In phase two, the platform aims to introduce digital literacy to the elderly, including adoption of smart devices, while they undertake the group experiences.

In phase three, apps are used to monitor, collect, and share the health data of users with healthcare professionals following strict data privacy and security protocols.

And in phase four, insights gleaned from healthcare data are used to help users follow a healthy lifestyle.

Winners

With so many innovative ideas to consider, selecting the winners was not easy for the panel of industry professionals tasked with judging the 2022 HxD Ideathon.

Pitches were scored based on scientific innovation, relevance and timeliness, business feasibility, and how well they addressed the core issue.

Three ideas were selected to advance to the HxD hackathon in 2023:

• Maya Mind
• Hi-Real System
• Toilet Light Sensor for CKD

One other, Kyocare, was given special recognition and will also be part of the hackathon.

Overall, 119 ideators, facilitators, and students participated in at least one day of the ideathon, and connections were made with more than 22 universities for future events.

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Judges

Kozo Mori
Director, Medical Industry City, Medical and New Industry Division, Planning and Coordination Bureau, Kobe City Hall

Masayoshi Yamada
Deputy director, Department of Smart City Strategy, Strategy Promotion Office, Regional Strategy Promotion Division, Osaka Prefecture

Torsten Kanisch
Executive officer and vice president, commercial excellence, AstraZeneca K.K.

Christian Boettcher
Consulting partner, health sciences and wellness, EY Strategy & Consulting

Francisco Proano
Head of strategy and digital transformation, Bayer Yakuin

Yasuhiko Iida
Senior director, Consumer Experience Team and Next Generation Customer Engagement Strategy, Eli Lilly Japan

Hiroki Kayama
Strategic partnership development manager, AI for Japan, Google G.K.

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Changed Reality

US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel shares his views on the state of the bilateral relationship

Photos by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

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When Rahm Emanuel arrived in January as the 31st US ambassador to Japan, he wasted no time in building new connections and strengthening existing ties between the two countries. His experiences as mayor of Chicago, President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, a member of the US House of Representatives, and senior advisor to President Bill Clinton coalesce into a whirlwind of diplomatic energy. He has already visited 10 of Japan’s 47 prefectures and attended events stretching from Hiroshima to Otsuchi, in Iwate. And his love of trains and use of the country’s mass transit has captured the hearts of Japanese media.

On May 16, Emanuel took time out from this fast-paced schedule to speak to members and guests of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). Organized by the ACCJ Government Relations Committee, the luncheon at Tokyo American Club saw more than 200 in-person and remote attendees listen as the ambassador shared his thoughts on Japan and the great potential for the bilateral relationship. Emanuel also graciously responded to a range of questions during a lengthy Q&A session.

Following a welcome from committee Vice-Chair Anne Smith, ACCJ President Om Prakash delivered opening remarks. Noting that the ACCJ, as the voice of the US business community, has enjoyed a close and valuable relationship with the US Embassy, Tokyo, over the course of the chamber’s nearly 75-year history, he said, “I can’t think of a better person at the right time in the right place than this man.” In response, the ambassador quipped, “Intros like that make you wish your parents were here, because you know your mother would be proud and your father would be amazed.”

Impact on Investment

Emanuel began by noting that, after two years without an ambassador to its most important ally in the most important region, the White House and President Joe Biden are placing great value on Japan. The bilateral relationship, Emanuel believes, is at an inflection point. “We are no longer discussing, as we have for the past 40 years, alliance protection. I think the US–Japan relationship has matured into alliance projection,” he explained. “Yes, it’s about the two countries, but it is about the two countries projecting forward into the region in a shared way.”

As he said this, the embassy was preparing for Biden’s May 22–24 visit. That the trip took place so soon after the ambassador’s arrival highlights how their long working relationship energizes efforts to build cooperation with the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Stable, Sustainable Business

The challenges facing the world are many, and some are shaking the foundations of long-held approaches to business operations.

Emanuel said he feels we are transitioning from neoliberalism to a world in which consideration of potential conflict and political turmoil must play a key role in corporate decisions.

“There have been three major events that have shaken people and their calculations of what is going to be the road going forward,” he said. “And it’s a level of uncertainty, and an intensity of uncertainty, that really hasn’t been experienced in a long time when it comes to international affairs and international economics.

“My own view is that low cost and efficiency, which have been the guiding North Star for your individual companies for how you make investments, where you make investments, etc., those North Stars are slowly but surely … being replaced by stability and sustainability. No company today making a major decision economically, internationally, is going to be stuck with a major investment in an insecure, unstable political environment, a country that can one day have major sanctions [placed] on it,” he continued, alluding to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the potential for future conflicts.

New Calculus

The coronavirus pandemic, he noted, has already exposed the fragility of supply chains, and the war in Ukraine is having a similar impact in how it raises concerns over uncertainty in and around political systems, even in democratic countries. “You’re going to start to change the calculus of how you make investments, based on whether a country is politically stable and if it lives by the rule of law. Does it have the resilience and sustainability that you need as a company?”

Speaking of uncertainty as it pertains to international trade, Emanuel said that we are witnessing the emergence of a new political and economic equation, one that will become clearer over the next five years. To stability and sustainability he added resilience. “Each of those, in some way, becomes more dominant in how we think about political decisions, commercial decisions, and economic decisions.”

He closed by saying that he feels we have a unique opportunity to advance US–Japan relations.

“I said when I was confirmed, I think that what we do in the next three years, as the US and Japan, will determine our relationship for the next 30.”

The ambassador believes that, if Kishida emerges victorious in the July elections, Biden has a chance to build a solid foundation with the Japanese prime minister, with whom he came to be on a first-name basis after they had spent just one day together in May.

Emanuel knows what can happen when there is instability at the top, and how that can impact the bilateral relationship. As Clinton’s senior advisor, he saw six Japanese prime ministers come and go in eight years. “As soon as you started to get to know somebody, they were gone,” he said. “There’s a chance President Biden will have one prime minister for his tenure,” he continued. “That’s a unique opportunity not only to develop a relationship but [to work with] a person who, without an election overshadowing decisions, has the ability to make some real decisions for the future of the US–Japan relationship, including as it relates to the Indo–Pacific.”

To that end, Emanuel applauded Kishida for his leadership in the face of recent global uncertainty.

“One of the things I think Prime Minister Kishida has done very successfully is he has taken the Indo–Pacific and the Transatlantic and collapsed them into a single strategic sphere,” he said. “Just in the past 10 days, he’s hosted the European Union president, the Finnish prime minister, the chancellor of Germany and, two days prior to that, on his visit to Europe, he was with the British prime minister, the Italian prime minister, and the Pope. That should be seen as a way in which Europe now has a vested interest in a free and open Indo–Pacific. That is a major change of where we are politically and a major change of where we are economically.”

Concluding his speech, Emanuel told the crowd: “I look forward to the next three years working with each of your companies and promoting not only your commercial interests but, more importantly, our shared interests.”

Final Frontier

Former astronaut Naoko Yamazaki shares her vision for bilateral space cooperation and spaceports in Japan

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The United States and Japan share a long history of collaboration in space, working together on projects such as the International Space Station (ISS) and the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 and can also be seen as a preparatory stage for human missions to Mars.

Cooperation between the two countries in the space industry is growing stronger and represents a great pathway for innovation in the bilateral relationship. A significant player in the space travel industry in Japan is the Space Port Japan Association (SPJ), which was established in 2018 and is attracting considerable attention on both sides of the Pacific.

