JOURNAL
THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN JAPAN

Volume 60 • Fall/Winter 2023

THE VOICE OF GLOBAL BUSINESS IN JAPANAkio Mimura
ACCJ Person of the Year

Plus the future of society:generative AI, clean energy, and thefour megatrends that will reshape Japan

WORKING
FOR YOU.

There’s never been a better time to harness the energy of the American
Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Tap into the combined expertise andknowledge of more than 3,000 members from 600+ companies and 40
countries to help your career and business succeed.
CONNECTwith 60+ special interest committees

ENGAGE

with 30+ events, meetings, and webinars each month

ACCESS

experts, government officials, guest speakers, and more

INFLUENCE

reach regulators and lawmakers through ACCJ advocacy

If you would like to explore membership opportunities, including
extending these benefits to an unlimited number of employees,
contact membership@accj.or.jp for more details or call your ACCJ
membership representative.

5

PRESIDENT

Bridging
Nations

6

On 75 years of shaping US–Japan business
relations and our evolving role.

PRESIDENTOm Prakash
Northrop Grumman Japan
TREASURER

8

Steve Briggs
Kraft Heinz JapanPHOTOSA Full Slateof Events

BishopScholar

Meet the first recipient of the Bishop
Family Memorial Scholarship.
10

A visual look at the chamber’s in-person
events and meetings.

VICE PRESIDENTS

INTERVIEWCHARITY BALL

Shining
BrightDiamond Charity Ball celebrates the
ACCJ’s 75th anniversary.

Douglas Hymas SignTime K.K.
Jiro Kawakami (Kansai) MGM Resorts Japan LLC
Mari Matthews The Bank of New York Mellon Trust (Japan), Ltd.
Victor Osumi Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Robert W. Roche (Chubu) Oak Lawn Marketing, Inc.
Yoshitaka Sugihara Netflix G.K.
William J. Swinton Temple University, Japan Campus
GOVERNORS

Meghan Barstow Edelman Japan
Andrew J. Conrad Aflac
John W. Carlson III Novartis
Nuala Anne Connolly AIG Japan Holdings K.K.
Izumi Hamada Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies
Mark Hosang (Chubu) Randstad K.K.
Mitsuhiko Ida Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.
Hans George Klemm Pharmaceutical Research andManufacturers of America (PhRMA)
James Miller Amazon Web Services Japan G.K.
Masayo Nagai APCO Worldwide
Frank Packard Eight Peaks Partners /// EPP CapitalDavid Richards Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., Ltd.
William Shaffer Boeing Japan K.K.

20

Synthetic Savants

Simone Thomsen (Kansai) Eli Lilly Japan K.K.
ACCJ EXECUTIVE STAFF

As generative AI sweeps the world, how will ittransform the way we work and innovate?

Laura Younger
Executive Director
THE ACCJ JOURNAL

Christopher Bryan Jones
Publisher and editor-in-chief
To advertise or subscribe: comms@accj.or.jp

15

The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
Toranomon Hills Business Tower 15F

EVENT

Person of the Year:
Akio Mimura

17

The ACCJ honors the Japan Chamber ofCommerce and Industry honorary chair.

1-17-1 Toranomon
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-6415
16
Tel: 03-6807-3655 n www.accj.or.jp

ECONOMYA Matter of
Demographics

28

24

Membership information in the fall/winter 2023 issue reflects Q4 records.

The Hunt for
DX Champions

32

TRAVEL

Ancient Trails,
Modern Tales

Traversing Kanagawa reveals paths fromlong ago and comforts of today.

SUSTAINABILITY

Renewable
AmbitionsJapan aims to mix up power, but are
the targets achievable?
31

Recruiter Robert Half discusses Japan’s
uphill climb to digital transformation.

The ACCJ is an independent membership organization not affiliated with any
government or other chamber of commerce. The ACCJ is a member of the Asia–
Pacific Council of American Chambers and values its relationships with Japanese,
US, and other nations’ business organizations.
Disclaimer: The ACCJ will not accept liability for any damages caused by thecontents of The ACCJ Journal, including, but not limited to, any omissions, errors,
facts, or false statements. Opinions or advice expressed in the The ACCJ Journal
are not necessarily those of the ACCJ.

RECRUITMENT

Equal
Partners

Five years in, the ACCJ’s campaign for
marriage equality gains speed.

Jesper Koll connects four megatrends
that will shape Japan’s future.
Cover photo of Akio Mimura by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

ADVOCACY

MARKET ENTRY

Japan
Unlocked

Kreston ProWorks opens doors withlocal expertise and global reach.
35

TRAVEL

Serene Shrines
and Suaruses

Fukui Prefecture offers crafts, fossils,
relaxation, and so much more.

THE AMERICAN CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE IN JAPANTHANKS OUR PRESIDENT'S
CIRCLE MEMBERS FOR THEIRONGOING SUPPORTPRESIDENT

By Om Prakash

Bridging Nations
On 75 years of shaping US–Japan business relations and our evolving role.

T

he 75th anniversary of the American
Chamber of Commerce in Japan(ACCJ) is an important time to reflect
on all we’ve accomplished, how far we’ve
come, and how much more there is to achieve.
The ACCJ was founded in 1948 by 40companies. Today, the chamber comprises
nearly 600 companies and 3,100 members.
The mandate 75 years ago was clear:
to further commerce between the UnitedStates and Japan, to support Japan’s economic recovery following World War II, andto improve the international business environment in Japan. Today, the two nations
have one of the world’s most important alliances. Based on shared values, the bilateralrelationship is the cornerstone of peace andstability in the Indo–Pacific region.
As we find ourselves in a much more
complex world—one that is changing rapidly—the ACCJ must be agile and adapt if weare to continue serving our purpose and ourmembers.

State of the Chamber

Over the past year, through strong advocacy
and high-caliber speaker and networking
events, the ACCJ has proven why it is known
as the voice of global business in Japan. Thisis a tribute to all the contributions of ourmembers, who are the lifeblood of the chamber and drive its activities.
We’ve made significant progress on thefour priorities tied to the ACCJ core pillars
that I outlined at the start of the year:
 Maximize advocacy impact
 Increase in-person networking
 Improve committee efficiency
 Deepen community service
We’ve seen great strides in key advocacy
areas: strengthening the US–Japan security
and economic partnership, digital transformation, and promoting diverse talent,
including marriage equality in Japan.
Our many engagements with US andJapanese government officials—including
during both the DC and Diet Doorknocks—

highlighted how policymakers trust the
ACCJ as a resource on US and international
business issues in Japan. We’ve strengthened relations with stakeholders acrossboth sides of the Pacific and continue tomake our positions heard on key issues
impacting US–Japan relations.

Act Fast and Be Decisive

As I mentioned, the world is changing and the
ACCJ must continuously improve itself to remain effective. I started my career as a fighter
pilot, and the key to winning in aerial combat
is to make decisions in an ever-changing environment. We called it the OODA loop—observe, orient, decide, act. The pilot with thefaster cycle was usually the winner. The same
applies to business and the chamber.
The US–Japan relationship is at its highest point ever. Good times like this present
the best opportunities to get the most done
and have the difficult conversations, and the
ACCJ and our members have a critical andrelevant role to play.
This year also marks the end of my presidency. I thank all my fellow board members,committee leaders, and ACCJ members fortheir contributions and support. Personally,and professionally, it has been a privilege towork alongside you. I learned so much fromour members and made many friends.
I’m honored to pass the reins to Victor
Osumi. I know he will do an amazing job as
your next ACCJ president.
I strongly encourage more members—
especially our newest members—to participate and get involved. We need your passion,
expertise, and voice to continue effecting
much-needed change.
Seven-and-a-half decades after its founding, the chamber continues to thrive andgrow, and I’m confident that, whatever challenges lie ahead, all of you will advance ourstrong 75-year legacy and further enhance
the US–Japan business environment as wellas our alliance and friendship.
I wish you all a safe, healthy, and prosperous New Year, and look forward to participating in the ACCJ’s success in the future! n

Om Prakash
ACCJ president

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

5

INTERVIEW

6

By Julian Socher

Bishop Scholar

Matthew Trani, the first recipient of the Bishop Family Memorial Scholarship,
shares what the opportunity means to him.

L

ast year, on Christmas morning, Bill Bishop, hiswife Izumi, and their daughter Sophianna losttheir lives. The tragic death of Bishop, a longtime member of the American Chamber of Commercein Japan (ACCJ), shook the community. Over 50 years,
the South Dakota native became a key part of the US
business community in Japan and a devoted leader ofthe chamber’s Healthcare Committee.
In his memory, the ACCJ and the United States–Japan Bridging Foundation launched the Bishop Family
Memorial Scholarship Fund in July. The scholarshipsupports students who will come from the US to study
at Temple University, Japan Campus, where Bishop
was a lecturer and board member.
The first Bishop Scholar, Matthew Trani, arrived
in September and, in addition to studying at Temple,
began his internship at the chamber. The ACCJ Journal
sat down with Trani to learn about his path to Japanand where he hopes the opportunity will lead him.
Tell us about your background.
I’m from Long Island, New York, and have been living
there for the past 21 years. I went to high school andcollege about 15 minutes from my home.
Originally, I enrolled in Hofstra University to study
music and political science. I got into music about
13 years ago, being strongly suggested to do so by myparents. I joined a chorus and learned to sing. Thatturned into an overall love of music. In high school,
my voice matured, and it was good, so I ended up singing at a lot of functions. I performed at Carnegie Halland sometimes on TV. And just this month I got to
perform at the ACCJ Charity Ball.
When it was time to enter university, I was shopping around for scholarships and got a decent-sized
one, along with a grant, from Hofstra. So, I went there.
But other than the fact that I was a performance major,
I really didn’t know what my plans were from there.

