JOURNAL
THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN JAPANVol. 58 • No. 2 • February 2021 • ¥1,000

THE VOICE OF GLOBAL BUSINESS IN JAPAN

EVENT

TECH

HR

A conversation with Boeing Japan
President Will Shaffer

How to solve Japan’s innovation
bottleneck in healthcare

Experts offer tips for successful
onboarding in a virtual age

ACCJ/NAJAS
Business Leaders

Telemedicine andthe NHI System

Share, Support,
and Engage

Bring theLab Home
Healthcare x Digital winners
Bisu share their vision for
health startups

The ACCJ
Is Working for You
During these challenging times, it’s more important

ACCJ members benefit from a virtual ecosystemthan ever to make sure you and your employeesthat helps member companies stay informed andstay connected, informed, and engaged, especiallyconnected, at a fraction of the cost of travel andwhen other professional development activities areconference fees. This invaluable resource includes

less accessible.

the following beneﬁts:
 Connect with more than 70 special interest committees
 Engage with over 30 virtual meetings and Webinars in an
average month Access subject matter experts, government representatives,
industry colleagues, and a variety of guest speakers
 Influence advocacy efforts that reach regulators andlawmakers with the voices of more than 3,000 members

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

PRESIDENT

Jenifer Rogers

5

Asurion Japan Holdings G.K.
CHAIRMAN

PUBLISHER

Stepping into
Tomorrow

7

In a year of transformation,
The ACCJ Journal changes, too

Eriko AsaiPRESIDENT

Strategic Goals
and Optimism

As we adapt, supporting our corepillars remains a top priority

GE Japan Inc.
TREASURER

8

Ryann Thomas
PwC Tax JapanLEADERSHIPThe 2021 Boardof Governors

10

Meet those elected to lead the ACCJ
as we look beyond the pandemic

VICE PRESIDENTS

Yoko Furuyama (Kansai) P&G Japan G.K.

EVENT

ACCJ/NAJAS
Business Leaders

A conversation with Boeing Japan
President Will Shaffer

Deborah Hayden Finsbury
Amy Jackson Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturersof America (PhRMA)
Robert W. Roche (Chubu) Oak Lawn Marketing, Inc.
Eric W. Sedlak K&L Gates Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise
Yoshitaka Sugihara Netflix G.K.
Dave West Cisco Systems G.K.
GOVERNORS

Andrew J. Conrad Aflac
James C. Feliciano AbbVie
Harry A. Hill Better-U, Inc.
Mark Hosang (Chubu) Randstad K.K.
Douglas L. Hymas The Bank of New York Mellon
Tad Johnson Pratt & Whitney Aftermarket Japan KK
Saori Kanno REVLON K.K.
Mari Matthews Google Japan G.K.

38

Nancy L. Ngou EY Strategy & Consulting Co., Ltd.

Share, Support,
and Engage

Victor Osumi Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Frank Randolph Packard Triple A Partners Japan Co. Ltd.
William J. Swinton Temple University, Japan Campus
Simone Thomsen (Kansai) Eli Lilly Japan K.K.
Megumi Tsukamoto Caterpillar Japan LLC
SPECIAL ADVISOR

Experts offer tips for successful
onboarding in a virtual age

Christopher J. LaFleur
McLarty Associates
PRESIDENTS EMERITI

Debbie Howard (2004–05)
Charles D. Lake II (2006–07)
Allan D. Smith (2008)14

Thomas W. Whitson (2009–10)
Michael J. Alfant (2011–12)

EVENT

Japanese Textiles
and Fashion

18

Investing in the continuity ofhistory, culture, and art

CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

MEMBER FOCUS

Fine Dining,
On Demand

Seth Sulkin’s new venture, Food-e,delivers Tokyo’s best

Kumi Sato
Cosmo Public Relations Corporation

23

ACCJ EXECUTIVE STAFF

Laura Younger
Executive Director

TECH

Telemedicine andthe NHI System

24

Health andRetirement

Realizing a social security
system for all generations

How to solve Japan’s innovation
bottleneck in healthcare

THE ACCJ JOURNAL

WHITE PAPER

Christopher Bryan Jones
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

25

To advertise or subscribe: comms@accj.or.jp
The American Chamber of Commerce in JapanHEALTHCARE

Two Yearsof First

26

Challenges and changes bring astronger voice for advocacy

Masonic 39 MT Bldg. 10F, 2-4-5 Azabudai

INTERVIEW

Bring theLab Home

Healthcare x Digital winner Bisu
shares their vision for healthcare

Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 106-0041
Tel: 03-3433-5381 n Fax: 03-3433-8454 n www.accj.or.jp
The ACCJ is an independent membership organization not affiliated with any
government or other chamber of commerce. The ACCJ is a member of the AsiaPacific Council of American Chambers and values its relationships with Japanese,
American, 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.

32

FITNESS

Virtual Worlds,
Real Gain

Evolving tech allows more
exercise while staying home36

MEMBER FOCUS

Green Tree
GrowthMnK builds sustainable businessand community in Niseko

Cover: Daniel Maggs and Wojciech Bula of Bisu. (Photo: Miki Kawaguchu/LIFE.14)

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PUBLISHER

By C Bryan Jones

Stepping into
TomorrowT

he past 12 months have brought enormouschange, and the next 12 promise the same.
When I interviewed American Chamber ofCommerce in Japan (ACCJ) President Jenifer Rogers
for our January issue, she called 2021 “a year of transformation.” It’s the perfect description.
One thing being transformed is this very magazine.
You may have noticed the new look, starting with thecover. This is the first issue in a new phase of The ACCJ
Journal’s existence. Over its 58-year history, this important part of the chamber’s communications has been put
together by a number of companies and many talented
people. Now, we have brought the publication in house,
and I am honored to continue as editor-in-chief—a jobthat I have held since the May 2016 issue—and to also
take on the role of publisher.

Long Road to HereAs I was putting together this issue, I thought back to thevery first magazine on which I worked. It was December
1995, I was living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and I was
hired as a designer to do layout for a publication focused5on this important industry. This month’s installment
was penned by Healthcare Committee Co-Chairs John
Carlson and Mark Kawai, who share with you some of
the changes the committee has undergone to make itstronger and more engaged as a pillar of Japan’s business community.
We’ve also added a bimonthly tech column (page 23)
written by Tim Romero, who is head of Google Startups
Japan. You may also know Tim from his long-runningbusiness-related podcast Disrupting Japan. In thisissue, he talks about telemedicine, the National Health
Insurance system, and the need for changes that will
unleash innovation in healthcare.
Health is, in fact, the theme of this issue, and I sat
down virtually for a long and fascinating chat with
Daniel Maggs and Wojciech Bula, the co-founders ofBisu, which won the Best Innovation Award and theaudience-selected Moonshot Prize at the ACCJ’s inaugural Healthcare x Digital competition in December.
When transcribed, our interview about their innovative home health lab topped 12,000 words. That’s a
wee bit more than we can fit into The ACCJ Journal,

C Bryan Jones
Publisher and
Editor-in-Chief
cjones@accj.or.jp

We are all charting new territory in 2021—whether it’s
your business continuity, the evolving nature of chamber
communications, or changes to this magazine.
on the transportation industry. I didn’t imagine that it
would turn into a career. At the time, I was primarily
focused on music and was the bass trombonist in thecity’s symphony orchestra. But it did, and I have worked
on many magazines over the years. The most rewarding,though, has been The ACCJ Journal.
During my five years as editor-in-chief, I have cometo know so many of the wonderful, talented, and generous members of the chamber and have experienced
what makes the ACCJ special: networking, information,
advocacy, and community. As a writer and editor, I’ve
seen firsthand all these things we want to share with thecommunity at large through the pages of this magazine.