SPJ co-founder and Representative Director Naoko Yamazaki joined members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) on April 21 for an hour-long online discussion organized by the Chubu Aerospace and Manufacturing Committee.

Licensed to Fly

The accomplishments of Yamazaki, who participated as a panelist at the ACCJ Women in Business Summit in 2014, are impressive. Currently she is a member of the Committee on National Space Policy at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet Office. And as a former astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), she became the second Japanese women to fly into space when she took part in an assembly and resupply mission to the ISS in 2010 aboard the space shuttle Discovery. She retired from JAXA in 2011.

Besides appearing in the media to promote the SPJ, Yamazaki occasionally meets with government officials in both the United States and Japan. For example, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel greeted her and space startup leaders at the US Embassy, Tokyo, in February to discuss bilateral collaboration on the space front.

Direct Connections

During the April 21 webinar, ACCJ members learned that direct cooperation began with the signing of the 1969 US–Japan Space Agreement and has since blossomed into a relationship involving many US-made products. While a young organization, the SPJ has already established relationships with four regional governments interested in hosting spaceports. The projects include:

• HOSPO (Taiki, Hokkaido Prefecture)
• Spaceport Kii (Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture)
• Shimojishima Spaceport (Okinawa Prefecture)
• Spaceport Oita (Beppu, Oita Prefecture)

Other cities in Japan are also interested in such an investment in point-to-point suborbital space transportation hubs.

Besides sending future passengers to other planets, spaceports in Japan could become a launchpad from which to transport time-sensitive food and cargo to other locations on Earth. For example, Yamazaki pointed out, entrepreneur and investor Elon Musk proposed in 2017 a plan to use his SpaceX rockets to fly passengers from New York to Shanghai in just 39 minutes.

Supporting STEM

Yamazaki is recognized as a space policy expert not only in Japan but also in the United States. She was recently invited by the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) as a visiting fellow at the Perry World House, a center for scholarly inquiry, teaching, research, international exchange, policy engagement, and public outreach on pressing global issues. She is lending her expertise to Penn so that its students can develop and advance innovative policy proposals, and hopes to see more Japanese students benefit from the experience of studying abroad.

Finally, Yamazaki spoke about her involvement in the Japanese Rocket Society, where she chairs the Sorajo Committee, whose name means women in aerospace. She is a staunch advocate of inclusivity and gender equality in the Japanese aerospace industry—a goal very much aligned with the beliefs of the ACCJ and its member companies. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—or STEM—is a growing area of passion for this former astronaut, and we hope to see her and other members of the SPJ at future ACCJ events.

Chubu Walkathon

Annual event raises millions of yen for charity on a sunny day of food, friends, fun, and fitness in Nagoya

Photos by Andy Boone

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On May 22, more than 1,000 participants took part in the 31st Annual Chubu Walkathon International Charity Festival. This year’s event took place on a beautiful Sunday in Nagoya’s Meijo Park and was also livestreamed. More than ¥7 million was raised to support local charities. The Walkathon’s mission is to improve the lives of the less fortunate by creating an opportunity to increase awareness, recruit volunteers, and raise funds at a family-friendly, international outdoor event. More than ¥177 million has been donated over 31 years, and 18 charities received funds in 2021.

Shared Interests and Values

The ACCJ honors 2021 Person of the Year Nobuyuki Hirano

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Each year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) honors those who have significantly impacted the global business environment in Japan with the ACCJ Person of the Year award. Former chair, president, and group chief executive officer of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) Nobuyuki Hirano was selected as the 2021 Person of the Year not only for his work with MUFG, but also for his tireless efforts to promote better US–Japan business ties.

During a career spanning more than 40 years, and as chair of the Japan–U.S. Business Council from 2017 to 2021 and a current vice-chair of the Keidanren (the Japanese Business Federation), Hirano has helped to strengthen global business. ACCJ members and guests recognized this on April 25 at an in-person event held at Tokyo American Club and livestreamed to remote attendees.

The luncheon began with a VIP session where ACCJ leaders greeted Hirano, after which ACCJ Governor and Financial Services Forum Chair Andrew Conrad welcomed members and guests, and provided background about the award. ACCJ President Om Prakash delivered remarks, saying that, in Hirano, “we are extremely lucky to have someone who is so thoughtful—and very methodical—in how he approaches incredibly complex issues between the United States and Japan, and the entire world.”

Values and Principles

Taking the podium, Hirano expressed his deep honor to have been chosen for the award, and thanked the chamber for its contributions as a member of the Japan–U.S. Business Council. “I appreciate the initiatives of all the ACCJ presidents—Christopher LaFleur, Sachin Shah, Peter Jennings, Peter Fitzgerald, and Jenifer Rogers—during my tenure."

He then addressed the importance of shared values and trust by taking attendees back to the eighties—1983 to be precise—when he had arrived in New York City as a trainee at Morgan Stanley. The two years spent there for his secondment was the start of an extraordinary journey that would make Hirano a bridge between the United States and Japan and lead him to a position on the firm’s board of directors, which he accepted in March 2008.

Speaking of his fellow directors, he said, “They often joke, ‘Nobu, you are the first, and possibly the last, guy who has been elevated from unpaid trainee to Board member.’”

During the 2008 global financial crisis, MUFG made a $9 billion strategic investment in Morgan Stanley—a move that Hirano says exemplifies the importance of shared values and principles between business partners. “This was a significant investment in its huge scale but, more so, in the sense that it is the only successful alliance between globally systemically important banks,” he explained. Worldwide, there are just 30 such banks, often called G-SIBs.

“But I believe it is more than this,” he continued. “James Gorman, now CEO of Morgan Stanley Investment Bank, and I agree that we actually have a similar corporate culture. I think it’s very important that our values and principles are similar, [in areas] such as putting the client first, doing the right thing, and [having] an appreciation for long-term perspective.”

Returning to the present, Hirano noted that there has been a series of global crises in the financial world—roughly one per decade—which “have had a huge impact that exceeded most people’s expectations.” These include the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy in 1990, the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and the global financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the markets in September 2008 with the collapse of Lehman Brothers—the event which brought together MUFG and Morgan Stanley.

Today, we are on the precipice of another shockwave.

“The world is at a critical juncture and has entered a period of great uncertainty. We are undergoing a once-in-a-century period of dramatic change, which has been described as the era of VUCA, or volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity,” he said, adding that we are witnessing a crucial moment in history with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“A question we need to ask in today’s society is what role business leaders should play.”

Cooperation on China

As part of his work with the Japan–U.S. Business Council, Hirano has been involved in the Japan–U.S. Business Conference, an annual event first held in Tokyo in 1961. The conference makes recommendations to the Japanese and US governments as well as related organizations.

At the 58th conference last fall—held virtually for the second year in a row due to the pandemic—a key topic of discussion was bilateral cooperation in the face of challenges from China.

“The struggle for supremacy between the United States and China is expected to be prolonged, while the economies of China and other countries are already deeply connected,” Hirano said. “There is consensus among business leaders that decoupling is unrealistic … with a slight difference [being that] Japanese businesses tend to be more cautious about risk due to Japan’s high level of dependence on China and its close geographical proximity. Their US counterparts take a more opportunistic stand.”

While this difference in risk aversion exists, the only way to successfully deal with China, he proposed, is for likeminded countries to continue acting together based on their shared interests and values.