I was thinking about applying to several places likethe University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Waseda
University, and Keio University, but I ran into Temple
University, Japan Campus and ended up going there
because the college transfer between US universities
is much easier.

What got you interested in Japan?
I had to choose a language course, and my mom hadtaken Japanese at Villanova University. She recommended that I take it. I ended up studying Japanese
for three semesters. In my third semester, I decided toswitch to a double major in Japanese and music while
keeping my minor in political science. I intended to
study abroad or work in Japan after college anyway,
but I wasn’t sure how it was going to line up.

How did you become a Bishop Scholar?
My major adviser in the US recommended that I apply
for the Bridging Scholarship through both the American Association of Teachers of Japan and the UnitedStates-Japan Bridging Foundation, which partners
with other organizations in Japan, including the
ACCJ. I got a notice of acceptance in mid-June. With itcame an intriguing email from Tom Mason, executive
director of the Bridging Foundation. He said: “I have

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

an opportunity that I think you might like. Reply backwith a time either tomorrow or the day after so that
we can do a Zoom call.” There were no other details.
I thought, “What else could this be?” I alreadyknew that I had been awarded the Bridging Scholarship.
On the call, [Mason] explained that the ACCJ was looking to establish a new scholarship in remembranceof Bill Bishop. Because of Bishop’s activity as a board
member and lecturer, the scholar was to be a Temple
University student in Japan, and they wanted to award
me the scholarship.
What are your first impressions of the ACCJ?
I would say the interactions are very community focused, even among staff. Everybody looks out for eachother, and they want you to push yourself, but not too
hard. I can learn a lot and be able to work in ways that
I hadn’t previously. And I like that the chamber is notreally partisan in any way. They’re about what they
can do to best support member businesses in Japanand the lives of foreigners as a whole.

Photo: MediaSense K.K.

What do you want to focus on?
I have been very involved in assisting at events but,given my background in political science, I would
like to be more involved in external affairs. Generally
speaking, I want to get more people’s opinions on theorganization and the greater business community inJapan. Events are the best way to do that, and I think
I’m already there in some respects.
Has there been a favorite event?
I really enjoyed the How Technology is Driving Innovation in Healthcare event. I found it interesting
despite not being involved in that industry at all. I
think, sometimes, not being involved makes it moreinteresting, because you don’t really know what the
new innovations in those industries are. The event
gives you a glimpse into what’s being worked on thatyou otherwise wouldn’t know about.
What do you most want to gain from the internship?
Number one is making new connections. I think I’ve
been doing that and, fortunately, I have a lot of time
to continue doing so. Second is an understanding of
day-to-day operations. I had never worked in an officeenvironment before the ACCJ, and I want to get asense of how that works. n
Trani will intern at the ACCJ until April 2024 and is
expected to graduate from Hofstra University in May
after completing his studies at Temple University,
Japan Campus.

Trani performing at the ACCJ Charity Ball on December 2 at the Hilton Tokyo.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

7

EVENT PHOTOS

8

1

2

3

4

5
1. The 16th Chubu Champagne Ball and Awards Evening
was held on November 17 at the Hilton Nagoya. This year’s
theme was Wild, Wild West!
2. From left: Nuala Connolly, Simone Thomsen, Steve
Briggs, Lavanya Wadgaonkar, and Haruko Watanabe
were panelists on Day 3 of the ACCJ Kansai Diversity &Inclusion Summit Series 2023: Unleashing the Power of
Inclusion on November 28 at the InterContinental Hotel
Osaka.
3. A Night of Stars and Stripes Celebration: ACCJ
Celebrates the Fourth of July was attended by many
special guests from the US and Japanese governments.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

4. From left: ACCJ President Om Prakash, Ireland Japan
Chamber of Commerce (IJCC) President Yoshihiro
Tsuchiya, and Irish Ambassador to Japan Damien
Cole toast at the ACCJ–IJCC joint networking event at
Ambassador Cole’s residence on September 28.
5. US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel joined leadersfrom the ACCJ–Chubu chapter and Chubu government
officials on July 31 to discuss resumption of direct travelfrom the Chubu region to the United States.
6. Industry leaders listen to pitches at the ACCJ
Healthcare x Digital 2023 competition at the Osaka
Nakanoshima Museum of Art on December 1.

9

6

8

7

9

10

11

7. Jesper Koll presented Japan Outlook and Opportunities:
Ambitious Re-Imagination with his signature flair on
September 4 at Tokyo American Club.

10. Tenth-grade Japanese language and literature students
at Nagoya International School hosted the charity
fund presentation ceremony on November 7, giving
appreciation for the ¥4.5 million received from the
ACCJ–Chubu Walkathon.

8. The ACCJ welcomed New Jersey First Lady Tammy
Murphy to the chamber’s Tokyo office at Cambridge
Innovation Center on October 17 to discuss the role ofwomen in the workplace.
9. Minister of State for Economic Security Sanae Takaichi(center) and US Deputy Chief of Mission RaymondGreene (fourth left) with ACCJ leaders during the
Security Clearances Event at the White & Case Tokyo
offices on September 22.

11. ACCJ leaders met with Japanese business leaders aspart of a DC Doorknock debriefing with Keizai Doyukai,
the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, at theIndustry Club of Japan Hall on September 28.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

CHARITY BALL

By the ACCJ Charity Ball Committee

Shining Bright10

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

M
Barbara Hancock
Chair

Kevin Naylor
Vice-chairembers of the American Chamberof Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) andguests gathered at the Hilton Tokyoin Shinjuku on December 2 for one of thechamber’s largest annual events. And thisedition, the Diamond Charity Ball, offered achance to celebrate a major milestone—thechamber’s 75th anniversary—while alsoraising funds for charity.
The exceptional venue, amazing culinary offerings, spectacular entertainment,
stellar selection of fine wine and spirits, andexpansive 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 tsugarushamisan. ACCJ intern and Bishop Scholar
Matthew Trani also shared his singing talents.
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 ourgenerous sponsors, enthusiastic attendees,
and the many individuals who took part inour 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 toeach and every person involved, and extend
a huge thank you to all! n

President’s Circle Sponsor

Platinum Sponsor

Silver Sponsors
Boeing Japan K.K. • Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd.
Bronze Sponsors
AIG Companies in Japan • Chevron International Gas Inc. Japan Branch • Prudential Holdings of Japan, Inc.

Ryan Watson
Vice-chair

Mercury Sponsors
Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP • NRK Sogo Kikaku Co. Ltd.

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

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

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 Officepearls.jp
Riedel Japan
Shop Japan
Takata Co., Ltd.
The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo
Temple University Japan Campus
Yellow Toes Art Gallery

Photo: MediaSense K.K.

11

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

Photo: MediaSense K.K.

12

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

CHARITY BALL

Legacy of Giving
The ACCJ Charity Ball has long been a source of help for those in need.

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 thechamber’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

ACCJ Community Service Fund. We will also contribute to charities that help at-risk children, families,
children’s hospitals and homes, and programs forthese children.
“The ACCJ has a well-rounded mission that
includes not only networking, information sharing,
and advocacy, but also constructive engagement withthe community,” said Andrew J. Conrad, an ACCJ
governor and general counsel at longtime Charity“The ACCJ has a well-rounded mission that includes not only
networking, information sharing, and advocacy, but also constructive
engagement with the community.”
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 sametime, generate funding for charities qualified by arigorous process.
This year we are proud to support the Mike Makino
Fund for the Homeless, Food Bank Kansai, and theBall sponsor Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd. “Thecharities are great, and we really are thrilled for theopportunity to contribute to the ACCJ’s support ofthe community. This is important to sustaining theeffectiveness of the ACCJ.”
Sponsors are critical to the success of the event,and we thank the many member companies and community businesses that generously provide financial
support and donate prizes for auctions and raffles.
Aflac has remained a top-level supporter of the
ACCJ Charity Ball for more than two decades.
“The Charity Ball is an important opportunity for
the ACCJ community to get together at the end of theyear and just spend some time together,” said Conrad.
“And we need to be a responsible corporate citizen
and to be contributing to the ACCJ’s continued success. Being a Charity Ball sponsor is one way that wedo that.” nSanyukai Homeless Center

Smile Hospital Japan

Food Bank Kansai

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

13

14

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

EVENT

By C Bryan Jones • Photo: Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

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.

On November 9, 2023, the American Chamberof Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) recognized Akio
Mimura as the 2022 ACCJ Person of the Year.
He was chosen for his efforts to bring the Japaneseand 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 inspring, but this year’s event was delayed due to thecoronavirus pandemic.
During a special luncheon at The Place of Tokyo,
the former chairman and president of Nippon SteelCorporation 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 thechairman of the JCCI,” Mimura began.
“The last nine years have been especially worthwhile periods in my life,” he continued, noting that thecoronavirus 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 ensurethat businesses survive
 SMEs use the pandemic as a wake-up call andpromote self-reformation“Luckily, Covid-19 is finally coming to an end, andmost SMEs were able to preserve their business con-tinuation,” he said. “Overall unemployment in Japanwas kept very low, at 2–3 percent. Our real challenge isto 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. Bornin 1840, Shibusawa played a key part in business development during the Meiji Period (1868–1912) and isoften referred to as the father of Japanese capitalism.

“We business leaders must somehow
achieve the harmony of private andpublic interests in our own way.”“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 tosee the increasing global interest in [strategic development goals] and stakeholder capitalism,” he said.
“However, I have personally felt dissatisfied with thefact that this interest often remains only on the surface, limited to general overviews or investor-relatedpresentations without translating into concrete actions.”
Shibusawa, he notes, insisted earnestly that business leaders should pursue profit but also contributeto the public interest, namely by enriching society
and making people happier.
“He was not only a person of action but also avisionary leader,” Mimura said. “We business leaders
must somehow achieve the harmony of private andpublic interests in our own way.” n

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

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MEMBERCOMPANIES
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Bloomberg L.P.
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ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc.