Evolving Content
To that end, I would like to point out some new sections
that you will find in this issue that help us share those
things. We are pleased to add a regular healthcare
column (page 25), which will be written by a variety ofexperts to bring you diverse and relevant perspectives

but I hope you’ll find the 3,500 or so that we did squeeze
in to be interesting (page 26).

Step Forward
I titled this column “Stepping into Tomorrow” because
we are all charting new territory in 2021—whether it’s
your business continuity, the evolving nature of chamber communications, or changes to this magazine.
A great way to seize the opportunities as theyarise is to be involved in the chamber. So, at the endof the book—on pages 45–47—we have a rundownof the many ways in which you can get the most outof your ACCJ membership, from getting to know
new members to joining committees to speaking at
events. Some even involve The ACCJ Journal. We havenew sponsorship options that put your brand frontand center, and we’re also looking for voices. Have astory idea? Want to write a column or article? You arealways welcome to contact me at cjones@accj.or.jp
to share your thoughts. n

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

PRESIDENT

By Jenifer Rogers

Strategic Goals
and OptimismI

am excited and honored to serve as president of theAmerican Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ)
this year, although the start of 2021 has not been
what many of us had expected.
On January 7, the Japanese government declareda state of emergency for Tokyo as well as Kanagawa,Chiba, and Saitama Prefectures, prolonging thebusiness challenges and virtual fatigue that many
are facing due to the pandemic. One week later, thedeclaration was extended to seven more prefectures,
including Aichi and Hyogo, where our Kansai and
Chubu chapters are located.
But there are reasons for optimism. On the pandemic front, the vaccine rollout—globally and inJapan—is proceeding more quickly than anticipated,

7

supporting the goal and outlining recommendations
to mitigate climate change that can help Japan movetowards more sustainable business practices.
On healthcare, pharmaceutical companies haveworked tirelessly to produce a vaccine in record time,and multiple vaccines are already being rolled out.
Our member companies in the healthcare sector
have been part of that evolution, providing reliable
platforms and tools by which businesses could remain
open and deliver their services without interruption.
In December, the Health and Retirement pillar also
released its white paper Post Covid-19: Recommendations
to Realize a Social Security System for All Generations,which outlines key actions to ensure the long-termsustainability of Japan’s social security system (page 24).

Jenifer Rogers
ACCJ President

As chamber leaders during the pandemic, we need to continue
to evaluate how best to support the core ACCJ pillars.
and improvements in testing are encouraging. The
government also remains optimistic that the Olympic
and Paralympic Games will proceed this summer.

Key Points
On the business front, the adoption of telework haschanged the mindset of Japanese companies regarding
the viability of remote work, with many indicating they
will continue after the pandemic. The crisis has also accelerated the use of digitization as the key tool allowing
businesses to continue operations. The chamber has
continued its policy of remote work for staff and theuse of virtual programs, with hybrid meetings allowed
where security protocols are followed.
In this year of transition, my strategic goals centeron three points: transformation, agility, and resilience.
In January, I began to work with the board of governors
to create the strategy for 2021 and review the results of2020. As chamber leaders during the pandemic, weneed to continue to evaluate how best to support thecore ACCJ pillars of networking, information, advocacy,
and community in a predominately virtual world.

Advocacy in Motion
There are key chamber initiatives already underway
in areas of sustainability, healthcare, and digitalization. On sustainability, the Japanese government
announced in January its goal of net-zero carbon
emissions by 2050. The ACCJ issued a statement

Another key focus this year is digital transformation. It is timely due to our increased dependence on
digitalization to do business during the pandemic, along history of active engagement and dialogue between
the US and Japan on digital cooperation, and the proposed creation of a digital agency in Japan.
To propel Japan into the digital era, the chamberplans to publish a research paper entitled Japan
Digital Agenda 2030 this month. The report, producedin partnership with McKinsey & Company, provides
actionable guidance on how Japan should prioritize
digitalization to improve efficiency and productivity in the private sector and government. It profiles
the unique role that the ACCJ plays in bringing theright parties together to shape the future of the US
and Japanese business environments, as well as tostrengthen the US–Japan economic partnership.
Considering all these developments, I believe
the chamber is well positioned this year to embracethese opportunities and advocate for ways in which
we can continue to improve the business environment
for our members.
With a new administration in the United States
and a recent change of prime minister and cabinet in
Japan, the chamber will continue to engage proactively
with government to advocate on key member issues.
I welcome your feedback and ideas as we work
to continue the success and growth of the ACCJ at thiscritical time. Contact me at jrogers@accj.or.jp. n

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

LEADERSHIP

8

By C Bryan JonesThe 2021 Boardof Governors

Meet those elected to lead the ACCJ as we look beyond the pandemicT

he ability of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) to effectively advocate
on behalf of the foreign business community
is powered by the extraordinarily deep pool of talent
among the membership. Each November, the chamber holds an election to fill open positions on theboard of governors, with members voting on a slate
prepared by the Nominations Committee.
The committee, comprising nine members representing women and men from a range of industries,
company sizes, professional experiences, and cultures,
identified candidates for the open positions of president,
four Tokyo vice presidents, and six Tokyo governors.

us to challenge our thinking—especially when it comes
to workstyle and digitization. So let’s continue theexchange and learn from each other.”James Feliciano, who is president of AbbVie Japanand an ACCJ governor, also sees opportunity in thechanges brought on by the pandemic. “I believe that2021 is the year for executing on a lot of the great workthat has been done over the past two years with ourpillars. The time is now for strong advocacy to drive
meaningful change to the benefit of Japanese society
and the broader business environment.”

The Chubu chapter also nominated new candidates
for vice president and governor.
The 2021 board of governors took office on January 1, and The ACCJ Journal spoke with many new
and incumbent members. We published an extensive
interview with President Jenifer Rogers in our January issue, and this month we would like to introduce
the rest of the board.