“Working with likeminded countries to reach out to China has also affected the private sector. That’s what I believe,” he said. “In fact, last autumn, we jointly invited guests from the EU government and European industries to the Japan–U.S. Business Council for the first time, to discuss rebuilding the global order as well as sustainability.”

While China may not change course over the short term, in the next few decades, he added, China may face socioeconomic challenges, such as the declining birthrate and aging population. “These might substantially undermine China’s economic growth potential,” Hirano explained. “History shows that the distortions that occur alongside rapid economic growth are concealed until the growth slows. Once the distortions are revealed, they then force major structural reforms.”

Issues Uncovered

It has been more than two years since life as we knew it hit the brakes due to Covid-19. Hirano said the pandemic has not only disrupted the global economic order and increased political and geo-economic tension, but also revealed the global scale of the need to address sustainability issues. These include societal divisions, social inequality, and climate change.

“These problems,” he reasoned, “are largely due to globalization and excessive shareholder capitalism … Whether we like it or not, we will be forced to remodel the current socioeconomic systems that have supported capitalism up to now.

“However, we have no clear idea, yet, how to solve many of the problems. This is partly due to differences in values and principles among conflicting nations.”

This is where he sees the great asset that is the US–Japan relationship, which is built on shared values and principles. It is important, he stressed, for US and Japanese business leaders to discuss how to chart and navigate a course on issues such as carbon-neutrality targets and convey their opinions to local governments.

On this issue, he believes, it is very important that there be cooperation with other countries in Asia, particularly members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In terms of Japan’s economy, the country’s future may be in jeopardy, Hirano suggested, unless drastic measures are taken to address the serious issues laid bare by the pandemic.

“To overcome this situation, the public and private sectors must act with a sense of urgency to make large structural changes to socioeconomic systems, in particular, and to revitalize and restructure industry through digitization and green transformation,” he stressed.

United by Trust

As a final point, Hirano noted that it is trust which has allowed the United States and Japan to develop such good relations and that, while close-knit cooperation between the governments is no doubt a huge part of this, he believes a major factor is the human connection between the people of both nations, strengthened over many years.

And it is this trust, which “cannot be seen by just looking at economic numbers,” that he considers to be an extremely important asset as we move into a future that is uncertain—not just for countries, but for business partners as well.

“I’d like to conclude by expressing my sincere hope that the business leaders of Japan and the United States will further deepen relations and our mutual understanding which, in turn, will strengthen the relationship—the partnership—between our two countries,” he said. “I also wish for the continued prosperity and success of this excellent institution, the ACCJ.”

Activist Investing in 2022

Fourth Annual ACCJ Shareholder Forum brings together experts from Japan and overseas for a look at the state of the market

Tokyo Stock Exchange President and CEO Hiromi Yamaji delivers the keynote.

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Why should anyone care about activist investing in Japan?

This is the question posed by American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Alternative Investment Committee Chair Frank Packard as he opened the Fourth Annual ACCJ Shareholder Forum on June 7 at Tokyo American Club. The event, which was also livestreamed to remote attendees, has become an important part of the annual general meeting (AGM) season.

Four speakers explored this through a wide-ranging look at the realities of the Japanese market, corporate governance, activist investing, stewardship, shareholder proposals, and more after the keynote was delivered by Hiromi Yamaji, president and chief executive officer of Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc. (TSE) as well as director, representative officer, and group chief operating officer of Japan Exchange Group, Inc.

Presenting were:

• Nicholas Smith, strategist with CLSA
• Andrew McDermott, president of Mission Value Partners
• Tsuyoshi Maruki, president and CEO of Strategic Capital
• Seth Fischer, founder and chief investment officer at Oasis Management

Packard himself offered some thoughts during the introduction.

“The past 30 years in Japanese public equities provide an interesting lens for today,” he explained. “I want to make the case that we should pay attention because active engagement in Japan might actually be the best global investment strategy today.”

This was not always the case. After the bubble economy of the 1980s burst, activist investing in Japan during the 1990s was somewhat primitive, Packard said. “Some notorious examples, often American, featured activists making simple demands for immediate action to get quick financial return for themselves, not for the companies or other shareholders. To be clear, activism in Japan did not start with an attractive image. But it’s come a long way.”

Japan’s Financial Services Agency began providing useful frameworks with written regulations in 2014 to encourage corporate governance and investor stewardship. Today, Japan is the world’s second-biggest market for activism. “Activists are doing well by doing good,” he said. These days, you’ll find many other groups addressing important governance topics—diversity of board members, foreigners as directors, and talk about disclosure on environmental, social, and corporate governance topics.”

But, Packard noted, very few people are focusing on the other code—the stewardship code—and what are best practices for improving corporate value. “This absence, we believe, is an opportunity for the ACCJ.”

Is ESG Good?

One of the most frequently heard terms in discussions of investing these days is ESG. And while a focus on improving environmental, social, and corporate governance would appear to be good, there are some growing doubts about how to apply it in a decision-useful and commercial manner.

“In theory, [addressing] climate change is a noble goal. Increasing disclosure of environmental impact, as the TSE has recommended and the ACCJ has advocated, that’s very good, too. But in practice, investing in ESG assets has led to many cases of greenwashing,” Packard said, using the term that refers to making inflated, unsubstantiated, or even false claims about the environmentally friendly nature of a product or practice.

“We’re seeing a lack of agreement on ratings and benchmarks, and some concerns that ESG might actually be too blunt an instrument for financial services,” he explained. “Some of the leaders of financial firms are now saying that, maybe, it’s time to retire ESG and its application for investing.”

Lastly, Packard asked where activist investing fits into today’s financial markets, at a time when all asset classes fell in value for the first time in 30 years. That happened during the first quarter of this year. “This has been very confusing for investors trying to do the right thing. Where can investors go to embrace sustainability and responsible investments? Could the answer be to focus on active investment and active engagement?” he asked. “It’s not only an academic or ethical question, it might also be optimal strategy in the current financial markets.”

A Look at the Market

Next, Yamaji delivered the keynote and spoke about what he sees as very important changes in the Japanese market.

“In addition to the excitement generated by the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, this also has been an exciting time for us at the TSE as [we] went through a major overhaul this past April, kicking off major changes in the Japanese capital market.”

The TSE revamped its grouping of shares for the first time since 1961, replacing its four-market structure with one comprising three: prime, standard, and growth. The top tier is home to blue chips that have met corporate governance requirements which are higher than those of the previous first section. More than 80 percent of the companies that were listed in the first section have shifted to the prime market.

“As shareholders and investors engage with these companies, Japanese companies are undertaking significant changes to their business growth strategies through realignment of their business portfolio and through their new approaches to corporate governance,” Yamaji added.

The presentation portion of the event covered:

• A vertical review of activism comparison over several years as well as a horizontal view of the different engagements within the AGM season, provided by CLSA’s Smith
• A look at stewardship, what it means, and how it applies to 2022 Japan, as well as additional thoughts on ESG, from Mission Value Partners’ McDermott, who joined online from Tennessee
• A fund manager’s perspective on activism and tools used for preparing shareholder proposals, offered by Strategic Capital’s Maruki
• A recap of some past shareholder proposals and a look at the power of engagement and the 2022 proxy season, presented by Oasis’s Fischer

Packard concluded the event by thanking everyone who made it possible, including the ACCJ programs and communications teams as well as his fellow Alternative Investment Committee leaders, Vice-Chairs Pieter Franken, Deborah Hayden, Jason Topaz, and Christopher Wells. It was a great cooperative success.

Watch The ACCJ Journal for additional extended coverage of the presentations, coming soon.