Company Members
A+E Networks Japan
AdMark Asia Group K.K.
Allison Transmission Japan Co., Ltd.
Applied Intuition G.K.
Aqua Insights Japan K.K.
AR Genie Inc.
Astroscale Holdings Inc.
Autodesk JapanBMS Japan KK
Brink’s Japan Limited
Ceridian Dayforce Japan
Cross Border Relocation Japan Inc.
Ene Buyer, KK
equilibre k.k.
Information Risk Management Ltd.
Interesse International Japan Co.
Karllestone Capital
Laurus International School Co., Ltd.
Mailmate
Nihon Technology Inc.
Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.
Omnicom Health Group Asia Pacific
One World International School (OWIS) OsakaPJT Partners Japan K.K.
PTC Japan
Resource Global Professional Japan K.K.
Saffron Brand Consultants
SAKURA PHOENIX K.K.
Skyscape. co ltd
Stripe Japan, Inc.
Teneo
TMJ, Inc.
TRUNK Co., Ltd.
zenDine
New members since last print issue of The ACCJ Journal.
Information as of December 4, 2023

TOKYO

HONG KONG

SHANGHAISINGAPOREADVOCACY

By C Bryan Jones

Equal Partners

17

Five years in, the ACCJ’s campaign for marriage equality gains speed.

In September 2018, the American
Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ)
released a viewpoint entitled Support
the Recruitment and Retention of Talent by
Instituting Marriage Equality in Japan incollaboration with the Lawyers for LGBT
& Allies Network (LLAN) and five otherchambers of commerce. Five years later, theviewpoint has been endorsed by 139 domestic and international entities.
Across Japan, support for marriage
equality is gaining momentum among the
population, with 278 municipalities andprefectures now offering same-sex partnership registration. This includes the Tokyo
Metropolis as well as major cities such as
Sapporo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.
Traction can also be seen in the general
population, with surveys indicating support
for marriage equality of 44 to 82 percent,with stronger support among younger
people and women.
Yet calls for marriage equality continue
to fall on deaf ears in the Diet.
“This year, we did have the very firstLGBT legislation, the ‘awareness bill,’ so that
domino has fallen,” said LLAN co-founderand co-chair Alexander Dmitrenko. He
noted that the watered-down language does
little more than say, “Please be aware there
are gay people out there.”
But there are ways to influence the national government, he said.
“One way is to really work with local governments to ensure that, to the extent they
can support recognizing equality, they do it.”Some prefectural governments, he said,
have made strong efforts to afford greaterrights to same-sex partners.
Dmitrenko said the LGBT community isvery grateful for this, but warned that, whentalking about this progress, “we need to bevery careful not to dilute focus on the actual
goal, which is equality. These move us asmall step closer, but they’re not equality.”
A second way, he explained, is throughthe courts.
The impact of the ACCJ viewpoint can beseen in litigation efforts. In 2021, Sapporo

District Court Judge Tomoko Takebe referenced the ACCJ position in a case brought
against the government by three same-sex
couples. Takebe ruled that prohibition ofsame-sex marriage is unconstitutional, butdenied demands for compensation.
There have also been favorable outcomesin Tokyo, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. The message from the first-level courts was that
there’s definitely discrimination. And, like
Sapporo, these cases also referenced the
ACCJ viewpoint.
“But ultimately, court cases, unlike in theUS, can’t change the law. Only the Diet can,”Dmitrenko explained. “Yet, those cases create important pressure points.”
Growing support from Japanese corporations is also helping move the needle. The
Business for Marriage Equality campaign
had the support of 458 companies and organizations as of December 8.
The ACCJ issued an open letter to thegovernment on April 21 stating the businesscase for marriage equality and protection of
LGBTQ+ rights, and will soon release an updated viewpoint. Both can be viewed on the
ACCJ website. Any company can endorse theviewpoint by contacting info@llanjapan.org.
Dmitrenko is confident that Japan will
eventually join its G7 partners in recognizing same-sex marriages.
“It’s a very slow, local train to equality, making all the stops, getting everyone on,” he said.
“Which is fine. Just a little faster, please.” nAlexander Dmitrenko
Co-founderand co-chair,
Lawyers for LGBT
& Allies Network

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

ECONOMY

By Jesper Koll

A Matter of
Demographics

18

Connecting four megatrends that will shape Japan’s future.

T
Jesper Koll
Global ambassador
Monex Group Inc.

he year 2023 will go down in history as
the moment when global investors began to take a serious interest in Japan.
Yes, Warren Buffett had already started
buying Japanese companies two years earlier,but it was in 2023 that the global mainstream
followed. The combination of cheap yen, geostrategic realities, and a newfound can-do attitude among domestic leaders has put Japanback in play as a global contender. Leadersin finance, industry, and innovation aroundthe world are now pressed by their boards todevelop concrete Japan strategies. Yokoso!
Welcome back! What took you so long?

This Time Is Different

Before we get too carried away by the current Japan hype, let me outline some key
forces that, in my view, will work to create
sustainable Japan opportunities over the
next decades, for both global and domestic
companies. Here are the four Japan mega-

This demographic reality has unleasheda growing tsunami of mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Businesses that were neverfor sale are now up for grabs. Your chancesof partnering with or buying a Japanesecompany have never been better. The M&A
wave will get bigger. Roll-ups and industrial
consolidation will create unprecedented opportunities for global players to raise theirmarket share and profit from increased
economies of scale.
2. Freeing Up Household WealthJapanese households have accumulated
some $30 trillion of wealth. About $20 trillion of this is in financial assets. The remaining $10 trillion is stashed away as tansu
yokin, the famous mattress money.
Again, demographics is key to unlocking
real structural change. About $12 trillion ofthese household financial assets are owned
by people aged over 70.

Make no mistake: the legacy of the legendarily highsavings rate of Japan’s baby boomers will significantly
boost next-generation purchasing power.

trends you and your corporate strategy mustseek to exploit.
1. Demographics Forces
Industrial Consolidation
Japan has about 3.6 million companies,
2.5 million of which are owned and run
by founders who will be over 70 years old
next year. Of these, 1.6 million do not havea successor, a son or daughter interested intaking over.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

This means $5 or 6 trillion—or 1.3 to
1.5 times Japan’s current gross domestic
product—will become unfrozen over the
next decade. Even after inheritance tax, this
implies a significant boost to the purchasing
power of Japan’s younger generation.
Make no mistake: the legacy of thelegendarily high savings rate of Japan’s baby
boomers will significantly boost next-generation purchasing power. Most economic
forecasts completely ignore this wealth19transfer effect, thus underestimating the potential
growth in domestic demand.
3. From Seniority-based to Merit-based Pay
The war for talent is intensifying and will only getworse. Japan’s young generation feels its power, andthe tables have turned. Graduates are no longer begging for jobs. Companies are begging increasingly
scarce graduates to join. And retention of employees
is becoming tough. According to several studies, asmany as one in five University of Tokyo graduates now
quit their initial employer within the first five years.
Importantly, employees don’t just want higher pay.
They also seek greater responsibility and impact. If
you joined a top Keidanren company in the 1960s, it
took on average 13 years for you to become the generalmanager. Today it takes 24 years.
Companies which inspire and empower their employees will pull away from those that insist on the oldways. Labor mobility will surge, and companies thatoffer genuine and transparent career planning andmerit-based compensation are poised to move ahead.
Here, global companies still have a lead, but as local
Japanese companies adapt, the war for talent—andthus the need for increasingly creative leadership—
will intensify. The net result? Productivity will surge,
and so will employee incomes—yet another reason
why standard economic forecasts are too pessimistic
on domestic demand.
4. Open-Door Japan
Japan will become an immigration powerhouse. Before the pandemic, the country was on track to accept

about 150,000 new non-Japanese employees per year.
This more than doubled to almost 350,000 in the firsthalf of 2023. There are now approximately 3.2 million
non-Japanese residents of Japan, up from barely halfa million 30 years ago. Visa and permanent-residency
requirements continue to ease. Most importantly,
the biggest obstacle to employing non-Japanese talent—seniority-based rather than merit-based compensation—is beginning to change. All said, it is now
perfectly reasonable to expect that about 10 percent of
employees will be non-Japanese by 2030. That’s morethan double the current rate of just below four percent.
Common Theme
Underlying these four Japan megatrends is demographics. Far from being a negative—fewer people
must equal lower consumption—Japan’s demographics will turn out to be a catalyst for positive change.
 Industries will consolidate, thus allowing greater
efficiencies and economies of scale.
 The mattress-money wealth of Japanese households
will be freed and reenter economic circulation.
 Increasingly scarce labor will be empowered andgain purchasing power.
 And global talent will build careers and make theirfortunes here in Japan.
Importantly, all these forces represent real structural change that will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Predictable. Reliable. Full of opportunity.
Welcome back, Japan. n

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

20

TECHNOLOGY

By Tim Hornyak

SYNTHETICSAVANTSAS GENERATIVE AI SWEEPS THE WORLD, HOW WILL IT
TRANSFORM THE WAY WE WORK AND INNOVATE?

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

W

e live in an age of intelligent machines. Since the introduction of
consumer-facing artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as OpenAI’s
ChatGPT and Google’s Bard over the past
year, generative AI has transformed how
people work around the world.
From $40 billion in 2022, the market sizefor generative AI will balloon to $1.3 trillion
over the next 10 years, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. First popularized throughimage generators, the technology has been
applied in fields ranging from neuroscienceto advertising, sometimes in surprising ways.
Generative AI programs like the large
language models powering ChatGPT aretrained on enormous volumes of data tosense patterns and predict how they willplay out in a piece of content. These models
can be trained on linguistic, financial, scientific, sensor, or other data—especially datathat is uniform and structured—and canthen create new content in response to user
input. They have had remarkable success,particularly in image and text generation,and have seen rapid uptake in sectors ranging from education to computer programming. “This technology is set to fundamentally transform everything from science, tobusiness, to healthcare … to society itself,”
Accenture analysts enthused in a report.
“The positive impact on human creativity
and productivity will be massive.”