Noting that member engagement is at the heart of
the ACCJ, Governor Harry Hill, who is president andchief executive officer of Better-U, Inc., said: “Many of
us are coping with Covid-19 and are figuring out how tomaintain or restore existing business. The opportunity
to network and expand business horizons has been
severely curtailed. I believe the ability to meet and learn
from a diverse group of businesspeople is one of the core
benefits of the ACCJ, so restoring and creating new networking and information sharing opportunities—both
online and in-person—must be our focus for 2021.”
Engaging young professionals is also a priority. ACCJ
Governor and Caterpillar Director of Global Government
and Corporate Affairs Japan Megumi Tsukamoto said,“Under Jenifer’s leadership, I would like to contribute toenergize and activate the ACCJ further by incorporating new ideas and thoughts from younger leaders.”
Yoshitaka Sugihara, director and head of public
policy Japan at Netflix G.K. and an ACCJ vice president,
echoed this goal. He noted that the reorganization of
the Digital Economy Committee into four committees“has brought opportunities to recruit a new generation of leaders. My priority is how to support those
new leaders and make their committees more viable.”
Finally, Vice President-Chubu Robert Roche
looked back at the chamber’s history as a strength
for the future. “While many things have changed
since my initial involvement with the ACCJ, one
thing that hasn’t changed is the entrepreneurial
spirit and the civic pride of our members. I hope wecan build on this great tradition and create networking and business opportunities for our members thatwill lead to their success and the continued successof the organization.” nOpportunity and Growth
The new year brings with it many of the challenges of2020, but also a better understanding of the situationand how to adapt, as well as strong and innovativeideas for smoothing the path ahead.
First-time board member Victor Osumi, who
is managing director Japan at Delta Air Lines, Inc.
and an ACCJ governor, summed up the challenge andopportunity presented by 2021: “The ACCJ is there to
support the members and their business communities
as they make adjustments to the new normal. And wewill all emerge stronger in the coming years.”
Finsbury Partner and ACCJ Vice President Deborah
Hayden said that two of her goals are to “provide a voice
for what is a small startup in Japan—fewer than 20
people—on decision-making at all levels within thechamber and to continue the battle to push for greater
diversity across corporate Japan at all levels.”
Eli Lilly Japan K.K. President and General Manager
Simone Thomsen, who is ACCJ governor-Kansai, said
she is eager to “continue to strengthen the dialogue
between the United States and Japan—and the twonations’ company leaders and politicians—to address
today’s challenges and find solutions. The pandemic
has challenged us in many ways, but it has also helped

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

Engage and Nurture9

Jenifer Rogers
President(Asurion Japan Holdings G.K.)

Amy Jackson
Vice President(PhRMA)

Eriko Asai
Chairman(GE Japan Inc.)

Ryann Thomas
Treasurer(PwC Tax Japan)

Robert W. Roche
Eric W. Sedlak
Vice President-Chubu
Vice President(Oak Lawn Marketing, Inc.) (K&L Gates Gaikokuho
Joint Enterprise)

Yoko Furuyama
Vice President-Kansai(P&G Japan G.K.)

Deborah Hayden
Vice President(Finsbury)

Yoshitaka Sugihara
Vice President(Netflix G.K.)

Dave West
Vice President(Cisco Systems G.K.)

Andrew J. Conrad
Governor(Aflac)James C. Feliciano
Governor(AbbVie)

Harry A. Hill
Governor(Better-U, Inc.)

Mark Hosang
Governor-Chubu(Randstad K.K.)

Douglas L. Hymas
Governor(The Bank of New York Mellon)

Tad Johnson
Governor(Pratt & Whitney
Aftermarket Japan KK )Saori Kanno
Governor(REVLON K.K.)

Mari Matthews
Governor(Google Japan G.K.)

Nancy L. Ngou
Governor(EY Strategy &Consulting Co., Ltd.)

Victor Osumi
Governor(Delta Air Lines, Inc.)

Frank Randolph Packard
Governor(Triple A Partners
Japan Co. Ltd.)

William J. Swinton
Governor(Temple University,
Japan Campus)

Simone Thomsen
Governor-Kansai(Eli Lilly Japan K.K.)

Megumi Tsukamoto
Governor(Caterpillar Japan LLC)

Christopher LaFleur
Special Advisor(McLarty Associates)

Presidents Emeriti
Debbie Howard (2004–05) • Charles D. Lake II (2006–07) • Allan D. Smith (2008) • Thomas W. Whitson (2009–10) • Michael J. Alfant (2011–12)

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

EVENT

By C Bryan Jones

ACCJ/NAJAS Business Leaders Series

A Conversation with
Boeing Japan President
Will Shaffer

10

Among industries affected by the coronavirus
pandemic, few have felt the impact as strongly
as airlines and aerospace. But despite thedifficulties, the future holds promise on many fronts.
On January 27, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) and the National Associationof Japan–America Societies (NAJAS) welcomed Boeing
Japan K.K. President Will Shaffer for the second installment in the ACCJ/NAJAS Business Leaders Series.
The event was hosted by the Japan–America Societyof Dallas/Fort Worth and moderated by Dallas Morning
News aviation writer Kyle Arnold.
During the event, Shaffer, who was named president of Boeing Japan in August 2019—and had been
deployed to the country twice as a US Navy aviator—
shared his thoughts on the challenges facing thecompany and the industry, as well as the opportunities he sees in the Japan market.

Long Partnership
Boeing, a corporate sustaining member of the ACCJ,
has a long history of collaboration in Japan. The
company first opened an office in Tokyo in 1953 andhas been the top provider of commercial jetliners toJapanese airlines—including All Nippon Airways Co.,
Ltd. and Japan Airlines, Co., Ltd.—as well as a major
supplier of defense equipment, aircraft, and services
to Japan’s Ministry of Defense (JMOD). With more than
30 research and development partners, Boeing’s investments in Japan have helped grow the local aerospacesector, creating jobs and driving innovation.

Boeing Japan also supports 30 non-profit organizations, has eight partnerships with universities, andfunds an annual program for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education aimed atelementary and junior high schools.
Shaffer sees these deep roots as key to weathering
the storm of the pandemic. “We have a strong supply
chain here. We currently purchase $5 billion worthof goods in Japan,” he said. “And while those [transactions] may take a dip—given the challenges of international travel for the next couple of years—we expect
to continue a strong and great partnership.”

Defense Matters
While commercial air service may be what first comesto mind when thinking of Boeing, the company has
strong ties to the Japanese government that are key tothe nation’s defense. “We have over 300 aircraft thatare currently operated by JMOD. It’s the largest fleetof F-15 and CH-47 aircraft outside the US,” Shaffer said.
“On top of that, JMOD is the first international customer for our KC-46 and V-22 programs.” The CH-47
Chinook is a multi-mission helicopter, while the V-22
Osprey is a multi-role “tiltrotor” that combines thevertical takeoff capabilities of a helicopter with the
speed and range of a fixed-wing airplane. The KC-46—
also known as Pegasus—is a widebody tanker used forrefueling military aircraft. All three can also be used
for humanitarian and disaster relief purposes. The
Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is scheduled toreceive its first KC-46 this year.

Photo: US Marine Corps

Photo: Marian Lockhartss Maiden flight of the first KC-46 Pegasus tanker for delivery to Japan.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

The first V-22 delivered to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, in July 2020.

Photo: Boeing Japan K.K.

Boeing Japan also … funds anannual program for science,technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) education
aimed at elementary and juniorhigh schools.