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2021 Person of the Year Photo Gallery

Photos by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

From left: ACCJ President Om Prakash, Nobuyuki Hirano, 2021 ACCJ President Jenifer Rogers, and ACCJ Financial Services Forum Chair Andrew Conrad

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On April 25, 2022, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) recognized Nobuyuki Hirano as the 2021 ACCJ Person of the Year for his leadership and substantial contributions to the US–Japan relationship.

During a hybrid event held at Tokyo American Club and livestreamed to remote ACCJ members and guests, the former chair, president, and group chief executive officer of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) spoke about his long career.

The event began with a VIP session where ACCJ leaders greeted Hirano, after which ACCJ Governor and Financial Services Forum Chair Andrew Conrad welcomed luncheon guests and provided background about the award. ACCJ President Om Prakash delivered remarks and welcomed Hirano to the podium.

In addition to his work at MUFG, Hirano served as chair of the Japan-U.S. Business Council from 2017 to 2021, working tirelessly to promote better US–Japan business ties and to further strengthen the international business environment in Japan.

Following Hirano’s presentation and a Q&A session, moderated by Conrad, 2021 ACCJ President Jenifer Rogers presented the certificate.

The ACCJ Person of the Year Award was created in 1996 to enable the chamber to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to business and commercial relations between Japan and the United States. Past recipients include: Fujio Cho, honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation; Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten, Inc.; and Caroline Kennedy, the 30th US Ambassador to Japan.

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Supplier D&I

WEConnect International’s three-year journey in the Japanese market

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While there is much talk in Japan about diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace, another important, though less-discussed, aspect of D&I involves suppliers. Some major companies have long championed diversity in their supply chains, but the issue is now getting more attention—and progress is being made—thanks to the efforts of socially conscious leaders.

This was the topic of a November 25 virtual event, hosted by the ACCJ-Chubu Programs Committee and entitled Supplier D&I: Three-Year Journey in the Japanese Market. Speaker Setsu Suzuki, chief executive officer and founder of Hunext, Inc., shared how sourcing from women-owned startups is shaping the Japanese economy.

Connecting Women

Suzuki is the Japan project director for WEConnect International, the Washington, DC-based non-profit organization (NPO) that expanded its certification and market access activities to Japan in 2018. She recalled how, in 2017, she was invited by Gary Schaefer, principal officer at the US Consulate Nagoya, to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, India. Some 6,000 women business owners took part in the three-day event. There she had her first contact with WEConnect International, which helps drive money into the hands of women business owners by enabling them to compete in the global marketplace.

“That’s fantastic, right?” Suzuki exclaimed. “So, I immediately said that I want to be a member of this organization.” After getting to know leaders of the enterprise during the summit, she was asked to become the director of WEConnect in Japan. Three months later, she signed a contract with the international body and led its expansion into the market. Noting that WEConnect International is the only certifying body in the world that supports supplier diversity, Suzuki explained that there are five categories:

• Women
• Challenged
• LGBTQ
• Racial minority
• Veterans

“And women are really key,” she said. Globally, just one percent of procurement by governments and corporations goes to women-owned business.

“WEConnect International began studying this 12 years ago, but the number is still only one percent. We want to push it to two percent,” she explained.

“According to a World Bank report, 32–39 percent of companies around the world are owned by women. So, definitely, women are key to a diverse economy.”

Next, Suzuki introduced the companies among WEConnect International’s 143 member buyers that are most active in Japan:

• Accenture
• Johnson & Johnson
• Intel K.K.
• IBM Japan, Ltd.
• EY
• P&G Japan G.K.
• Microsoft Japan, Co., Ltd.
• Micron Memory Japan, G.K.

“More and more Japanese corporations are starting to pay attention to supplier diversity,” she said.

Where Are the Women?

There are 3.8 million small businesses in Japan, but only 500,000 are owned by women. What constitutes a woman-owned business (WOB)? It seems straightforward, and Suzuki noted that we use the term a lot in English.

But to make it clear what this means by definition, she explained that it should be “an incorporated company with at least 51 percent of the business owned and managed, or governed, by one woman—or more.” The WEConnect certification standards state that ownership “is determined based on title to, and beneficial ownership of, stock, membership interests, or other equity in the business.”

WEConnect allows self-declaration as a WOB. Such registration in their database is free and carries limited benefits.

“WEConnect International … helps drive money into the hands of women business owners by enabling them to compete in the global marketplace.”

There is also the Women Business Enterprise (WBE) designation (pronounced “weebee”). This certification opens the door to the procurement departments of 143 member companies and enables business owners to connect with 12,000 women entrepreneurs in more than 110 countries.

In this case, there is a fee, and membership includes unlimited access to WEConnect benefits. The money is used to fund the NPO’s operations, which are driven by three pillars: certification, connection, and education.

Three-Year Journey

WEConnect International’s launch in Japan took place three months after Suzuki took on her role as country director. The expansion into Japan was made possible through the Strengthening Market Access for Women Business Owners initiative, a consortium that includes Accenture, Intel, and Johnson & Johnson. The founding members are working closely with WEConnect to leverage its powerful global networks and experience working with women business owners, and there are now 28 certified WBEs in Japan.

The launch was marked by a hybrid event, making it possible to connect women business owners from Hokkaido to Okinawa. It was supported by the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and Women in Business Committee Vice-chair Makiko Tachimori (Fukui) helped facilitate.

A business-to-business matchmaking event was held on November 26, 2020, in which 10 member buyers, 14 tier-one corporations, and 51 WOBs and WBEs participated. Suzuki said that three women business owners got contracts following the event, showing how even online meetings can really make business happen.

The session will take place again in February—rebranded as the P&G Academy Women’s Entrepreneurs Business Development Program—as an eight-day intensive series.

With the support of Johnson & Johnson and Dell Technologies, WEConnect conducted a survey of 191 Japanese female entrepreneurs in Japan between August and September 2020. According to results, the top challenges faced by WOBs are:

• Balancing work and family (65 percent)
• Gender discrimination (30 percent)
• Market entry (11 percent)

She also noted that many women who responded to the survey cited the issue of surnames as an obstacle to their business lives. Because Japan continues to require that women take their husband’s surname, some women said that they must use a false name in work, so that their husband’s family will not discover that they are entrepreneurs—a role that goes against traditional views of a woman’s place in society.

On the brighter side, Suzuki said that WOBs in Japan are thriving across a wide range of industries. Many fall under the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an important part of WEConnect International’s activities. The organization is working with governments, the UN, and others to help achieve SDG number five: gender equality in the economy.

Japan WBEs

There are only 28 certified WBEs in Japan, but Suzuki is dedicated to expanding that number. She introduced two success stories during the event, starting with Yuko Takahashi, president of Osaka-based Japan Engine Valve Mfg. Co., Ltd. Known by the brand name Dokuro, the company began producing engine valves in 1949.

Takahashi, who was unable to attend due to a business event, delivered a short, vibrant video in which she flew a drone around the Dokuro offices and production facilities to explain how her company makes after-market auto parts. The parts are shipped around the world to meet the needs of those who own Japanese cars.

Setsu Suzuki

Ayako Mochizuki

Yuko Takahashi

Next, Ayako Mochizuki, a Japan native who moved to the United States at the age of 22, shared her experiences running a small and medium-sized enterprise in Japan, doing business with large companies on a global basis.

In 2014, she became president of IBS Japan Co., Ltd., the 35-year-old value-added reseller of data communication products, founded by her father. She runs the company from her home in Boulder, Colorado, while her father remains involved as an owner in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, where the corporate headquarters is located.