Powerful New Assistants

Generative AI first gained public attention
thanks to its ability to change how we communicate through words, images, and video.
It’s no wonder, then, that the world’s largest
public relations company has embraced it.
Edelman worked with OpenAI to launch theoriginal ChatGPT-2 and delivered the first
application in an ad campaign. In the spots
for Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, the tool is tasked
with finding new ways to use leftovers.
Edelman believes the technology will reconfigure the communications industry, but it
won’t replace human ingenuity, strategic advice, and ethical decision-making that builds
trust, said Meghan Barstow, president andrepresentative director of Edelman Japan.
“We predict that AI will become an
essential assistant in our work, helping tobrainstorm, research, summarize, trend
spot, monitor media, and generate content,
among other tasks,” explained the ACCJ gov-

ernor and chair of the chamber’s Communications Advisory Council. “The emphasis
here is on ‘assistant,’ as we believe there will
always be a human in the loop, that AI andpeople working together will provide themost effective and valuable work output.
“As with any technology, there are risks
that require appropriate caution, education, processes, and policies to ensure thesafe and trustworthy use of generative AI toprotect our work, our clients, and end users
from issues related to disinformation, bias,
copyright infringement, and privacy.”
Similarly, lawyers such as Catherine
O’Connell are also using generative AI as smart
assistants. O’Connell is principal and founderof Catherine O’Connell Law and co-chair of
the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan(ACCJ) Legal Services and IP Committee.
After taking a course on how to get themost out of ChatGPT, she has been using it
for writing keynote speeches, article outlines,
posts on social media, and skeletons of presentations. She compares the tool to a humanintern, and praises its time-saving efficiencies, but warns that it should not be used forlegal work, such as contracts or legal advice.
Attorneys in the United States, she noted,
have found themselves in trouble after producing legal filings referencing non-existentcases that generative AI simply made up.
“Generative AI is like a teenager that has
a lot of promise but has not learned how to
be a whole professional yet; it needs guidance,” said O’Connell. “However, in terms ofan idea generator or idea expander, a timesaving device, and an assistive tool, generative AI is an asset. The rest falls to me to add
my human touch to check and verify, to add
my own personality and insights only I have,and to make the output my very own. I think
generative AI is so good that its cousin, Google
search, may be out of a job sometime soon.”

21

Meghan Barstow
President and representative director,
Edelman Japan
ACCJ governor
and chair,Communications
Advisory Council

Catherine O’Connell
Principal andfounder, Catherine
O’Connell Law
Co-chair,
ACCJ Legal Services
and IP Committee

Smart Tools for Talent

Recruiting is another industry in which
workers deal with mountains of structured
data, in the form of resumes and online
posts, that can be utilized by AI. Robert Half
Japan, an ACCJ Corporate Sustaining Member company, uses a system called AI Recommended Talent (ART) to match resumes
to client needs. The system speeds up matching for job hunters and employers, allowing
staff to spend more time with clients.
“The real power of generative AI is how

Steven Li
Senior division
director forcybersecurity,
Robert Half JapanTHE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

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much it can integrate with our existing systems,” explained Steven Li, senior division
director for cybersecurity. “We are piloting
ChatGPT-4 integration in our Salesforce
CRM. Studies have shown benefits from
integrating generative AI into workflows.
Other industry examples that highlight thebenefit of integration include the GitHub
CoPilot generative AI feature.”
The effectiveness of AI in recruiting has
led some people to speculate that it could render many human recruiters obsolete. Deeplearning algorithms are figuring out what agood resume looks like, and generative AI cancraft approach messages and InMails, a formof direct message on the popular LinkedIn
platform, noted Daniel Bamford, Robert Half’s
associate director for technology.
“However, the real value of agency
recruitment is not, and never was, a simple
job-description-to-resume matchingfor Northeast Asia, also sees great potential
in the technology. “The biggest changes that
I foresee will be related to the enhanced
visibility into, and agility of the managementof, the global supply chains of our clients on
an execution level,” he told The ACCJ Journal.
“The data aggregated will allow logistics
service providers [LSPs] to deliver predictive and proactive solutions to our clients. If
clearly interpreted by the LSPs, stability anduniformity of costs and deliverables will be
provided globally and locally to our clients.”
Generative AI may even help us live
longer, healthier lives via long-term patient monitoring. Sydney-based medical AI
startup Prospection recently launched its
first generative-AI model in Japan to analyze
anonymized patient data for pharmaceuticalcompanies so they can better understandpatient needs. A Japanese drug company,
for instance, could look at cancer patient“Generative AI is like a teenager that has a lot of promise but has
not learned how to be a whole professional yet; it needs guidance.”service,” added Bamford. “Agency recruitment done well is a wonderful journey ofproblem-solving, involving the goals of organizations and teams and the values and desires of individuals. Excellent recruiters will
thrive. They will use AI’s capacity to handle
simple tasks like scheduling and shortlisting. This will free up time for high-valueinteractions, delivering even greater value
for their partners and industries throughthe human touch. The future of excellent recruiters will be brighter with AI’s support.”

Tracking Ships and Patients

Even a traditionally hardware-oriented industry like logistics is being transformed bygenerative AI. Shipping giant Maersk is using a predictive cargo arrival model to help
customers reduce costs with more reliablesupply chains. It also wants to harness thepower of AI to recommend solutions whenshipping routes are congested, advising onwhether goods should be flown or stored,
and better understand the sales process,Navneet Kapoor, Maersk’s chief technology
and information officer, told CNBC.
Maurice Lyn, head of Managed by Maersk

outcomes across the country and find thatthey are slightly worse in a particular region,
possibly because less-effective drugs areprescribed there.
Founded in 2012 and operating in Australia, Japan, and the United States, Prospection now has data on half a billion patients.
For the first 10 years, it was using traditional
AI methods, but generative AI has opened
new services for the company. Users canquery Prospection’s AI services about typicalpathways for patients who took a certain
drug, or what therapy they underwent after
quitting the medication. A Prospection
model can predict whether a patient will
experience a certain event, such as needing
to be hospitalized, over the next year.
“The ChatGPT transformer model istrained on billions of sentences consistingof words. We see each patient’s journey as
the sentence and events in the journey as
the words. That’s the vocabulary,” said Eric
Chung, co-founder and co-CEO of Prospection. “The data is very powerful. There arelots of insights to be gained from data on 500
million patients. It’s beyond the power ofhumans to analyze, but AI can do it.” n23Daniel Bamford
Associate director
for technology,
Robert Half Japan

Maurice Lyn
Head of Managed
by Maersk for
Northeast Asia,
A.P. Moller-Maersk

Eric Chung
Co-founderand co-CEO,
Prospection

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

24

SUSTAINABILITY

By Julian Ryall

RENEWABLEAMBITIONSJAPAN AIMS TO MIX UP POWER, BUT ARE
THE TARGETS ACHIEVABLE?

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

J

apan has detailed ambitious plans forthe wider deployment of renewableenergy sources throughout the economy, with the government in October 2021
announcing the Sixth Strategic Energy Planand setting a target of between 36 and 38
percent of the nation’s power coming fromrenewables in 2030.
That would be about double the 2019
level and significantly above the previous
2030 goal of up to 24 percent.
Japan’s target renewables mix would
include up to: 16 percent from solar 11 percent from hydropower 5 percent from wind
 5 percent from biomass
 1 percent from geothermal
The contribution from nuclear energy
was left unchanged, at between 20 and 22
percent. This will require a minimum of 30
reactors to be operational.
The targets tie in with the Clean Energy
Strategy, unveiled by the government in May

and human resource pools to hit targets,”points out Andrew Statter, a partner at the
Titan Consulting Group and head of its
GreenTech division.
“However, policies and subsidies areunclear, and there are conflicts between
ministries that are causing questions forinvestors while potentially profitable asset
types, such as large-scale agrisolar, are notyet eligible for project financing,” he told
The ACCJ Journal. “All of which puts a huge
pause on the potential accelerated development that industry is ready to deliver.”Japan needs to go beyond the “what” in its
policies and clarify the “when,” “where,” and“how” to encourage investment, Statter said.

25

Andrew Statter
Partner, head of
Titan GreenTech

Favorable Winds

Turning to specific energy resources, Stattersaid offshore wind is critical as Japan has
geographical and physical limitations on thevolume of onshore renewables that can be
developed. “With vast ocean resources, offshore wind is the ideal renewable technology which is proven and scalable to give Japana shot at hitting renewable energy targets,”

Akira Amano
Country manager,
InvenergyWind Development
Japan GK

“With vast ocean resources, offshore wind is the ideal renewable
technology which is proven and scalable to give Japan a shot at
hitting renewable energy targets.”