The F-15 upgrade program, which offers next-generation
technologies such as an advanced cockpit, AESA radar, a digitalelectronic warfare suite, the world’s fastest mission computer,and modern sensors, is a great example of how Boeing works
with Japanese companies. While the fighter jet was developed byBoeing, those deployed by the JASDF were assembled in Japan by
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. The same applies to upgrades tothe platform.
“We’ll provide them the kits and they’ll do all the installation
work,” Shaffer explained. “They tend to be on many of our defense
programs and are the prime provider to the Japanese government.
We give them the support to be able to do that effectively. So, we
have this symbiotic relationship where we work together on thecommercial side, and that’s an important part of their business, but
we also do a lot of work with them on their defense side, where
we support them on sales, and they are the prime [partner] on
our aircraft.”State of Travel
Of course, the dip in commercial aviation is a key concern right now
as the coronavirus pandemic continues to make air travel difficult.
The pandemic has all but brought the Japanese government’s plansfor 60 million visitors per year by 2030 to a standstill. Shaffer addressed the situation and expressed optimism on the domestic frontand caution on international recovery.
When asked how Japanese travelers have reacted to the pandemic he noted that, by the end of last year, “with programs likethe Go To Travel campaign, domestic traffic did rise pretty close
to 50–60 percent.” However, due to the current state of emergency
in reaction to the third wave of the pandemic, “you see that dropping off significantly.”
On the international front, “because of the challenges of coming
in and out of Japan, [the traffic] is very small. It’s five to 10 percent
of normal. So, I think they [passengers] are comfortable getting
on a plane, but the challenge of crossing borders is still difficult.”
Shaffer is hopeful that regional travel in Asia may reboundsooner than global travel thanks to the relatively lower numberof Covid-19 cases in the region.
“Japan tried last year to start opening up international corridors,” he said. “They had travel open with many Southeast Asian
countries, as well as China and [South] Korea. Many restrictions
were still pretty high and there were a lot of requirements. It was
really only for business travel that they did that. [But] you might
see travel in this region, in a bubble area, open up a little bit faster.

Getting people in and out of Japan to North America and Europe isprobably going take a while longer.”
Over the long term, Shaffer sees great opportunity in Japanfor international travel. He believes inbound travel will also recover.
“Japan offers a lot of great tourist attractions and continues to focus
on their current tourism industry as a way of continuing growthwithin the country.”

Peace of Mind
Even once travel restrictions are eased, helping passengers feelsafe will be an important part of the industry’s rebound. Shaffer
said that Boeing has done a lot of research into the travel environment, including extensive modeling on the airplane cabin, tovalidate the safety of air travel.
“[We] conducted tests where we looked at ways that we could
actually clean the inside surfaces so that they are safe,” he explained.
“We also looked at the airflow inside the aircraft. What we’ve foundis that the likelihood of catching the coronavirus on the plane isrelatively low, given that the air changes on the craft every two to
three minutes, which is about what you see in an operating room ina hospital.”
He also noted that the way in which air flows through the cabinin effect creates a separation that is important for minimizing virus
spread, because the process reduces transmission.
“It’s effectively as if passengers are sitting about seven feetapart, because the air flows from the ceiling down to the floor
and is then pulled out from the floor and circulated through
HEPA filters, where it is mixed with outside air.” HEPA, or highefficiency particulate air filters, are 99.9 percent effective atremoving viruses, bacteria, and fungi, ensuring that very clean
air is returned to the cabin.
The number of Covid-19 cases that have been traced back to air
travel is very small—just one in every 27 million passengers according to the International Air Transport Association. With some 1.8
billion people having flown in 2020, that comes to well under 100.

Sustainability
The lull in air travel may have positive long-term effects andhelp the United States and Japan meet their environmental
targets. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced
on October 26 that Japan will work to achieve net-zero carbon
emissions by 2050, and on January 27 US President Joe Biden
said the US should become a net-zero economy by 2050, callingclimate change an existential threat.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 202111

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Photo: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

13
Photo: Boeing Japan K.K.

KHI held a ceremony in 2018 before shipping the first 777X parts to Boeing‘s factory in Everett, Washington.

Vehicles—whether on land or in the air—are a key
source of CO2 emissions. But designs are becoming
more efficient, and Boeing has made great strides in thisarea. A next step is for airlines to update their fleets tomore efficient models.
“I think one of the things this pandemic is actually driving is retirement of a lot of the older aircraft,
and you’re seeing those get pulled out at a fairly fast
rate across a lot of our customers,” Shaffer said. “Andbelieves that one of the important ways the aviationindustry is going to get to carbon neutrality is throughsustainable fuels. Shaffer explained that Boeing has
committed to having all its airplanes able and certified
to operate off 100-percent sustainable aviation fuelby 2030. He added that, in addition to sustainable
fuels, Boeing is “still looking at alternate opportunities—but many of those, we think, are probably
further out.”

Boeing has committed to having all its airplanes able andcertified to operate off 100-percent sustainable aviationfuel by 2030.
what will probably happen is, as the traffic comes
back, you’re going to see them replace these aircraftwith newer ones.”
He explained that each generation of aircraft issignificantly more efficient than the previous one.
The 737 MAX reduces fuel use and CO2 emissions by
14 percent compared with the 737NG that it replaces,
for example. An even bigger improvement can be seen
between the 787 and the airplanes it replaces—where
savings in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions fall in
the range of 20–25 percent.
Looking at the path ahead, he noted that Boeing
President and Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun

Those alternatives include hydrogen-powered andelectric planes, although adapting these technologies
to aircraft in the size class of Boeing’s passenger jets
will require advancements.

Clearing Skies
With a drive to make air travel safe for passengers
and the environment, and dedication to strong ties
with Japanese business and government, Boeing isplaying a leading role not only in seeing the industry through the turbulence of the pandemic but to abright future. And for Shaffer, the chance to be backin Japan to guide the mission is a delight. n

About Will Shaffer
Named president of Boeing Japan in August 2019, Shaffer is responsible for the development
and implementation of the Boeing strategy in Japan, expanding the company’s local
presence, pursuing new growth and productivity opportunities, leading government affairs
and corporate citizenship programs. He is based in the Boeing Japan offices in Tokyo andreports to Sir Michael Arthur, president of Boeing International.
Prior to this, Shaffer served as Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) director for Supply Chain Strategy for ProductStrategy and Future Airplane Development. He was responsible for the development and management of the
supply chain for future production systems and Boeing programs, including strategy, program management, andfunctional excellence. He earned a master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School anda bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering from the United States Naval Academy.

Listen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

EVENT

14

By C Bryan Jones

Japanese Textiles
and Fashion
Investing in the continuity of history, culture, and art

While we have all admired the beauty andcreativity of kimono, investing in Japanese
textiles is an exacting business. On
January 27, the American Chamber of Commerce inJapan Alternative Investment and Women in BusinessCommittees jointly welcomed one of the world’s leading
experts on the subject, Sharon Sadako Takeda, who issenior curator and the head of the Costume and Textiles
Department at the Los Angeles County Museum ofArt (LACMA). In her presentation entitled JapaneseTextiles and Fashion: Investing in the Continuity ofHistory, Culture, and Art, she delivered a detailed andfascinating look at the techniques, artisans, and works
that capture the rich history of Japan.