IBS Japan’s mission is to make life easier through the application of technology, and the company was certified as a WBE by WEConnect International in 2019. “Since then, I have had many successes [as a result of] being a WBE,” she said. One such success, she noted, involved the sale of thermal camera technology to a major pharma company soon after the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite these successes, challenges remain—particularly with traditional mindsets about gender roles in business. Mochizuki shared an interesting example from within her own company.

“When I got certified [as a WBE] in 2019, one of my employees—a key person for me—actually told me that I should not be certified,” she recounted. “He said that if we are certified, if they find out that I’m a feminist—that’s the word he used—we are not going to get business, because it’s a male-dominated industry that we serve. He was very concerned.”

She noted that this worry is real in Japan, because the country remains very much dominated by men, and many of the business leaders are aged 60 and over.

So, the shift in mindset takes time. But through the efforts of Suzuki, WEConnect, and women business owners such as Takahashi and Mochizuki, that change is taking place.

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2021 Leaders and Volunteers of the Year

The ACCJ recognizes exceptional contributions from across its three chapters

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Each year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) honors members who have shown extraordinary dedication. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic once again made the usual celebratory gathering at Tokyo American Club difficult, so ACCJ President Jenifer Rogers presented certificates as part of a virtual Leadership Forum on December 16.

Leaders of the Year

Royanne Doi

As chair of the Governance Task Force, Doi worked tirelessly throughout the year, leading numerous meetings and discussions related to enhancing the chamber’s governance practices. She ensured that the decision-making process was inclusive and transparent, giving multiple stakeholders opportunities to share input.

Eric Waters

As vice-chair of the Women in Business Committee, Waters played a key role in shaping the agenda and activities while providing the perspective of male leaders and allies—a critical factor in driving change. He inspired other men to step up as allies of women in business, and advance diverse leaders in the workplace.

Julian Bashore (Chubu)

Bashore revitalized the Aerospace and Manufacturing Committee as its chair by recognizing the need for continued aerospace representation while also incorporating the local manufacturing focus that is critical to the Chubu region. And as vice-chair of the Programs Committee, he led the Charity Golf Tournament, enabling the ACCJ to support local charities.

Rica Bradshaw (Kansai)

As chair of the Kansai Community Service Committee, Bradshaw helped restructure the committee’s focus, increase the number of active members, and establish close relationships with local groups to enhance education on environmental issues in schools. She also executed the fundraising alliance with the ACCJ No-Show Charity Ball to support the Kansai Food Bank.

Yuri Ichihashi (Kansai)

Ichihashi was a driving force behind the 10th annual Kansai Leadership Series. The first to be held virtually, this year’s series had a record number of registrants. And as co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, her leadership in organizing the 7th annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit Series was indispensable.

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Volunteers of the Year

Noriko Morikawa

A member of the Women in Business Committee, Morikawa’s valuable insights on the workplace challenges facing women in Japan led to better tailored events and an impressive network of speakers. She served as an inspiring speaker herself, as part of the Women in the Boardroom Series, and helped explore collaboration with groups such as the Keidanren (the Japanese Business Federation).

Daisuke Yasumizu

Yasumizu contributed endless energy and expertise to the Healthcare Committee, proactively proposing new speaker programs and advocacy initiatives. He has been a key catalyst in driving greater alignment between the committee and the Healthcare x Digital (HxD) initiative, and provided the ACCJ with crucial information regarding our Covid-19 vaccination rollout.

James Hedden (Chubu)

A supporter of the Chubu Children’s Fund and Chubu Walkathon, Hedden’s commitment to volunteerism and his community is unparalleled. For more than five years, he has devoted immense resources. Most recently he served as “Walk Tanto,” developing new ways to secure funds and creating tie-ins that benefited the charities, sponsors, and participants.

HxD Initiative Team (Kansai)

Torsten Kanisch, Francisco Proaño, Christian Boettcher, and Yasuhiko Iida successfully executed the first ACCJ HxD startup pitch event in 2020, and followed that up this year by increasing submissions by 30 percent. The HxD team embodies all four ACCJ core pillars, and their groundbreaking work is making a positive impact on the chamber’s healthcare and digital transformation goals.

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Special Achievement Award

Robert Noddin

As founder and chair of the F500 CEO Advisory Council, Noddin enabled large-company CEOs to become more actively engaged with the ACCJ. He has also been a strong champion of advocacy with the US government, participating in DC Doorknock visits to Washington. And as a member of the ACCJ Election Governance Task Force in 2020 and the Governance Task Force this year, he has helped bring significant, positive changes to the chamber’s governance.

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ACCJ Kansai D&I Summit

Key takeaways shared over three days of focus on workplace equality

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The 7th Annual ACCJ Kansai Diversity & Inclusion Summit took place over the course of three days—October 4, 13, and 21—in a new series format that delivered a blend of inspiration and practical information sharing. With a focus on diversity-and-inclusion (D&I) initiatives, as well as equality in the workplace, the series featured keynote and plenary speakers, a fireside chat, training sessions, and remote networking.

The first day of the summit began in earnest with a keynote speech by Jenifer Rogers, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). Rogers noted that the ACCJ is at the forefront of D&I efforts, especially through the Women in Business Committee and its activities, which include advocating for women in the workforce.

Recently, the committee created the Women in Business Reading List on the ACCJ’s website where resources are shared to help empower women in the workforce.

Speakers at the summit shared their personal and professional experiences in advancing D&I in Japan and abroad, including strategies that can be employed individually, at work, and in the community at large. Attendees engaged deeply with the themes of the conference, via question-and-answer sessions and breakout training opportunities.

The Way of Change

In her presentation, Rogers looked back at her first experiences in Japan, and how having to “encounter adversity in order to create opportunity” helped to shape her career trajectory.

“That experience changed my life; it changed what I wanted to do with it, and the total direction of it,” she said.

Graduating high school early, Rogers relocated to Japan in 1981 and spent two years as a student at Sophia University. Before that transition, she had intended to study nursing in the United States.

However, because of those early years in Japan, she changed her studies from nursing to foreign studies and law. She also studied Japanese. After graduating from law school in the United States, in 1988 Rogers returned to Japan on a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research. Her area of study was the impact of the 1985 Equal Employment Opportunity Act on female college graduates.

Why female college graduates? Because, at the time, they were one of the groups most discriminated against in Japan, Rogers recalled. Such women had the least time to work before they had to quit their jobs to raise children.

In the late 1980s, Rogers and her peers had been excited about how the new law would be a game changer for women in the workforce. “Unfortunately, those expectations were not met.”

And yet, by the time Rogers returned to Japan for a fourth time, at the end of 2014, things had changed: D&I had become part of the agenda in business circles here. Why was that?

Societal pressures, such as the aging of society, had created a need for talent—and among the least-tapped demographics in Japan at the time were university-educated women. Japan realized it has to take advantage of that.

In addition to the United States, Rogers has practiced law in six countries. She has studied or worked in Japan for more than 16 years, her career spanning financial services and IT industries. This vast experience has allowed her to develop a global perspective, she said.

Rogers holds non-executive directorships at three companies, positions that have allowed her to share her experience as a lawyer and a business professional. In January, she was elected president of the ACCJ.

Prior to leading the chamber, she worked with not-for-profit boards and in other leadership roles—experiences that helped her to hit the ground running as a leader at the ACCJ.