2022, announcing an ambitious 46-percent
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions infiscal 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
And, given the impact of instability
involving Russia and in the Middle East, thetwo traditional primary sources of energy
for Japan, combined with the yen at 10-yearlows against other leading currencies, itwould be in Japan’s best interest to dramatically reduce its reliance on imported energy.
Yet energy experts caution that Tokyo is
unlikely to reach those targets as progress inthe development of renewables has slowed,
with fewer large-scale solar projects, delays
in offshore wind generation, and local resistance hampering the acceleration of othertechnologies, such as onshore wind andgeothermal power.
“Private capital markets are ready toinvest in Japan, and both multinational andJapanese firms have developed technology

he said. “Key here is the need to accelerate
floating offshore wind, as Japan’s waters
become very deep quite close to shore.”
Statter also sees a secondary benefit toJapan’s expansion of floating technology.
The country could become a technology
exporter on a regional scale as Asia–Pacificmarkets embrace the technology.
Akira Amano, country manager of
Invenergy Wind Development Japan GK,
agrees on the importance of offshore wind
to the nation’s overall energy goals, pointing
out that “Japan has the right resources tobecome a global leader in renewable energy,
especially offshore wind.”
He also concurs that significant challenges need to be navigated for the renewables
sector to thrive.
“In order to accelerate progress andmeet our nation’s goals, there will need to
be long-term regulatory certainty, increased

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

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transmission capacity to deliver energy tocustomers, and long-term planning to address challenges like cost uncertainty.
Amano also noted that, with strong leadership, Japan can accelerate the build-out ofclean energy and meet its energy goals in atimely manner.

all the critical components of the turbine.
Construction of the nacelle is now largely
done by local labor and with components
utilizing the local supply chain, all of which
will have a long-term benefit for the community, Ohnishi added.

Rocky Foundation

While the government’s 2030 targets can beachieved as battery storage and grid technology improve, in tandem with innovationsin the use of the grid, the 2050 targets are“a real moonshot,” Ohnishi admitted. “The2050 goal is very, very challenging, but a majority of us have agreed to aim for it,” he said.
The Japanese government has also beena vocal advocate of hydrogen as an effectively
limitless source of energy in the future,
although questions are being asked as towhether this is the most appropriate path.
“Generally speaking, I think the industry
and international impression is that Japan’s
hyper focus on hydrogen to solve all problems has been outsized and unrealistic,”
said Ken Haig, vice-chair of the ACCJ Energy

If the authorities are serious about making
the most of offshore wind, Amano said, anumber of regulations need to be revised,
not least the unbundling of generation,transmission, and distribution at existing
electricity utility companies to get rid of unfair competition. The sector also needs theauthorities to increase the price for renewable energy certificates, he added.
Hideyuki Ohnishi, regional general manager for GE Renewable Energy in North Asia,
agrees that Japan needs to make the mostof its exclusive economic zone—one of theworld’s largest—for offshore wind.
“The wind conditions, the speed andquality of the wind, is much better when

Lofty Aims

While the government’s 2030 targets can be achieved as battery
storage and grid technology improve, in tandem with innovationsin the use of the grid, the 2050 targets are a real ”moonshot.”

you go to the seaside,” said Ohnishi. “In themountains, there is turbulence and such,and average wind [speed] is not as strong.
So, it is important for us to go to the places
where we have better wind.”
Yet there are challenges, particularly inlaying the foundations for turbines.
“We have to install big wind turbines
in the sea, where the depth differs,” he explained. “Wave and seabed conditions havean impact. The geosurface is very important.
Rocks and related conditions impact our design, and it’s not easy in terms of technology.”
Equally, the investment required to get
the blades turning is significant, and projects must be considered in the long term.
The Japanese government is also pushingfor 60 percent of the components in offshore
wind farms to be manufactured locally.
General Electric started working with
Toshiba in 2021, initially focusing on thenacelle at the top of the tower that houses

27

Hideyuki Ohnishi
Regional generalmanager for
GE Renewable Energy,
North Asia

Ken Haig
Vice-chair,
ACCJ Energy
Committee

Committee. “It is also too future-focused,relying on technologies that will not becomecommercially viable or scalable until wellafter 2030.”
Haig noted a comment made by former
ACCJ President Glen Fukushima in a recent
Kyodo News opinion piece: “Japan’s support
for innovation in green hydrogen, perovskite
technology, and offshore wind is the right
move,” said Fukushima, “But METI shouldtake a ‘yes, and’ approach by also immediately boosting funds to deploy existingclean energy technologies like solar andwind power—technologies that have alreadyproven successful for Japan.”
Whatever the source, the renewables sector agrees that Japan’s need for home-grownenergy is only going to intensify. The Sixth
Strategic Energy Plan is billed as a rethinkof regulations that have thus far inhibiteddevelopment; for developers, the eliminationof red tape cannot come soon enough. n

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

RECRUITMENT

28

The Hunt for
DX Champions
Japan faces an uphill climb when it comes to digital transformation.

Despite being a nation renowned for assimilating advanced machinery and technology into
everyday life, the reality of Japan’s IT workforce paints a very different picture.
According to a survey of companies conducted by
the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication,
Japan’s information and communication technology(ICT) sector is falling short when it comes to digitaltransformation (DX). This is largely due to a lack ofqualified technology talent. In 2018, there was a shortage of about 220,000 ICT workers, and the shortfall is
expected to reach 450,000 by 2030.
At the same time, Japan’s economic landscape is experiencing a generational shift, influenced by new government policies and changing regulations designed toelevate the country to the global DX standard.

Photo: Shelley Mae Photography

their DX agenda into their corporate vision and hiring ‘disruptive’ senior executives from outside theorganization—even from outside Japan—to expedite
transformation,” he said. “It seems now there really is
an appetite and a glimmer of commitment from corporate Japan to transform their global businesses.”
The 2022 IMD World Digital CompetitivenessRanking ranks Japan 29th out of 64 countries examined in terms of know-how, development of digitaltechnologies, and preparedness to exploit digitaltransformation. Asian countries finishing ahead ofJapan include South Korea (8th), Taiwan (11th), andChina (17th).
Hughes noted that many companies have beenstalling in their DX initiatives, often because theylack real commitment from the top, face resistancefrom middle management, or are short of know-how
Slow Road to DX
on how to manage global functions. They may also
Robert Half Japan supports clients undergoing digital struggle to attract, and appropriately compensate,transformation and is seeing promising progress.
‘new’ skill sets to implement the change.
“In many Japan-headquartered global companies,
DX touches every area of an organization, he
the pace of change has tended to be slow and increexplained, and while every company faces its own
mental,” said Managing Director Lyndsey Hughes.
unique set of challenges, there are consistent themes“But this has started to shift over the past few years
that Robert Half is hearing from its customers. Theseand momentum is building.”
include overhauls to human resources policies to“Even prior to Covid-19, we had started to see
adopt pay-for-performance compensation to attract
signs of large Japanese corporations incorporating
specialized talent.
Robert Half is seeing companies
start to take diversity, equity, andinclusion initiatives seriously, andmany are ready to pay higher agency
fees to prioritize the scouting of
female talent as well as hiring, andeven importing, more foreign talent.
And while there is still a long way to
go to embrace all types of diversity, atleast the conversations have started,
Hughes said.
In addition, large Japanesecompanies are beginning to moveaway from in-market IT to globally
distributed IT functions that allow
them to benefit from scale, respond
more quickly to market changes, andFrom left: Marcus Aakerholm and Lyndsey Hughes
mitigate cybersecurity risks.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

There has also been a surge in the hiring of chief
data officers to centralize data and analytics expertise, as well as breaking down data silos and harnessing the power of data across an organization.
Too many companies are entering uncharted DX
territory, Hughes pointed out, and often lack theskills and expertise to deliver on such projects. This
is where Robert Half and its business consultancy
subsidiary, Protiviti, come in.

also need to create a culture of internal evolution sothey can continue to adapt to changes in the market,
customer needs, and so on.
“Generally, organizations think in functional silos,
and those silos are often lacking a specific skill set,” hesaid. “But those skill sets may exist elsewhere in theorganization. There are all sorts of capabilities floating around in every company, perhaps in a different
function or a different market, so there isn’t necessarily a need to rush out and hire quickly.”
Helping Hand
Smart leaders are adept at unearthing the hidden“At Robert Half Japan, we have a strong focus on placpotential in an organization, he added, and creating an
ing bilingual technology talent with foreign affiliates
environment of empowerment to enable the enablers.
in Japan to bridge with their HQ, or to global Japanese
One Robert Half client innovated by introducing afirms looking to bridge their overseas subsidiaries,”“chief future officer” role and invited a relatively new
explained Marcus Aakerholm, division director ofhire to join the company’s transformation steering combusiness transformation. “As an enterprise, we have amittee, alongside senior leaders from across the busiunique capability to support DX initiatives in differness, to bring a fresh perspective and add a new voice.
ent ways, whether by placing permanent employees“People new to the organization often have theacross various functions, specialist contractors toclearest minds to and come up with innovative solujump into different projects, or through Protiviti.
tions,” Hughes said. “Younger generations want their“In many cases, we offer avoices to be heard, to feeltailored and blended soluthey are contributing, so taption of outsourced consultping into their passion andSmart leaders are adept
ing assignments combined
capabilities is very imporat unearthing the hiddenwith project contractors
tant and can be a key catalyst
potential in an organization.
and permanent resources,”for successful DX.
he added. “This allows us to“Often, a manager thinks
respond flexibly to the fluid
the candidate they need isand diverse needs of oura reflection of who they are
customers, across their global operations.”
and their own skills,” he said. “But they need to idenAakerholm has witnessed firsthand the uniquetify where they and their organization are coming up
market conditions affecting DX in Japan.
short and then find the person to fill that gap.”“A typical scenario for our team is assisting
The deficiency might be a hard skill set, such as
foreign-affiliated organizations that need to unexpertise in a new technology stack or building global
dergo a corporate-wide system update,” he said. “Inenterprise architecture standards, but it might also
these cases, the US office will send an internal teambe the ability to champion new ways of doing things,
to implement the changes but, due to the uniqueexposure to different industries, or diversity in hiring
market requirements here, their efforts are rarely
to bring in better creative problem-solvers.
implemented or understood by domestic teams. Our“I believe leaders need to be deliberate in underbilingual project managers and functional experts
standing the current skill, personality, and knowledge
bridge that gap.”
gaps,” Hughes said. “And then ask themselves what their
Robert Half supports many Japan-headquartered
team members can do to help drive the transformation,clients that require bilingual talent with subject matwhat unique talents can they bring to the table.” nter or technology expertise to interact with overseas
subsidiaries.
Presented in partnership withIn one example, Aakerholm’s team helped a global
media company by bringing in a specialist consultant
with the required language abilities, project management skills, and knowledge of system implementation
Robert Half pioneered specialized staffing services in 1948
to complete the introduction of finance modules ofand today is the world’s largest specialized talent solutions
the Workday system.
and business consulting firm. Our subsidiary, Protiviti, wasLook Within“When a company needs to evolve, it’s not just about
bringing in new people,” said Hughes. “Organizations

launched in 2002 as a global independent risk consulting
and internal audit service to support companies as they
face growing strategic business challenges.