Art and Heritage
A third-generation Japanese American, Takeda was bornand raised in the rural town of Hanford, in California’s
San Joaquin Valley halfway between Los Angeles and
San Francisco. She recalls Japanese traditions, such as
Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day), that were part of her childhood, and dressing in kimono to represent Japan in
the annual Christmas Around the World event at her
grammar school. “Besides being very uncomfortable,
I remember that my obi would always come undone
as I ran around with schoolmates after the program.”
Such memories—and the stories told by her parents—would ultimately influence her career path as
she studied at the University of California, Los Angeles.
A love of art, sprung from elective art history courses,

led to an early decision to change her pre-pharmacy
major to art and design.
“In searching for what I wanted to say with mypaintings, I had an identity crisis. Who was I? What
did I want to express with my art? Why was I an Asianborn in a primarily Caucasian society,” Takeda said.
She would go on to graduate with a master of arts
and was the recipient of a 1983–84 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
scholarship (then called Monbusho), which brought
her to Japan to study traditional Japanese dyeing andweaving techniques at the Kanazawa University of Arts
and Crafts. She also conducted field research in Niigata
Prefecture on a traditional snow-bleached textile
designated an Intangible Cultural Property by Japan’s
Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Ultimately, this led her to LACMA, where she has
curated many important exhibitions and helps themuseum build its permanent collection.
Takeda’s love for Japanese textiles is shared by manyin the United States and around the world. One of her
exhibitions—When Art Became Fashion: Kosode in
Edo-Period Japan—attracted many Japanese artisans,scholars, and kimono-clad women to glimpse treasures
typically unseen in their home country.

Collectors’ Commitment
Acquiring works of art is more challenging for LACMA
than for some museums. “Unlike our counterpartson the East Coast, who have more than a century ofbuilding their collections based on wealthy philanthropic families, and have acquisition endowments
worth millions of dollars, LACMA has no major acquisition endowment, so we have to work hard to raise
funds for acquisitions,” she explained.
One way the museum does this is through its
annual Collectors Committee, a distinguished groupof donors who help decide acquisitions for LACMA’s

Installation photo, Kimono for a Modern Age, at theLos Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), July 5, 2014–
October 19, 2014. Photo © Museum Associates / LACMA.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

Young Woman’s Samurai-Class Outer Kimono (Furisode,Uchikake)with Cherry Blossoms, Chrysanthemums, Hollyhock Leaves, Peonies,
Wisteria, and Stylized Cloud Pattern, Late Edo Period (1615–1868),
early 19th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CostumeCouncil Fund. Photo © Museum Associates/ LACMA.

permanent collection. Membership is available at three levels:$15,000, $30,000, and $60,000. Dues are pooled and used tobuild the collection through a special annual weekend event.
“Each year, until the pandemic, LACMA has held a Collectors
Committee weekend,” she said. The spring gathering, first held in
1986, features art, food, and wine, and culminates in the Collectors
Committee Gala, at which members vote for curator-selected artworks they would like to acquire for LACMA’s permanent collection.
“Through this process, we are able to bring forth major piecesof high value that normally would be difficult for us to obtain,” shecontinued. “The bar has been raised after many years, and wecurrently propose artworks that can range from $100,000 all theway up to $1 million.”
Takeda explained that members of the Collectors Committee
gather on the Friday evening for one of several intimate dinners
hosted by LACMA trustees or major collectors. At each venue, often
a major art collector’s home, gourmet dinners are prepared by acelebrity chef and paired with wines from a boutique California
vintner. She shared photos from past events attended by singersongwriter Nick Jonas, radio and television host Ryan Seacrest,
actress Diane Keaton, and record, film, and theater producer John
Legend, who performed at one of the events while attendees dined.
The following morning, a booklet of proposed acquisitions
is distributed as members attend a buffet breakfast at LACMA.
Typically, nine or 10 major works are on display in a special one-day
exhibition. Members of the Collectors Committee get to leisurely
look at the artworks and attend a morning session where eachcurator gives a 10-minute illustrated presentation explaining theimportance of their chosen piece and why it should be in LACMA’s
permanent collection.
“Soon after they hear your presentation, they can go and examine the artwork with renewed eyes—so it’s really about educatingthem as to what to look for,” Takeda said.

This is followed by an alfresco luncheon at LACMA and anotheropportunity to visit the exhibition before returning home to study
their booklet of proposed acquisitions. The evening begins withcocktails before attendees are seated for dinner and a live auction
to raise additional funds that go into the acquisition-fund pot
with Collectors Committee membership dues.
“Each member receives an electronic voting device,” she explained. “Throughout the dinner, rounds of voting occur. You voteeach round for a piece that you want the Collectors Committee topurchase. It typically takes multiple rounds until one piece getsthe majority of votes. The first artwork to get a majority is bought,
the purchase amount is subtracted from the pot, and they keep
going until there are no longer funds to purchase another piece.”This isn’t the only way works can be acquired on the specialnight. Often, Takeda says, a trustee or collector will decide topurchase an artwork outright for the museum before the auction.
“It’s a very exciting evening. In the old days, one or two pieces
might get purchased. But in the past few years, all or nearly all of thepresented artworks are acquired through Collectors Committee
funds, a consortium of Collectors Committee members, or a single
donor. This means that millions of dollars’ worth of art is acquired in
one evening.”
LACMA’s collection comprises more than 142,000 objects that
illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe, with
6,850 items listed in the Japanese art and textile curatorial area.

Curator’s Eye
One of Takeda’s tasks as senior curator is to conceive exhibitions
that draw from this vast collection. Her passion and expertise
showed through as she took attendees of this ACCJ event through avirtual tour of her best-known LACMA exhibitions.
Talking about how curators select artworks for the museum andexhibitions, she said they build upon the strengths of the permanent

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

15

17
Installation photo, Reigning Men: Fashion in
Menswear, 1715–2015, at the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (LACMA), April 10–August 21, 2016.
Photo © Museum Associates / LACMA.

collection and exhibit many examples of exquisite andrare pieces. She also shared how some examples fromJapan’s Edo Period (1603–1868) became available.
“When the Meiji Restoration eliminated the feudal
domains and established a centralized prefectural
system, feudal lords living in the capital permanently
returned to their fiefdoms. The simultaneous dismantling of warlords’ households resulted in their possessions—too numerous and expensive to be transferredback to the respective fiefdoms—becoming available
on the art market.”
Items such as samurai-class women’s kosode(literally small sleeves), the predecessor of the modernkimono, moved into the hands of Japanese art dealersand, ultimately, on to European dealers. They, in turn,sold them to collectors and artists such as French
painter and illustrator James Tissot (1836–1902), who
painted a Western woman in a very similar samuraiclass kimono in his 1864 painting Japonaise au Bainat the Beaux, which is now in the Musée des BeauxArts de Dijon.