Looking back at her career, Rogers sees change as the salient theme; indeed, she refers to herself as a “change junkie.” But why embrace change?

Rogers identified at least three reasons: change—whether that’s working with a new team or in a different country or culture—allows you to leave your comfort zone, learn new ideas, and have new experiences.

“I think of change as an opportunity for growth.”

Does that mean she has taken every opportunity to embrace change? No. Rogers notes that she has been thoughtful about when to adopt change, in part because change comes with risk.

That said, the status quo involves risks, too. Nothing remains the same, she shared. For instance, you may get a new boss, your division may be merged with another one, or you may lose your job due to restructuring. What is important is assessing each new opportunity considering your personal and professional circumstances to determine if it is the right change for you and your career goals.

In her case, change allowed Rogers to become a resilient leader. Without it, she would have had no imperative to grow, no motivation to improve, no opportunity to receive input from a wide range of sources, and no incentive to innovate.

“I gained so much confidence in myself after each new opportunity. There were no perfect experiences, only those that taught me a lot of new things that helped me grow.”

Rogers encouraged women not to be held back by the fear of the unknown, and to embrace change.

Throughout her career and in the same way that she embraced change, Rogers has engaged actively with D&I and experiences involving people who have different ideas, backgrounds, gender, and even biases. While diversity can cause discomfort, it can also spur innovation and growth, she noted.

“In some cultural contexts, I need to have very in-depth, one-on-one conversations with people to make sure they understand my point of view, and that I understand theirs. That happens in Japan.”

As another example, Rogers noted that in India, she had to be open to having many meetings and drawn-out debates to ensure the desired outcome for all stakeholders.

In Japan, where she often is the only woman in the boardroom, Rogers often has wondered how she can leverage her personal experiences and skills to bring about change.

There is now a call for D&I in Japan, not as nice-to-have but as a must-have, to improve productivity and competitiveness, she said. The question then becomes, “How can Japan truly accelerate its diversity and inclusion?”

For us, it starts with adapting views so that they have the greatest impact in the context of Japan. Identifying others who are open to your views, finding a mentor or sponsor who is sympathetic to your goals, and mentoring others are great ways to effect change and to learn for yourself.

Surviving Diversity

The second keynote on day one was delivered by Masaaki Ito, executive director of Japanese fast-food chain Yoshinoya Co., Ltd. Previously, Ito worked for P&G in Switzerland, the United States, Singapore, and Japan. He is currently an outside director and adviser to several companies. Ito spoke about how he has survived in a diverse corporate environment abroad and in Japan.

A graduate of Keio University, he recalled that on TOEIC, a standardized test for English proficiency, he had achieved a high score. And yet, he had not been able to speak English well, something he had thought might haunt him while living abroad.

Ito spoke about being the only Japanese on his team in Cincinnati and Geneva. But, when he transitioned to the office in Singapore, the challenge changed: there were 10 nationalities in the office. What’s more, 60 percent of his colleagues were women—a first for him in the workplace.

Looking back, Ito noted a number of things that he learned—despite the challenges—from working as part of diverse teams across many cultures. From the perspective of a marketer, it is important to have diverse views on your team, he acknowledged. A lack of diversity, conversely, is likely to lead to unintended outcomes, such as groupthink.

One way to work through differences—and to identify shared values and good ideas—is to engage in team-building activities, such as office outings, including going out for food and drinks with colleagues, he said. Referencing Aristotle, Ito noted that there are three necessary elements to human communication. One must have the ability to:

• Create trust
• Act rationally
• Display empathy

In addition, he identified three questions—beginning with who, how, and what—the understanding of which are needed to move people. The first is, “Who do you wish to be in the eyes of the listener?” When speaking, it pays to speak to others in the same way that you want them to speak to you.

The second is, “How would you like to talk to another person?” It pays to be able to find areas of agreement with others, so formulating a conversation using a “yes, and” formula is better than a “yes, but” structure. The former allows you to better understand the other person.

The third is, “What would you like to learn from the other person?” Here, it pays not to focus merely on what you want to say, but to listen. Focus on being objective and eliminating bias about the other person, and listen carefully to them.

Mastering the who, how, and what of communication allows workplace diversity to be transformed from a burden into a boon, Ito shared.

Remote Realities

Day two of the summit began with a keynote by Kyoko Yamamoto, senior vice president and head of human resources at NTT Communications Corporation. In her presentation, entitled “Workstyle Transformation as a Key Driver of D&I,” Yamamoto outlined key barriers to gender diversity in the Japanese workplace.

Speaking from personal experience, she noted long-standing and outdated organizational barriers to women’s inclusion and progress at work, such as inflexible hours and an assumption that employees will stay late at the office. There have also been expectations that work will be carried out face-to-face, as opposed to remotely.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has led to a radical transformation of the work culture in Japan, while expanding the view of what a workplace is. Since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, work practices have become more flexible, “remote-work natives” are now common, and companies have realized that new value can be gained from remote work. What’s more, employee happiness has increased in many respects.

Yamamoto identified four trends in this era of increasing remote work:

• Open communication and management
• Flexible rules and conditions
• The 3Cs of the office
• Digital transformation and data utilization

The first refers to a new culture of open information sharing and management, and setting up remote and interactive management systems.

Yamamoto referenced NTT’s Remote Work Handbook, a guide to telework that is available free online. The guide shares best practices on topics such as how to manage a remote meeting, onboard new employees, and update IT skills.

Flexible rules and conditions, meanwhile, seek to create a work environment that isn’t based on fixed work times and office locations. Here, a new, super-flex-time system allows greater flexibility for employees to choose their work hours and location.

And the 3Cs of the office—change, creation, and collaboration—redefine our understanding of a workplace: the office can now be a remote space for generating ideas and collaborating, but with on/off switches that allow workers to have time for themselves.

The last item, meanwhile, optimizes work via the digitalization of processes and the greater use of data—the advent of which will open new opportunities that align well with the work–life balance needs of women. In such an environment, workers are encouraged to find a balance between individual autonomy and self-management on the one hand, and teamwork on the other. They are also empowered to respect diversity and build trust via open, trust-based workflows.

Since the implementation of this new workstyle paradigm at NTT in early 2020, employee satisfaction has reached record levels. About 80 percent of workers at the company now enjoy remote work, up from less than 20 percent before the pandemic.

Staff told of increased satisfaction and productivity, career development, and a sense of unity. Meanwhile, record increases were reported in employees’ sense of pride, equality, and respect—not to mention trust. What’s more, for the first time, the level of satisfaction among women increased to match that of men. Both had around a 65-percent positive response rate in opinion polls.

Overall, the transformation of workstyles at NTT has led to major changes to its office culture in two ways. From the perspective of the company, business processes have been transformed and data-driven management is now prevalent.

From the perspective of workers, personal growth and well-being have become priorities, work has become more pleasant and diverse, and career opportunities have increased.

Change for Good

The plenary speaker on day two was Daniel Binette, senior director of the immunology business unit at Eli Lilly Japan K.K.

In his presentation, entitled “Beyond the Evidence: D&I in Action,” Binette shared data from a survey, of more than 100 companies in 15-plus countries, which shows a link between financial performance and ethnic or gender diversity in the boardroom.

Other data shows that 67 percent of prospective employees surveyed shared that they consider workplace diversity an important factor when applying to work for a company. Diverse organizations, Binette pointed out, are more likely than less-diverse ones to attract and recruit better talent.

