Features

With an emphasis on teamwork the ACCJ Sales Support Alliance supercharges the chamber experience by bringing together members across industries to share connections, knowledge, and help one another build business success.

Rob Claar, CEO and founder of healthcare investment, development, and commercialization platform HekaBio joins us to discuss how overseas healthcare companies can gain regulatory approval in Japan and put their innovations in the hands of Japanese doctors and patients.

The ACCJ Journal sits down with ACCJ President Victor Osumi to learn more about how his career took flight, how he became involved with the chamber, and the path he sees ahead as he takes the helm for 2024.

Since the introduction of consumer-facing artificial intelligence applications such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, generative AI has transformed how people work around the world. How might it impact specific industries in the years to come?

Japan has detailed ambitious plans for the wider deployment of renewable energy sources throughout the economy. Yet energy experts caution that Tokyo is unlikely to reach those targets unless policy changes are made.

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).

In September 2018, the ACCJ released a viewpoint supporting marriage equality in collaboration with the Lawyers for LGBT & Allies Network (LLAN) and five other chambers of commerce. Here is where we stand today.

The ACCJ Journal sat down with CIC founder Tim Rowe in the bustling Toranomon Hills networking hub to learn more about how he went from sharing a space with friends to leading a community for entrepreneurs that includes more than 1,000 companies at centers in eight cities around the world.

ChatGPT may be all the buzz right now, but it's just one of the digital tools transforming virtually all industries, including healthcare. ACCJ leaders share their views on how digital transformation can benefit patients as well as those charged with caring for them.

If Japan is to remain globally competitive and secure its future economy, overcoming the digital talent gap is a must. To find out where Japan is on the road to readiness, _The ACCJ Journal_ spoke with corporate leaders about the current state of talent acquisition and retention.

A digital transformation (DX) wave is sweeping across Japan, but learning to surf that wave takes experience. Another group of islands that know a bit about surfing, and have ridden DX to their advantage, could be a guide.

Transformations take time. Reaping rewards can take longer. For Japan, shedding analog processes is critical for future prosperity. The ACCJ is bringing together the broad expertise of its membership to reassess the JDA 2030 and assist with the push for digital transformation.

It isn’t easy to do business when you’re standing outside staring through the window. But that’s the situation so many found themselves in during much of the pandemic, thanks to some of the world’s most stringent border restrictions. Japan finally reopened its borders to mostly normal travel, including visa-free entry in October 11. We look ahead at the journey past and ahead.

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.

The US–Japan partnership is the cornerstone of peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and the alliance got a boost in May when US President Joe Biden, visiting Tokyo, launched the Indo–Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) with a dozen initial partners.

Globally, 14 percent of greenhouse gas emissions originate from the transportation sector—and that jumps to 27 percent in the United States. Cars aren’t the only culprits. The aviation industry is also concerned about its share of  carbon dioxide (CO2) going into the atmosphere. On our way to a sustainable, carbon-neutral future, bypassing such pollution is a must. The ACCJ Journal spoke with companies in the automotive and aerospace sectors to take the pulse of transportation and find out where future journeys might take us.

Offices in Japan have seen a revolution over the past two years or so, with the pandemic having ushered in the need for remote work. as living with Covid-19 has become standard, many businesses have back-pedaled or adapted their approach as they navigate a return to the office. Others have come to see the new normal as an opportunity to reflect on where, when, and how employees work, to foster greater productivity, and expand their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Tamao Sasada, Japan country executive for Bank of America and president of BofA Securities Japan, sits down with The ACCJ Journal to share her thoughts on a number of topics, including how Japan can push the DEI and ESG agendas forward.

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. 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).

In recent years, Japan has seen a boost in femtech. The portmanteau of female and technology refers to services using tech and products that help improve women’s health. Government support and media coverage have enabled femtech business offerings to move from niche to mainstream. But how soon might the fledgling industry take off as it has in the United States and Europe? The ACCJ Journal spoke with experts to explore prospects for femtech in Japan.

Is this a glimpse of the future of food? Japanese scientists and companies are developing 3D food printers to produce sushi, *wagyu*, and a host of other foods. They say the technology holds great promise for personalizing food to meet nutritional needs, reducing food waste, and even providing something to eat during extended space travel. “I think there’s huge potential. Food itself will probably change,” said Yamagata University’s Hidemitsu Furukawa.

For millions of people around the world who were already struggling with mental health issues, the past two-and-a-half years of the coronavirus pandemic have been a further trial. Isolation, a sudden shortage of opportunities to interact with friends or family in person, additional stresses in the workplace or the home, new financial worries, and difficulty in accessing appropriate mental healthcare have taken their toll, experts in the field told The ACCJ Journal.

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.

The Japanese yen is on track toward a parabolic move, with global and Japanese macro players set to become increasingly aggressive in betting on an overshoot toward ¥150–160 to the US dollar. Economist Jesper Koll examines the causes, the potential impact, and when the winds may shift again.

The pandemic has brought tumultuous change to the workplace worldwide, and in the United States millions of employees have decided to quit or change jobs in what has been dubbed The Great Resignation. Could we see a similar upheaval in Japan?

The global employment landscape has shifted dramatically during the past two years, with the coronavirus pandemic encouraging employers to be more flexible than ever in their arrangements with staff. Working from home, for example—virtually unthinkable for many companies not long ago—has quickly become perfectly acceptable and, often, expected. While Japan has, in the past, been criticized for failing to keep up with changes in the job market, there are plenty of organizations here that have embraced different approaches to work.

Those movies in which a fighter pilot steps into the role of president and leads everyone through challenging times are always inspirational. ACCJ President Om Prakash, also chief executive of Northrop Grumman Japan, is a US Air Force veteran who was a fighter pilot, test pilot, and vice wing commander of the 82nd Training Wing. In a year filled with opportunities in a transformed world, The ACCJ Journal sat down with Prakash at the Northrop Grumman office to learn more about his background and thoughts on the path ahead.

When the pandemic began, a sudden shift to remote work brought challenges to companies accustomed to having everyone in the office. Two years later, remote work is here to stay. So, how do you keep people motivated in a world where some portion of your team will always be outside the office? The ACCJ Journal talked to three experts in training and team-building to learn which techniques are working for them and how we can all make remote and hybrid work models effective for the long term.

Since the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in Japan in January 2020, the world as we know it has changed in many ways—not least of which has been a transformation in how we study, work, and socialize. In light of this, The ACCJ Journal spoke to professionals in business and education, as well as soon-to-be-graduates, to learn about the challenges they’ve faced—and the solutions they’ve implemented—in a period defined by the pandemic.