National Treasures“One of the most significant Japanese pieces that wasbought with the Collectors Committee fund is Kun-en,
or Fragrant Garden, a kimono created in 1968 by

Moriguchi Kako,” Takeda said. “It depicts a single chrysanthemum blossom that radiates to the outer limits of
the kimono form.”
In 1967, Moriguchi was designated a Living National
Treasure of Japan. Established in 1950, with the passingof the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, thedesignation acknowledges individuals who embody
technical artistry. He received the honor for mastering and revitalizing the traditional paste and dyeing
technique known as yuzen.
His son, Kunihiko, now aged 80, was himself designated a Living National Treasure in 2007. In 2000,
LACMA acquired his kimono, Kikkei Kahen Zensomon(Gradation of Triangular Petals), which he made in1990. Takeda said he has become a personal friend andthey have shared numerous conversations about why
preservation of these art forms and traditions matters.
“He says that it’s not only yuzen that is being challenged. He’s conscious of the fact that the number ofcraftsmen making traditional handmade tools, such asbrushes or even the dried leaves that he uses as partof his art-making process, are diminishing,” she said.
“He’s concerned that, if the traditional tools change ordisappear, it will influence the hand or the quality ofthe traditional textiles. So, it’s really a critical time rightnow, I think.” nLearn more aboutthe LACMA collection:www.lacma.org

Selected Exhibitions curated by
Sharon Sadako Takeda
When Art Became Fashion: Kosode in Edo-Period Japan (1992–93)
The Fabric of Life: Japanese Folk Textiles (1995)
Japonism in Fashion: The Influence of Japan on Western Dress (1998)
Miracles and Mischief: Noh and Kyogen Theater in Japan (2002)
Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection (2006)
Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail 1700–1915 (2010–11)
Kimono for a Modern Age (2014)
Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear 1715–2015 (2016)

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THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

MEMBER FOCUS

By Malcolm Foster

Fine Dining,
On Demand

18

Seth Sulkin’s new venture, Food-e, delivers Tokyo’s culinary bestW

Presented inpartnershipwith Food-e.

hile working from home a few weeks into
the pandemic last spring, real estate developer Seth Sulkin noticed that his favorite
premier Tokyo restaurants were largely empty. Whenhe asked about delivery, most said they didn’t offer it,
because commissions were too high. More importantly,
they said the delivery itself is often poor and unreliable,leaving customers with late, shaken, cold, discolored,
and disappointing food.
Such an outcome is annoying even for fast food,
which dominates delivery, but totally unacceptable
when paying for gourmet meals. “Most of the time,it’s a terrible experience,” said Sulkin, who was often
frustrated by slow, inconsistent service. “Once I find arestaurant that works, I tend to order from it regularly,
because ordering from a new restaurant is so terrifying.”
Sulkin saw a business opportunity, as well as away to help his favorite establishments survive. He
would create a speedy, quality delivery service for top
restaurants that would provide a satisfying dining
experience at home, the office, or even the park. It
was also a way to offset the negative impact of thepandemic at his other businesses: shopping centersand hotels. Food-e was born.
“I was able to create a business that would benefit
from the pandemic and save my favorite restaurants.
Those were my two primary motivations,” Sulkin said.
“We’re trying to offer people the best restaurants’ food,delivered to wherever they want to eat, within anhour. That’s a brand-new concept.”

Pro Drivers
Incorporated in May, Food-e GK began service on
October 1 and currently provides meals from 35 topend restaurants in central Tokyo. These include:• Nobu Tokyo• The Oak Door
• Elio Locanda Italiana
More are being added each month.
It generally takes about an hour for food to bedelivered after the order has been placed online atwww.food-e.jp. Once the food is prepared, actual
delivery time averages 10 minutes.
To provide fast, reliable service, Sulkin hired aJapanese delivery company with trained, uniformed
drivers who are familiar with Tokyo streets andget around on motorcycles. Many well-known fooddelivery companies rely on part-time workers who may
not know the streets well and, generally, don’t have an
incentive to deliver food properly, Sulkin said.
“We use only professional drivers. They’re fulltime and they’re careful with the food, so we don’t getcomplaints about the delivery,” he explained. “It’s justa completely different experience.”
Service is limited to a five-kilometer radius fromthe restaurants. Most are in Azabu and Roppongi.
This means Food-e will deliver to Ginza to the east,
Shibuya and Ebisu to the west, and Shinagawa to
the south. “We’ve chosen this area because it has
the highest concentration of customers who want toorder this kind of food, as well as the highest concentration of high-quality restaurants,” he said.

New Approach
As part of his goal to help restaurants survive, Sulkinreimagined the usual business model. Typically, delivery services charge restaurants a high commissionof 30–40 percent. This forces them to raise prices by
the same amount or give up their profits. Customers
pay a 10-percent service charge and, sometimes, adelivery fee of about ¥100, he explained.
Food-e flips this around and charges restaurants
a much lower, undisclosed commission while customers pay a higher, flat delivery fee of ¥1,000 per order,
which covers much of the delivery costs, Sulkin said.
This allows menu prices to remain largely unchanged.
Penne alla Norma from Andaz Tokyo’s The Tavern - Grill & Lounge

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

19

US Strip Loin from The Oak Door at Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Food-e is also the exclusive delivery service forthese restaurants. The minimum order is ¥3,000 forlunch and ¥5,000 for dinner. The average order isabout ¥16,000, so all those factors are appealing torestaurants, he said.
In fact, upon hearing Sulkin’s pitch, restaurant
owners have agreed to join Food-e with remarkablespeed, usually deciding to do so at the first in-personor online meeting. He says it’s the fastest decisionmaking he’s seen during his 35 years working inJapan. “The terms we offer work for them in a waythat none of the otherdelivery services do.”To address hygieneand health concerns during the pandemic, Food-erequires drivers to wear
masks, covers the food,and minimizes contact between drivers and customers. “We’ve been careful,
and we haven’t had any problems.”

can also check on the meal’s status to see whether it
is being prepared or is out for delivery.
While other companies will deliver from high-end
restaurants, Sulkin says many require orders two or
more days in advance and their websites can be complex to use. Food-e, in contrast, is easy and the only
one that will provide high-quality meals on demand.
In its first four months of business, Food-e has
seen demand for delivery to corporate events or
executive meetings, not just to homes. “If you want ahigh-quality lunch at an executive meeting, we’re theonly place that can deliver
it on demand,” he said. The
company also had a growing number of advanceorders, so is expandingthat part of its website.

“We’re trying to offer people
the best restaurants’ food,delivered to wherever theywant to eat, within an hour.
That’s a brand-new concept.”

Delicious Pics
The Food-e website is fully bilingual andthe company aims to have an app for Apple
and Android devices in the near future.
To ensure that the site has excellent images,
Sulkin has hired professional photographers toshoot appealing photos of the food. “Our goal is that,when you look at our photos, they will make you sohungry you want to order.”Getting food to a customer within an hourmeans that chefs and restaurant kitchen staff musthave ingredients at the ready and prepare meals very
quickly. “Chefs are craftsmen and, for some, it’s terrifying to get a sudden order when they are used toonly handling customers with advance reservations,”
Sulkin said. “Some of my job is to convince chefs that
there are ways to deal with these sudden orders.”
On the website, each restaurant will post theestimated combined preparation and delivery time—
typically 40–80 minutes. Once an order is placed, thecustomer receives an estimated time of arrival. They

Place your order:
www.food-e.jp

Will It Stick?