To learn more, please visit: roberthalf.jp

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

29

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www.life14.com • contact@life14.com • 03-6709-9442

Global Visual Production

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MARKET ENTRY

Japan Unlocked
Kreston ProWorks opens doors with local expertise and global reach.

K

reston Global, the world’s 13th-biggest accounting network in terms of revenue according
to UK-based trade magazine International
Accounting Bulletin (IAB), is now the 10th-biggest inJapan per the IAB, up one spot from the year before.
With 160 independent member firms and 25,000
experts across 750 offices in 115 countries, Kreston
Global provides unparalleled access to a wealth ofinternational resources and expertise.
There are three member companies in Japan.
Two provide audit services and the third, Kreston
ProWorks, offers a full slate of inbound accounting,payroll, tax, and corporate services.
Established in 2007 by Marek Lehocky, the firmhas built a strong reputation as an indispensable
partner for companies looking to enter the Japanesemarket. “Our mission is to make setting up and operating businesses—including immigration, accounting, payroll, labor, and tax compliance—as easy as
possible in Japan, so our clients can focus on building
their business,” Lehocky told The ACCJ Journal.

Full Slate of Services

Kreston ProWorks delivers a nimble team of bilingual
experts with intimate knowledge of how processes inJapan differ from those in other countries. Specialists
in inbound accounting, tax, payroll, and human resources, Kreston ProWorks offers a much wider rangeof services than other companies:
 Company formation and corporate services
 Employer of record (EOR)
 Immigration and business license support
 Legal and transactional support
 Nominee representative Virtual office services Market entry and business consulting
EOR, for example, is especially helpful, as it allows
companies to come in for a short time and deploy
resources quickly to complete a specific project. It isalso a way to test the waters when considering Japan
Presented in partnership withmarket entry without investing in a full move.
“With all the requirements and steps involved, it
can take at least seven or eight months before people
can come into the country,” Lehocky said. “We can cut
that to just three or four months with foreign employees and a few weeks with local hires.”

Local Knowledge Matters

Just as understanding the local market is key to abusiness’s success, so are local operations. While
many companies provide services offshore, Kreston
ProWorks does everything in Japan.
“Clients want to have closer proximity to Japan,
because Japan is a black box of sorts, and they want tomake sure that the people who are handling their operations actually understand the intricacies and nothing is being lost in translation,” Lehocky explained.
“We act as our clients’ internal team of experts and‘goalkeepers’ for each of the service areas that we
provide. We stay on our client matters and drive theparts that we are in charge of so our clients can focus
on other parts of their business. Communication andgetting things done is a key to success.”
If you are interested in exploring market entry or
are already here and wondering if you are doing everything the right way, Lehocky invites you to get in touch.
“Reach out,” he says. “We would be happy to arrange a time to introduce ourselves and get to know
you and your needs. You always have alternatives.” n

Get in touch today for a free consultation:
Carla Willmes
Business growth and communications lead
cwillmes@krestonproworks.com
03-4520-5530 • www.krestonproworks.com

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

31

TRAVEL32

Words and photos by C Bryan Jones • Presented in partnership with Kanagawa Prefecture

Ancient Trails,
Modern Tales

Traversing Kanagawa reveals paths from long ago and comforts of today.

To keep feudal lords loyal during the Edo Period, theTokugawa shoguns forced them to live in the newcapital of Edo every other year. And when they
returned to their home province, they had to leave their families behind in the capital as hostages.
The back-and-forth journey they had to make was long,something we discover firsthand on a hot and sunny autumn
day under the guidance of local Shin Kaneko. As the nationally licensed tour guide leads us along a stone-paved roadrunning through the beautiful forest—beams of sunlightpiercing the leafy canopy of towering cedar trees—we findourselves on a trek made by nobles and commoners alike for
hundreds of years.
Many visitors are familiar with the Tokaido Shinkansen.
What they may not know is that the tracks run alongside anancient route built not for bullet-train carriages but rather
palanquins. Thankfully, unlike passengers of old, today’s
travelers need not bite on rope to protect their tongues fromthe rough ride.
Born and raised in Hakone, Kaneko also spent six years
in France and five in the United States growing up. Later, he
studied business at the University of Southern California
and set off on a career as a strategist for Japanese retail giant Aeon Co., Ltd. But the call of home—and nature—grew
louder and louder, and he left Tokyo life in 2015 to make his
way back to the lakeside haunts of his childhood.
As Kaneko observed English-speaking visitors staring
holes through maps as they tried to guide their own way, he

Guide Shin Kaneko

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

decided to create Explore Hakone, a bespoke agency thatprovides tours limited to one group per day. And today, we
get to experience it for ourselves.
The development of the Old Tokaido Road, Kaneko
explains, is tied to key events in Japanese history, and thepreferred paths through the Hakone area have changed
over the centuries. Some 1,300 years ago, during the Naraand Heian Periods, people used the longer, flatter Ashigara
Mountain Pass to the north, which runs along the border ofKanagawa and Shizuoka Prefectures. But when Mount Fuji
erupted in 802, the path was covered in ash and became difficult to traverse. Travelers began opting for the shorter but
more mountainous route we are taking today.
The section of the 500-kilometer Old Tokaido Road that
we’re traversing is known as the Hakone Hachiri, the 32-kilometer stretch between the Odawara and the Mishima post
stations. Hakone Sekisho is located at Lake Ashi, one of 53
checkpoints erected by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Due to thevery steep climbs—the total elevation change is about 900
meters—travelers during the Edo Period needed regularbreaks. There were once nine teahouses on the route offering refreshment. Today, just one remains: Amazake Chaya.
We stop for an energizing cup of amazake, the warm
non-alcoholic rice drink from which the rustic rest stoptakes its name. Paired with two surprisingly filling pieces ofmochi rice cake, the amazake was a welcome respite, as it
must have been for those ancient sojourners.
While rejuvenating for the next leg of our journey under

The Old Tokaido Road

the thatched roof of history, we talk to Satoshi Yamamoto,the current owner of the business that has been passed
through his family for 13 generations.
For more than 400 years, the doors of Amazake Chaya
have been open, every day. The only time they were closed
was for a brief period during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I want to keep the teahouse as it has always been, serving
people in a traditional way,” Yamamoto says. “Although we
own the teahouse, the atmosphere is created by our customers. We only provide service. The culture and story behind[Amazake Chaya] have been made by travelers for centuries.”
He says he also enjoys meeting travelers from abroad andlearning more about other cultures while sharing his own.
“While the world might change, communication between us and the travelers will never change,” Yamamoto
adds. “They may have different outfits, they may speak different languages, but the concept of welcoming guests will
always remain the same.”
Back on the road with renewed energy, we cross one of
the highest points between Tokyo and Kyoto and begin our
descent to Lake Ashi, our final destination.
As we near the Hakone Sekisho checkpoint, we walkunder the shade of 400-year-old cedar trees planted by the
shogun to shelter travelers from the elements at this key
point of their long journey. A nice gesture. But off in the
distance is Otamaga Pond, named after a woman who wascaptured and beheaded for sneaking out of Edo. So, while
the shogun could show kindness, he also showed no mercy.
You played by his rules. But those rules also brought peace
to Japan after nearly two centuries of civil war and upheaval,
allowing art and culture to bloom and the society we know
today to take shape.
Kijitei Hoeiso
After the long hike, my legs are demanding a reprieve. Fortunately, Kijitei Hoeiso ryokan was happy to oblige.
Nestled in the verdant hills of Hakone, the traditional
Japanese inn is a delightful escape from the stresses ofmodern life. Like Hakone Hachiri, Hoeiso transports you toa simpler time when nature was an integral part of life.
We are welcomed by the inn’s owner, Kenichiro Hara,
who shares a bit of the property’s history as we gaze out windows that dissolve against the lush backdrop of the mountainside. In the distance, we see the open-air hot springs
we’ll visit later tonight.
And as a tease of the delectable flavors to come, we areoffered yumochi, a traditional Japanese sweet made of rice
flour. During my 27 years in Japan, I’ve enjoyed many such
sweets, but this is truly a standout.
After the exertion of the day’s hike, I’m certainly feelingpeckish, and a highlight of my stay is the cuisine. Hoeiso isrenowned for its menu that features pheasant—a game birdoften associated with the British countryside that is actually
native to Asia—and the chef’s creativity does not disappoint.
Of particular note is how Hoeiso can accommodate various dietary needs and preferences. While the pheasant menu

33

Amazake and mochi at Amazake Chaya

Steamed pheasant-egg custard and tri-colored dango

is very popular, vegetarian options are readily available—
something not easy to find in Japan.
I opted mostly the standard course, but, because I do not
eat most seafood, Hoeiso prepared a course that was perfectfor my palette. This is often a sticking point for me in Japan,
but is no problem here.
Steamed pheasant egg custard with ginger and tri-colored dango dumplings lead the way ahead of pheasant roundwith salt from Sado Island, sashimi of fresh pheasant breast
with ponzu, and pheasant and shiso porridge. Just highlights
of an overflowing kaiseki course dinner bursting with colorand flavor.
As dusk gives way to the darkness of night, I grab mytowel and make my way to the private outdoor onsen situated alongside a mountain stream. I cannot adequately
express how rejuvenating it is to sit alone in the steamingwater, the sound of the trickling stream dancing in the
background as I look up at the twinkling stars in the pitch-