Despite the compelling evidence showing how D&I can improve personal and business outcomes, Binette noted that some organizations have fallen behind global trends in its implementation.

Why? As we focus on diversity targets for age, race, and gender, do we lose our focus on inclusion?

When working in South Africa and Canada, Binette experienced working on highly diverse teams, as both countries have divergent populations. However, there were key differences. Diversity in the workplace in South Africa was notably stratified. While Indian and white colleagues made up older generations of workers, Black people made up most of the recent hires.

Recognizing such subtle differences informed their inclusion strategies that, for instance, aimed at reducing turnover among new hires, which at the time was no better than the industry average for South Africa.

To improve their inclusion scores, Binette and his colleagues asked themselves how they could bring together their organization’s diversity, be it in terms of age, background, culture, or language.

So how did they increase inclusion?

They set a goal: Make life better in communities where most of their Black coworkers lived, while lowering turnover and increasing productivity.

Binette’s D&I goals had four pillars:

• Increase inclusion, productivity, engagement, and retention
• Develop a strategy to build a shared common vision and to coach inclusiveness
• Provide help when wanted
• Create a barometer of discussion

Further, Binette and his team conducted roundtable discussions to find out where their organization stood on inclusion. Employees shared their views and leaders listened.

Most important, however, rather than conduct a top-down initiative, the company invited representatives from their employee base to help shape the overall strategy for inclusion.

After sharing the vision, the next 90 days were critical. Performance management was updated, clear goals around collaboration were set, and it was made clear that, while leadership would support the new strategy, it was the responsibility of all to make it a success.

Managers and employees discussed how to collaborate, and coaching was conducted by everyone. Sessions covered topics such as unconscious bias and microaggressions, remarks that may be perceived as belittling.

As implementation continued, there was a need to support managers further. So diversity training used reverse mentorship to increase interests, pairing managers with employees from vastly different backgrounds. This allowed for better understanding between managers and their colleagues.

Binette admitted that diversity training is a continuous task, but initial results were encouraging: their organization in South Africa became an industry leader in reducing turnover, the workforce was more dynamic and engaged, and prospective employees showed enthusiasm to work for the company.

He shared three key takeaways from the initiative:

• Connectedness—the importance of a shared sense of belonging—grew among employees
• Respect—having deep consideration—for others became more prevalent
• Transparency—the importance of communication among staff and with management to explain the need for the strategy—increased

Binette stressed that leaders are important in:

• Setting clear goals on inclusiveness
• Recognizing their own limits and reaching out for help
• Modeling good behavior
• Assessing progress
• Recognizing change and change-makers

Globally Diverse

Day three began with a keynote by Neal Reed, executive officer and vice president at P&G Japan G.K. In his presentation, entitled “Equality & Inclusion: from Good Intentions to Impactful Actions,” Reed emphasized one main goal: to encourage attendees “to do one thing different, starting tomorrow.”

Reed stressed three assumptions about the attendees:

• They believe that diversity is good
• They know that leaders play a key role
• They are all good people with good intentions

He said that while much progress has been made globally in the D&I space, equal opportunities are still not equally distributed. This means some people do not always feel included.

Warming to the theme of equality and inclusion (E&I), Reed challenged the audience with a question: Are you doing enough? All, not just leaders, are responsible for making a difference, even in a small way.

Reed shared a framework that has guided him in this, allowing him to move from good intentions to actions that have an impact. The framework has three elements:

• Look in the mirror and challenge yourself
• Take action where you have passion
• Help one person at a time

Looking in the mirror and challenging yourself is a reality check, where you ask whether you are doing enough. Faced with a busy life, it is easy to slip into the belief that D&I is not important.

Taking action where you have passion allows one to focus on an area in which you already have a keen interest—a field where you believe you can make the greatest difference in D&I.

Lastly, it may pay to focus on helping one person at a time, a strategy that is less intimidating than trying to solve all organizational or global challenges at once.

In a moment of self-reflection, Reed noted the following elements in his D&I—as well as E&I—journey:

• Coming from a background of privilege brings with it the responsibility to act in support of others who are less privileged
• Change comes from action, not intentions alone
• Diversity is a first step, but enabling equality has greater impact
• Insiders need to help outsiders
• Leaders need to be role models

Reed said that people have always been considered P&G’s biggest asset. The company has long thought of E&I as a business strategy built on diversity in recruitment, equality of opportunity in the workplace, and fostering an inclusive culture.

Recently in Japan, P&G launched initiatives, such as the E&I Board, members of which meet regularly to apprise themselves of their work. Then there’s Beyond Gender, an initiative that builds on previous work around gender, while bringing to the fore challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community and those with disabilities.

The company’s brands, too, have been used on a greater scale than before to highlight E&I initiatives. So ads for its household products, for instance, have been used to encourage men to do more housework, such as laundry.

Challenge Accepted

The plenary session on day three, entitled “The Possibility of ‘Knowing’,” featured para athletes Kabetani and Norimatsu, both of whom compete in wheelchair rugby and are representatives of AIG Japan Holdings K.K. The moderator was Yumiko Ishii, senior manager in the internal audit office at American Home Assurance Company, Ltd.

Kabetani and Norimatsu spoke about their experiences in the company’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), volunteer-led initiatives for the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, including for employees with disabilities.

Looking back at his early days working at AIG, Norimatsu recalled that some of his colleagues, having had little experience working with someone in a wheelchair, were not certain how—or, indeed, if—they could help.

“There were people who were not sure whether they wanted to help me by opening the door,” Norimatsu shared.

Other colleagues wanted to help but found it to be challenging, not knowing how or when to do so. But, as time went by, the distance between Norimatsu and his colleagues naturally closed and many more people began to speak to him. As a result, mutual understanding grew.

ERGs were created to help bridge such gaps, and to bring the workforce closer together. Indeed, survey results from the disability ERG show that colleagues were eager to know how they could assist team members with disabilities. As a member of the group, Norimatsu has been eager to share his experiences with others, and to learn from them, too.

“I know about wheelchairs, but I don’t know much about disabilities that do not involve the wheelchair, including those of people with mental disabilities,” he said.

Such connections, he noted, are especially important in Japan, a country where there have not been many opportunities, in the corporate environment, for people with disabilities to interact with other colleagues. Via the ERG program, both para athletes have not only bridged gaps between employees and supported AIG’s business goals, but they have also helped to inspire colleagues in unexpected ways.

Norimatsu explained: “If speaking about my disability helps someone, I want to proactively communicate [my experiences]. It might not connect directly with business, but it might indirectly produce a good effect.”

Breakout Performance

Throughout the summit, attendees engaged in breakout training sessions facilitated by Miho Takiguchi, director of talent and organization development and diversity at AstraZeneca K.K. The sessions focused on the themes of the conference.

With more than 200 attendees, this year’s summit was organized by ACCJ-Kansai Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-chairs Yuri Ichihashi, Yuka Nakamura, and Asana Otani. The summit’s master of ceremonies was Vice-chair Daniel Steiner.

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Tipping Point for Change

Injecting diversity into corporate Japan through outside directors

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Over the past decade, Japan has gone from less than one percent of directors at Japanese companies being female to about 10 percent at many of the larger organizations. And while that figure represents progress, it is by far an inferior diversity-and-inclusion (D&I) performance than typically can be seen at companies in the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world. Some of the largest corporations in France, for example, have boards on which women account for 45 percent of the directors.