Sulkin aims to expand
service later this year toa broader area, including Shinjuku andNihonbashi. Eyes are set on linking up
with local top restaurants in Yokohama
next year, and then the Kansai region.
But he doesn’t plan to significantly expand
the delivery radius from the restaurantmuch beyond five kilometers—perhaps to six orseven kilometers at the most—because food quality
deteriorates as distances and delivery times grow.
An example of the adage “necessity is the mother of
invention,” Food-e is a positive outcome of the Covid-19
crisis. “If it were not for the pandemic, I would not havethought about starting this business,” Sulkin said.
But will demand fade after the coronavirus subsides? Sulkin believes it will not, because the pandemic
has brought what he sees as lasting changes to people’s
behavior, including their eating habits.
“Japanese have been ordering delivery for hundreds of years. The business didn’t start with the
pandemic, and it’s not going to go away when it’s over.
Even when the threat disappears, people will probably
not eat out as often as they used to. So, I think demandfor delivery will be higher than before.” nListen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

Still out there making surepeople have enough food.

Thank you.
SECOND HARVEST JAPANwww.2hj.org

CHUBU

By Mark Hosang and Jeff Jackson

One ACCJ and
Future Vision21

Chubu leaders look to digital for a stronger chamberIn 2017, the American Chamber of Commerce inJapan (ACCJ) introduced its One ACCJ initiative.
The goal of the initiative, which continues to thisday, is to encourage greater integration among theTokyo, Kansai, and Chubu chapters and nurture asense of community across the chamber as a whole.
Last year alone, the Chubu chapter saw a substantial increase in those outside the region participatingin chapter events—an indication that this initiative
is taking root. We believe that, by capitalizing on theunique strengths and characteristics of the Chubu
chapter and leveraging technology, we can encourage
this trend for the benefit of all chapters and further
contribute to the success of the ACCJ.

a clear illustration of how the One ACCJ concept canbring all members from all regions together. This
year, we will continue to look for new and innovative
ways to accommodate changing circumstances andmeet our members’ needs.

Platform and Voice

Given its size and flexibility,
the Chubu chapter is uniquely
positioned to act as a test bed
for new ACCJ policies andtechnology.

The Chubu chapter is specially positioned to provide
a platform and voice for entrepreneurs as well as small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We have traditionally attracted business-minded professionals inboth categories, and many have gone on to create successful businesses with the help and support of ACCJ
activities and members. We intend to double downon these efforts over the next two years as we kick off
a mentorship series aimed at helping members get
their businesses off the ground and running.
With the One ACCJ initiative in full force—anda new environment in which events are delivered
online and, when possible, in a hybrid format—wewill aim to reach out to entrepreneurs and SMEs in
all three chapters to provide value not only to thosein the Chubu region but to all chamber members.

Tight-knit and Agile

Ideal Test Bed

As the chamber’s smallest chapter, the ACCJ-Chubu
is a tight-knit and agile community that is able to quickly
make necessary adjustments to achieve its aims.
The Chubu chapter is probably best known for
its annual Walkathon, a fundraising event that wehave organized and hosted for the past 30 years incollaboration with local charities that do not havethe resources for self-promotion.
In 2020, despite the many challenges, we were able
to successfully transform the traditionally in-person
Walkathon into a fully virtual event. More than ¥6 million
in donations was generated, providing much needed
support for charities in a year when many saw a drop
in donations and a rise in costs as they worked to create
safe environments in the face of Covid-19.
On November 20, we were also able to navigate ACCJ
coronavirus protocols to safely host a socially distanced
hybrid event: a breakfast with Nicholas M. Hill, deputy
chief of mission at the Embassy of the United States,
Tokyo. Attended by 15 members in person and streamed
live for members viewing remotely, the session was

Given its size and flexibility, the Chubu chapter is
uniquely positioned to act as a test bed for new ACCJ
policies and technology.
One such area that we are pursuing is the digitization and storage of committee notes and resources ina digital document repository. This will promote more
effective communication and provide new memberswith a more complete picture of committee activities, allowing them to become more fully engaged incommittees early on. It will also assist with succession
planning by ensuring that valuable information isstill available when leaders leave committees or newleadership is installed.
Although small, the Chubu chapter is blessedwith many dedicated leaders and members committed
to advancing the goals and efforts of both the chapter
and the chamber. We look forward to working with
all ACCJ leaders and members to identify more ways
in which the Chubu chapter can contribute to therichness and diversity of the chamber and the community in general. nMark Hosang
ACCJ-Chubu
Governor

Jeff Jackson
ACCJ-Chubu
Treasurer

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TECH

By Tim Romero

Telemedicine andthe NHI System

23

How to solve Japan’s innovation bottleneck in healthcareT

he medical industry is one of the hardest to
disrupt. In some ways, that’s a good thing. Lives
are literally at stake, so there’s a good argument
to be made for being conservative and taking things
slowly. But looking at the National Health Insurance(NHI) system in Japan—and the health systems of all
developed nations—it becomes obvious that not only
can improvements be made, but that they must be made.

[The model] highlights how
inefficient some parts of Japan’s
healthcare industry are andhow badly innovation is needed.
A while back, I had a chance to talk to Kenichi Ishii,the founder of Next Innovation, an Osaka-based telemedicine startup. Their long-term strategy involves increasing
the use and acceptance of telemedicine in Japan andselling prescription drugs over the internet. The needfor such a service has been particularly highlighted
over the past year as we have grappled with the logistics of a rather analog system during the pandemic.

Cultural Challenge
Among Japan’s aging population there is a real shortageof doctors and nurses. Given this, one might expect
telemedicine to be much more common in Japan, but
it’s not. Why is that? One reason that Ishii cited is thedifficulty in persuading older people to change their
behavior. So, shifting to methods of care that involve
online communications—especially video sessions—requires overcoming a level of resistance.
We’ve started seeing some progress, especially as
the pandemic has made in-person clinic visits moredifficult and less appealing, due to the risk of exposure
to the coronavirus. It’s one silver lining of the current
crisis. But the cultural aspects that must be overcome
for telemedicine to take hold—and for startups in thefield to succeed—go beyond discomfort with technology.
Ishii confirmed something that I had long heard,that many older Japanese people actually enjoy visiting
the hospital, since it is seen as a place to meet and chatwith friends. He said this is true for more than half of

hospital outpatients. A possible solution, he suggests, isa combination of hospital visits and telemedicine. You
go to the hospital to talk to a doctor and get a diagnosis.
Once the doctor has outlined a treatment plan, subsequent consultations are conducted via telemedicine
and prescriptions are filled remotely. This continues aslong as you take the same medications each month.
Tim Romero

Formula for Success
A key reason Next Innovation has been able to succeed
is that they can cut the price of medications for thepatient by 70 percent. It makes the cost roughly equal
to the NHI system’s 30-percent copay. That’s very important for the startup because their consultations are
not covered by the NHI system.
Given that they are able to do this using some basic
technology and a streamlined workflow, I wondered
why we don’t see more medical startups in Japan? Ishii
explained that, because of how the NHI system is structured, it is essentially as if the government were thesole customer. Seventy percent is a high barrier, andthose who must work within the system find great difficulty in navigating the rules and regulations to create
profitable and sustainable business models.
I asked Ishii what he felt the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare could do to promote medical
innovation and startups in Japan. The starting point,
he said, is to always think of the patient first rather
than the doctor. But what I learned from Ishii’s viewis that, from the Japanese business side, some see
the first step as thinking how to get money from thedoctors or hospitals, because Japan has a very good
insurance system. Next, they think how to provide
care or treatment to the patient.