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

34

Garden at Engaku-ji reflects Japan’s landscapeblack sky. I’ve rarely felt so connected to the universe as inthis moment. It’s as if the energy of distant worlds is flowing
around me.
Retiring to my spacious room, I gaze out the windows
at the night sky that is normally obscured by city light andrecall those childhood evenings of stargazing in my grandmother’s countryside front yard.
The next morning, Hara and several Hoeiso staff see me
off as I board the bus to Hakone Yumoto Station. An impeccable ending to an absolutely relaxing stay.
Kamakura Gardens
From Hakone, we make our way around Sagami Bay to
Kamakura, seat of the first Kamakura shogun, Minamoto
Yoritomo, more than 400 years before the Tokugawa shogunate developed the Old Tokaido Road. But we’re not here to
see the usual landmarks. Instead, our journey today takes us
around the historic city to explore its gardens.
We meet our guide, Saori Imoto, just outside Kita-Kamakura Station. Imoto is a garden designer who studied in Japan
before moving to the United Kingdom. The Kamakura local
joined her husband there when he was transferred for workand found the perfect opportunity to build on her love of horticulture. Studying in London, she became an expert in English garden design and has won multiple awards for her work.
Since returning to Japan, in addition to crafting landscapesfor clients, she has been sharing the beauty and history of
Kamakura with visitors through private guided tours.
Our first stop is Engaku-ji. Founded in 1282, it is one ofJapan’s most important temples and the second of those
known as Kamakura’s Five Mountains or Gozan.
“The reason I choose this temple,” she explains, “is thatit has a beautiful Japanese garden and is surrounded by
mountains, so we can see a lot of natural scenery as well.”
As we approach the Butsuden main hall, small children
from the nearby kindergarten are practicing in the courtyard
for their upcoming undokai, or sports day. Surrounded bya circle of seven juniper trees, they run, jump, and laugh as
popular kids’ music plays on portable speakers. It’s a striking
juxtaposition of ancient and modern culture and traditions.
The excitement of the children also contrasts with thereason we find evergreens here.
“Zen temples are very strict, and the monks need toconcentrate on meditation and train very hard every day,”Imoto explains. “If there are a lot of deciduous trees, likecherry trees or Japanese maples, the monks can enjoy theseasonal transformation. They’re not allowed to do that, so

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

Higanbana maark the fall Ohigan period.

Zen temples prefer planting evergreen trees, which create acalm and unchanging atmosphere, and show longevity.”
After touring the temple’s halls, we come upon a tranquil
garden that reflects the landscape of Japan. A small pond at
the center represents the sea, undulations conjure mountains, and gravel paints the coast.
To Western eyes, the lack of color may seem unusual.
But, Imoto explains, there’s a reason for the absence of flowers. “In Japanese gardens, we try to replicate the naturalscenery of Japan.” That means mountains, not fields—some
70 percent of Japan is mountainous. “Mountains are covered
with trees, so we use a lot of trees instead of flowers,” sheadds. “This creates a calm atmosphere, highlighting thesimple beauty typical of Japanese gardens.”
In need of a rest, we stop at Butsunichian, an open-air
café on the temple grounds that serves green tea as well asother light drinks. The tea is refreshing—I opt for hot matcha
despite the unseasonably warm day—and am soon ready forthe hike to our next destination.
After a long walk, we arrive at Eisho-ji, Kamakura’s only
nunnery, founded by a wife of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1636.
The grounds are covered by higanbana, or red spider lily.
This striking flower, Imoto explains, is a symbol of Ohigan,a Buddhist period that falls around the spring and autumnal
equinoxes. Higanbana mark the September observance.
During this time, whose name means “other shore,” Higan,
the world of enlightenment, and Shigan, our own world of
greed and earthly desires, are believed to come closest to
one another. This makes it the ideal time to remember those
who have passed and to focus on spiritual awakening.
To end our exploration of Kamakura, we visit a cemeteryat nearby Jufuku-ji Temple where Hojo Masako, the wife of
the first Kamakura shogun Minamoto Yoritomo, is said to beburied. Masako was key to Yoritomo’s success and the powerof the Kamakura Shogunate. Following his death in 1199, shebecame a nun but continued to yield great influence over thegovernment until she passed away in 1225.
As we search for her final resting spot, we cross paths
with a group of students who have dropped by the graveyard
after school. Given Masako’s place in history, Imoto notes,
they study about her in class and are curious to see the tomb
firsthand. Like us, they use smartphones and GPS to locate
the alcove tucked away in the back of the grounds.
As has happened many times during our two days in
Kanagawa, past and present intersect in ways that highlightjust how far back the history and culture of Japan stretch.
There’s also something new to learn and explore. n

TRAVEL

Words and photos by Florentyna Leow • Presented in partnership with Fukui Prefecture

Serene Shrines
and Sauruses

Fukui Prefecture offers crafts, fossils, relaxation, and so much more.

As a tourist destination for inbound visitors, Fukui
Prefecture often gets short shrift, especially compared with more glamorous neighbors such as Kyoto
and Ishikawa Prefectures. But this may start to change when
the Hokuriku Shinkansen adds Fukui, Tsuruga, Awara Onsen,
and Echizen Takefu Stations to its pit stops in March 2024.
For now, Fukui’s sightseeing spots remain relatively
quiet and uncrowded, making it an ideal road-trip destination for those with a little more time to spare. Our visit thisfall takes us around the cities of Katsuyama, Awara Onsen,
and Echizen—all of which yield rich rewards for the visitor
willing to rent a car and take the wheel.

The path to Heisenji Hakusan Shrine

Mossy Matters
Gently sloping and meandering, the stone path to the mainbuilding of Heisenji Hakusan Shrine is flanked by toweringcedars. It is serene, save for birdsong; few visitors are here
on a weekday morning. The mid-morning sunlight filtering
through the canopy casts dappled patterns of light and shadow
on the velvety green moss blanketing the ground, yesterday’srain heightening the dewy verdure. It’s so absurdly beautifulthat I almost want to curl up on the moss and never leave.
However, if you ask historian and resident head priest
Hiraizumi Takafusa, the gorgeous mosses on the shrine
precincts aren’t the be-all and end-all of these grounds. “It’snot like we promote this place with its moss. We supposedly
have over 200 types of moss,” he says. “I can recognize only
20 of the varieties.” According to Hiraizumi, the history of
the shrine and the surrounding area are the true highlights.
Located on the edges of Hakusan National Park in what is
now Katsuyama City, Heisenji Hakusan Shrine was established as a Buddhist temple in 717 by a monk named Taicho.
For centuries, it operated as both Shinto shrine and Buddhist
temple—as was common practice prior to the Meiji Restoration—and served as a base for pilgrims making their long,arduous way on foot to the sacred mountain of Hakusan.
At its peak, thousands of monks lived on the precincts,
which were about 10 times the size of the present-day
sprawling shrine complex. It’s mind-boggling to consider. It
will surprise no one familiar with Japanese temple architecture that the complex burned down in the 16th century andwas subsequently rebuilt.
The formal separation of Shintoism and Buddhism in the1870s meant that it became a Shinto shrine first and foremost. However, its name points to vestiges of its Buddhist ties
from centuries past—it is a rare instance of a Shinto shrine
whose name ends in -ji, meaning “temple.”
The shrine has much to offer history buffs, especiallywhen paired with a visit to the more famous Eiheiji Temple,
about 40 minutes away by car. But even without a deep interest in Japanese history, the beauty of this shrine complex
alone is mesmerizing enough to warrant an hour or two spent
strolling around the grounds. I could happily spend that long
peering at feathery mosses, watching long-legged spiders andbeetles navigate the moss-furred stumps and stone steps.
The shrine is best visited in spring, fall, or rainy season.
Winter is beautiful, too, but perhaps impractical for a visit
given the snowy conditions.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

35

36

Coming of the Raptors
Ask the average Japanese person what Fukui is famous for,and there’s a high chance they’ll say dinosaurs. You could
point to any number of reasons for this. For example, manyof the dinosaur fossils discovered in Japan were found here.
Six new species were identified in (and named after) Fukui:
Fukuisaurus tetoriensis, Koshisaurus katsuyama, Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis, Fukuititan nipponensis, Fukuivenatorparadoxus, and Tyrannomimus fukuiensis. And, Katsuyama
City is home to the world-class Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur
Museum (FPDM), which is also an institution dedicated toongoing dinosaur research and education.
But really, the main reason everyone associates Fukui
with dinosaurs is that the area leans hard into being theself-styled Dinosaur capital of Japan. Dinosaur motifs are
everywhere in Fukui: themed restaurants, hotel rooms,
playgrounds, stationery, hand towels, and even regular roadsigns. You’ll find huge dinosaur animatronics outside Fukui
Station (they sport Santa hats in winter) and Dr. Raptor on abench inside. One of the prefectural mascots is a green dinosaur, Rapt-kun, named after the fukuiraptor. I should stressthat all this is mostly delightful, rather than gimmicky.
Unsurprisingly, the FPDM is beloved by locals and outof-prefecture visitors alike. It’s so popular that you’ll see aflashing sign board en route to the museum asking whether
you’ve reserved your tickets, which tend to sell fast during
summer vacation and major public holidays. The museum
even fills up some weekdays.
In truth, I’ve never been interested in dinosaurs, but
the FPDM does an excellent job of conveying just how cool