How Japanese companies might be encouraged to overcome their apparent reluctance to welcome women into their boardrooms was the topic of a November 15 virtual event, entitled Injecting Diversity through Outside Directors. It was hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan Women in Business Committee and moderated by corporate governance consultancy Third Arrow Strategies LLC founder Tracy Gopal. The discussion drew on the experience and insight of three women who are committed to bringing change to Japan:

• Jin Montesano, executive officer and chief people officer at LIXIL
• Jenifer Rogers, ACCJ president and general counsel for Asia at Asurion
• Kaori Sasaki, founder and chief executive officer of ewoman, Inc.

In her introduction, Gopal pointed out that women are an increasingly critical part of Japan’s workforce and are needed in boardrooms to help ensure the long-term stability of the national economy. Having women on corporate boards also encourages other female employees to make sure that their voices are represented. It also helps attract the best and brightest.

At present, Japan’s corporate code merely suggests that company boards be balanced in their composition, including in terms of gender. However, this request of sorts cannot sufficiently move the needle when men have deep roots in the corporate culture. Thus women such as Montesano, Rogers, and Sasaki have “a responsibility to be the great change-makers,” Gopal said.

Jin Montesano

Jenifer Rogers

Kaori Sasaki

Tracy Gopal

Relative Progress

The change that has been witnessed in Japanese boardrooms might be considered quite rapid when one takes into consideration many corporations’ reluctance to evolve. But it looks poor in comparison with other parts of the world that have really “accelerated their game,” Rogers noted.

Her experiences on the boards of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. have reinforced the importance of the task, and her presence is important on several levels. Female staff have approached her and expressed gratitude that she is changing the company by altering the face of the board. Simultaneously, major investors are keen to see diversity on a board and a willingness to accept non-traditional voices.

Beyond the boardroom, another area of evolution that can be seen is in a company’s internal dynamics.

“We know that diversity is a driver of innovation,” Rogers said. “I personally feel that it’s my duty to speak up and share my views, because that is why I have been chosen to join a board as an outside director. And what I’ve found at organizations on whose boards I serve is that, whereas I used to be the first to ask a question or to share my viewpoint, now I can’t get a word in edgewise.”

Rogers said that what she really likes is how this change has created synergy with top management. “There are more obligations on external directors around sustainability, the codification of the corporate governance code, talking about diversity, and other issues at the board level.”

“Women are an increasingly critical part of Japan’s workforce and are needed in boardrooms to help ensure the long-term stability of the national economy.”

When that takes root, Rogers noted, it can trigger a cascade of change that runs down to every corner of the organization.

“I really think that, when female directors have a lot of confidence and are good communicators, they can truly be agents of change within the board dynamic.”

Yet, too often, a single minority voice on a board is not sufficient to bring about change.

Being the only woman is a difficult position in which to be, Rogers admitted. “What you must do is learn how to have influence and make an impact. For me, that means making friends with the other external directors, which allows me to have a much broader voice.”

One board on which she serves now has three female directors. This, she said, has resulted in a significant change.

“It has altered the dynamic, and we have now hit that magic number which shows there has been a general shift in the organization: it is committed to diversity,” she explained. “If you have three women, then you have enough representation to make a difference. Each woman feels comfortable with that level of diversity.”

Sustaining Change

For Montesano, three key components must be in place to make D&I a truly sustainable endeavor:

• A corporate culture that is genuinely more inclusive
• Credible and authentic leadership
• D&I-focused human resource policies and practices

She agreed with Rogers’ point about reaching a tipping point of minorities on a board, something that LIXIL has been keen to attain.

“Our D&I commitment was to achieve 50/50 gender equity on our board by 2030, and we are already at 30 percent,” she said. “At present, the board has three women. And while one might be [seen as] a quota to make women feel better, three normalizes the situation. Then you’re no longer having a conversation about gender; you’re actually having real conversations as a diverse board. And from there, you go from strength to strength.”

Immediately after being appointed LIXIL’s chief people officer, Montesano said she spent a lot of time examining data and conducting her own research to determine D&I best practices, as well as to tailor a strategy best suited to LIXIL. Her seat on the LIXIL board also enables her to act as a strong bridge between the board’s direction and the company’s D&I strategy.

“What I found is that you must focus on the I, or inclusion, not on diversity,” she said. “If inclusion is the goal, then diversity is the natural outcome.” This, she noted makes real D&I change much more sustainable. That determination has enabled LIXIL to formulate the hypothesis that drives its D&I agenda. The company crafted its approach by asking questions such as:

• How can an inclusive culture be created?
• How can managers demonstrate more empathy?
• How can people best be trained to practice inclusive behaviors?
• How can leadership embrace the actions needed to be genuinely inclusive?
• How can a company eliminate bias from policies, processes, and practices?

A key LIXIL initiative during the coronavirus pandemic has been to maximize flexibility in the workplace for women.

Of course, working from home—something that has been critical during the pandemic—was one element of this, but the company has also stepped up its self- and family-care policies. For example, 10 days have been added to maternity leave, and the entitlement has been made more flexible; an employee can now take the time off in half-day or even hourly increments.

Montesano also called for more women to take the plunge and actively seek promotion to serve on corporate boards. She said that she knows there are women ready to make their voice heard, because she meets them all the time.

“The number might seem small but, in absolute terms, it’s a pretty healthy size,” she explained. “For women who are considering it, I think it is really about putting your hand up to sit on this or that statutory entity internally, then joining outside non-profit boards, which are always looking for talented people.”

Montesano believes this can really accelerate things. “In my own company, my CEO is supportive of me sitting on an outside board. While many other companies may not have considered encouraging it, I hope they will. It would accelerate D&I across Japan and add more gender diversity to boards.”

Growing Curiosity

For ewoman founder Sasaki, there has been visible change in the 35 years since she started her first company, Unicul International. Over the past 26 years, Sasaki’s International Conference for Women in Business has been a catalyst for this change and is widely recognized as spearheading the D&I movement in Japan.

“Compared with 30 years ago, more women are in executive or leadership positions and, at the conference, they like to learn more about diversity, global issues, and how to climb the corporate ladder,” she explained.

Sasaki, who has been serving as an outside board member of corporations for 13 years—and currently sits on the boards of four companies—created the female board-member network called The Board. She noted that most companies continue to believe that they are diverse if they just reach a set number of female employees.

“Diversity is not just a gender issue; diversity of thought is very important for a company’s growth. We need to bring a new angle, a new direction of ideas into boardrooms.”

She added that the public, as well as ESG investors, are asking which companies are performing well on D&I. Such information often influences their investment decisions. But the current rankings only utilize the data which companies choose to make public, so they don’t accurately reflect the true D&I culture at these companies.

To remedy this situation, and to help companies determine the status of their own D&I efforts compared with their peers, Sasaki’s ewoman assembled a group of international experts to design the Diversity Index (DI). The DI measures the diversity of an organization by combining the numerical data with the attitudes and perceptions of every employee and executive through an online survey and exam. It not only reveals the true state of D&I in a company, it identifies training opportunities and serves as a recruiting tool.

Buying In

All three women concluded that the outlook is positive for women in senior positions and also, more broadly, for D&I at Japanese corporations.

Rogers summed it up: “The reality is that, for all companies in Japan, there is demographic pressure. It’s the external competitive market that is driving the use of that pool of talented women in Japan who are highly talented but, at present, underutilized.

“I believe that CEOs and CFOs are now really buying into it,” she added. “They can see how diversity can transform their organization and allow people to really bring their best self to work. The leaders have targets, are measuring, and are increasing disclosure. It really is an articulated priority.”

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