Fukui is the Dinosaur capital of Japan.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

these ancient animals are. The main hall is an impressive
start to the museum. In a domed exhibition space crammedwith dioramas, fossils, and full-body dinosaur skeletons—10of the 50 specimens on display are actual fossils—I spenta fair amount of time staring at the all-too-realistic T-Rex
animatronic glaring ferociously at all of us. If this is what our
prehistoric ancestors had to contend with, I am happy to beliving in modern times.
As befits one of the world’s leading dinosaur museums,
the FPDM has clearly invested in competent translators: theEnglish-language captions are well done, if a tad dry. Plus,
it’s fascinating to see how giant raptors evolved into tiny
birds over millions of years. It’s well worth spending a few
hours here, even more so if you have kids in tow. A shopping
spree at the museum’s 100-percent dinosaur-themed gift
shop is optional but thoroughly encouraged.
A Bath of One’s Own
Located in what feels like the middle of nowhere (althoughjust a short drive from the Tojinbo Cliffs), Awara Onsen is
one of Fukui’s only hot spring towns of note, famous for its
healing waters and local cuisine.
We spent the night at the historic ryokan Haiya, whosename translates to House of Ash, a tribute to the craftspeople who produced fine ash used in dyeing clothes wornby Kabuki and Noh theatre actors. The unintentionallyamusing name notwithstanding—Uncle Roger would have afield day—Haiya is a ryokan I’d spend several nights in every
month if I had the time and money.
Built in 1884, the inn sprawls over three buildings witha total of 43 rooms. The property retains its Meiji-era architectural trappings—along with modern updates like Wi-Fi
and coffee machines—and is large enough that a map might
almost come in handy for finding one’s way in the maze ofwinding corridors. All rooms in the original 1884 Shofuan
Annex and the recently renovated Kangetsutei Suites, andmost of the rooms in the Jurakutou Building, have traditional Japanese garden views.
According to the inn, the room assigned to me—Korin(光輪), meaning “halo” or “nimbus”—was named by Prince
Takamatsu. I have no way of verifying this, but the namecertainly suits the space with its high ceilings, intricate latticework on the sliding doors, tasteful tableware, 16 tatami
mats of space (for up to six people), a private moss-covered
garden, and outdoor cypress bath. Best of all, I have it all
to myself. Perfect for pretending to be a wealthy writer onsabbatical.
Food and baths are the real draw at most ryokan, andHaiya is no exception. The kaiseki dinner was a leisurely,
two-hour affair, a parade of little dishes showcasing freshlycaught seafood from the Sea of Japan and produce from the
nearby Sakai Plains.
Two highlights from dinner: One, a whole live abalone
cooked jigokuyaki-style, or “hell-grilled,” right in front of you
until it stops moving. Bouncy yet tender and ocean-fresh,
this style of abalone is not for the squeamish. The other,

37

Abalone “hell-grilled” right in front of you.

okami’s sake purin, a creamy pot of custard made ever morebeguiling with its undertones of boozy umami. To our dismay, this is not a year-round staple, but a seasonal dessert.
The idiom “ichigo ichie,” or “for this time only,” has never felt
so salient and cruel. (More reason to plan a return trip next
October.)
But it’s Korin’s cypress bath I keep coming back to in mymind. Before I checked out, there was a moment where ashaft of sunlight pierced the gap in the bamboo screens infront of the bath just so, illuminating wisps of steam curlingup from the surface of the hot water. There was something
simple yet transcendent about all these elements coming
together for a few minutes before the sun moved on.
The Pleasures of Pottery
In addition to crafts like making washi paper and knives,
Fukui is also known for its pottery: Echizen-yaki, or Echizen
ware. Notable for its understated coloring, and usually being
fired sans enamel, this type of pottery centers on one of theSix Ancient Kilns of Japan, the others being Seto, Tamba,
Bizen, Tokoname, and Shigaraki.
Echizen ware is, in fact, a recent term. According to thepermanent display at the Echizen Old Kiln Museum, it wascoined by the researcher Kuemon Mizuno and Fujio Koyama
between 1942 and 1945 as a way to group a number of disparate pottery styles local to the region under a single categorical umbrella. Perhaps unintentionally, this seems to parallel
the municipal mergers of the Meiji Era, where many villages
and hamlets were amalgamated into new or existing cities.
Both the Old Kiln Museum and the Fukui Prefectural
Museum of Ceramics (FPMC) next door have much to offer
the ceramics lover by way of exhibitions and beautifully
made pieces to add to one’s suitcase. There’s also a traditional teahouse and garden where you can sip on green tea
from Echizen ware. But there’s nothing quite like getting
your hands dirty to appreciate, on a visceral level, the craftthat goes into a piece of pottery.
My visit to the FPMC included a workshop using theelectric potter’s wheel. The task was to shape a vessel—
anything I wanted, as long as it had a mouth. I had 30–90
minutes. As seems to be true of all craftspeople, ceramicists
make their craft look easy when it is anything but. It’s morechallenging than it looks to maneuver a solid, spinning hunkof clay. Too little pressure and nothing happens; too muchpressure and all hell breaks loose. (Here’s a life lesson: neverwear a nice white shirt when taking a ceramics workshop.)

Pottery is more challenging than it looks.

Fortunately, there was a skilled staff member on handto guide my hands and help fashion the clay into somethingvaguely presentable. Unless you’re a quick learner, it’s notpossible to master the electric potter’s wheel in a single session. It takes practice and more than a little intuition.
If your work primarily involves a computer, as mine
does, it’s easy to forget the pleasures of creating somethingwith your hands, no matter how messy or clumsy the result.
Taking a ceramics workshop at a place like the FPMC is agreat way to reconnect with the physical world. Reservations
here are mandatory, particularly if you’d prefer instruction
in English (there are only two English-speaking members
on staff). For those living in Japan, they’ll fire and mail thefinished piece to you for an additional fee.
Lustrous Lacquer
The Echizen Lacquerware Hall is not somewhere you’dchance upon unless you were looking for it. Located in Sabae
City—these days more famous for spectacles than anythingelse—this unassuming building is all too easy to drive past.
Of course, this would be a waste, since it’s a fine place toview superb examples of lacquerware, watch artisans makelacquer magic, shop for lacquerware, and even try out various types of lacquer art for yourself, from applying lacquer
to plain wood or painting already-lacquered wood.
This was the final stop on our two-day tour; we were
there for the chinkin experience. Briefly put, this involves
carving a design onto a lacquered surface, applying a thinlayer of lacquer into the engraved lines, then covering it withgold dust or leaf. You then take your finished work home.
How difficult could this be?
As the saying goes, these were famous last words. After
tracing a motif of your choice onto a lacquered surface—I foolishly chose a detailed crane drawing—you then use a spindly
metal chisel to gouge out the lines you’ve drawn, scraping awayfrom yourself in a single direction. Engraving is not at all likedrawing; my lines were nowhere as precise as I wanted them
to be. Those with fine motor skills will have a better time of it.
I had never thought much of lacquer as a craft, but I
gained a newfound respect for lacquer artisans that day.
Having tasted a little of what it’s like to carve a design, theexquisite details on the lacquerware on display at museums
and exhibitions have taken on more weight and meaning.
These days, my clumsily carved crane plate sits on my dining
table, reminding me not to take for granted the craft behind
beautiful handmade things. n

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FALL/WINTER 2023

Corporate Sustaining
Member Companies
The ACCJ thanks these organizations for their extensive participation, which provides a cornerstone in thechamber’s efforts to promote a better business climate in Japan. Information as of December 4, 2023.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

3M Japan Limited

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Tokyo

NetAppAbbott Laboratories/Abbott Japan LLC

GE Healthcare Japan

Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd.

AbbVieGE JapanNissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Aflac

Gensler and Associates/International, Ltd.

Northrop Grumman JapanAIG Companies in Japan

Gilead Sciences K.K.

Novartis

Amazon Japan G.K.

Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd.

NTT

Amway Japan G.K.

Google Japan G.K.

Oak Lawn Marketing, Inc.

APCO Worldwide G.K.

GR Japan K.K.

P&G Japan G.K.

AstraZeneca K.K.

Hard Rock Japan LLC

Pattern Energy Group LP

Bank of America

HiltonPfizer Japan Inc.

The Bank of New York Mellon

Hines

Prudential Financial, Inc.

Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd.

IBM Japan, Ltd.

PwC Japan

Bloomberg L.P.

ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation

Qualcomm Japan LLC

Boeing Japan K.K.

Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies

Randstad K.K.

Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K.

KPMG

Robert Half Japan

Carlyle Japan L.L.C.

Kraft Heinz Japan

Robert Walters Japan K.K.

Caterpillar

Lenovo Japan Ltd.

Salesforce Japan Co., Ltd.

Chevron International Gas Inc. Japan Branch

Lockheed Martin

Squire Patton Boggs

CIC Tokyo

Mastercard Japan K.K.

State Street

Citigroup

Match Group

Stryker Japan K.K.

Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd.

McKinsey & Company, Inc. Japan

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc.

Cummins Japan Ltd.

MetLifeThomson Reuters

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC

Micron Memory Japan, G.K.

TYO Inc.

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.

Uber Japan Co., Ltd.

ELC Japan G.K.

Mitsuuroko Group Holdings Co., Ltd.

Visa Worldwide (Japan) Co., Ltd.

en world Japan

Morgan Stanley Japan Holdings Co., Ltd.

The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd.

EY JapanMorgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP

Western Digital Japan

Facebook Japan G.K.

Morgan Stanley Japan Holdings Co., Ltd.

White & Case LLP

Federal Express Japan Godo Kaisha

MSD K.K.

Zimmer Biomet G.K.

Fortinet Japan G.K.

Naigai Industries, Inc.

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www.krestonproworks.com