Head of Google
Startups Japan
Host of the podcast
Disrupting Japan
www.disruptingjapan.com

Nurturing Innovation
One of the most important aspects of Ishii’s story is
how very difficult it is for a startup to build a viablebusiness model in medicine. Next Innovation has had
to operate completely outside the NHI system, andthat has meant they have had to provide their services
for 70 percent less than the going rate. And they have.
While this says a lot about the ingenuity of Ishii andhis team, it also highlights how inefficient some partsof Japan’s healthcare industry are and how badly
innovation is needed. n

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THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

WHITE PAPER

By the Institute for New Era Strategy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Health andRetirement

24

Realizing a social security system for all generations

T

Download thefull white paper:accj.or.jp/hrwp

Learn more about
the Institute for
New Era Strategy:
inesjapan.com

he novel coronavirus pandemic has illuminatedseveral challenges facing the sustainability ofJapan’s social security system. With the agingof the population continuing to accelerate, our humanand material resources for healthcare and retirement
have been insufficient. In addition, during this crisis,
significant financial stimulus needs to be mobilized on
the back of Japan’s stagnating economy. But as most of
this money derives from the issuance of government
bonds, it is impossible for the government to spend
as much as it desires. Much of Japan’s social security
system was established in a post-war period wherepriorities were predominantly infectious diseases andacute illnesses. Over time, the system has evolved toaddress the treatment of chronic illnesses and Japan’s
aging demographics, but discussions on securing thenecessary resources for this fundamental evolution
have been insufficient.
On a positive note, as we continue to evolve as adata-based society, we have begun to grasp the impact
of Covid-19 in real time with the active cooperationof civil society. While this is an encouraging sign thatbodes well for the future of Japanese society, the stateof Japan’s infrastructure has been inadequate whencompared to other countries. For example, in evaluating the Government’s uniform provision of ¥100,000
per person, clearly there is an unrealized opportunity
to take a needs-based approach predicated on the
integration and application of data.
Amid this pandemic, there have been two fundamental ways of thinking about social distancing policies.
One is for society to confer the government with vastauthority to monitor the social and economic activitiesof each individual. The other is for the government
to proactively disclose and share information, so thatcivil society can understand the situation and how it
may evolve in an accurate and thorough manner, before
proceeding with the active cooperation of civil society.
Although some temporary measures may be unavoidable in emergency situations, Japan must pursue thelatter option in the medium to long term. Only by doing
so can we remain the society that our predecessors havecreated, where our people can freely and actively determine our own future.
This is not merely a matter of theoretical reflection but a very real choice that is facing us. The novel

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

coronavirus is a major crisis for mankind, but, evenmore importantly, the real danger lies in making thewrong choice for our future. In order to ensure that we
make the right choice, we must take this opportunity
to reform outmoded systems and ways of thinking thathave been overly tailored for a society in the past andare no longer relevant for our future.
The white paper Post Covid-19: Recommendations
to Realize a Social Security System for All Generations,jointly publish in December 2020 by the Institute for
New Era Strategy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, presents a set of recommendations
to realize a social security system for all generations byfocusing on three specific areas of extreme importance:
 Active utilization of data technology
 Shifting financial resources towards healthcare
and retirement needs Raising the health and financial literacy of societyWith Japan’s fiscal strains exacerbated by thenovel coronavirus, now is the time for Japan to tackle
these challenges. Strong political will and leadershipare required to share a vision for the future with the
public, face reality, and make the right choices for abetter future. n

POST COVID-19
RECOMMENDATIONS TO REALIZE A SOCIALSECURITY SYSTEM FOR ALL GENERATIONSREPORT FROM THE INSTITUTE FOR NEW ERA STRATEGY | DECEMBER 2020

HEALTHCARE

By John Carlson and Mark Kawai, co-chairs, ACCJ Healthcare Committee

Two Yearsof Firsts

25

Challenges and changes bring a stronger voice for advocacy

Looking back, 2020 was a year unlike any other.
For the American Chamber of Commerce inJapan (ACCJ) Healthcare Committee, despite
starting the year with a clear seat of priorities, thecoronavirus pandemic forced us to shift our focus
early on. Our advocacy agenda quickly took on theimportant challenge of ensuring the stable supply of
medicines and medical equipment, and what used to
be in-person events went fully virtual—a first for the
Healthcare Committee.
In another first, the chamber presented the ACCJ
Outstanding Achievement Award to Dr. Tatsuya Kondo,
who served as chief executive of Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency from 2008 to 2019.
We honored him for his significant contributions
to improving the Japanese healthcare system andfurthering the US–Japan partnership.
The Healthcare Committee also worked withleaders from the financial services and technology
sectors to commission a research report focused on
the future of health and retirement. It was our firsttime collaborating across these industries.
All these firsts came at a time when healthcare
professionals, government, and industry were coming
together to fight Covid-19. For all of us, 2020 was ayear that marked a lot of change—changes in the way
we work, communicate, and engage with one another.
Similarly, the Healthcare Committee underwent a lotof change in 2020 that has left us stronger and moreengaged as a pillar of Japan’s business community.

Stronger LeadershipAs the day-to-day activities of the Healthcare Committee and its subcommittees evolved over the past
few years, our leadership structure had become ineffective in serving the needs of our member companies.
So, at the end of the year, we made the decision todissolve our five subcommittees and welcome active
leaders from those groups into the Healthcare Committee leadership. And in an effort to diversify ourleadership and support the development of newleaders, Mark Kawai was appointed co-chair. Several
other leaders also joined.
This new Healthcare Committee leadership is
one of our most diverse yet, with voices from US- andEurope-based pharmaceutical and medical devicecompanies as well as Japanese academia. We are also
very proud to have achieved the chamber’s goal of having more than 30 percent of our leadership positions
filled by women.

The Healthcare Committee
underwent a lot of change in2020 that has left us stronger
and more engaged as a pillar ofJapan’s business community.

John Carlson

In 2021, we expect this new structure and our newleaders to support us in engaging an even broader
base of committee members and member companies.
Mark Kawai

Looking Forward
The agenda for 2021 will bring us another year of firsts.
At the end of 2020, we took the opportunity to solicit
the feedback of committee members to help guide ourpriorities for the coming year. Overwhelmingly, ourmembers said they look to the Healthcare Committee
to drive effective advocacy on such issues as:
 Digital health Japan’s aging society Chronic diseases
To do this, we are committed to driving four key
strategic priorities:
1. Maintaining a robust speaker pipeline.
2. Releasing our new health policy white paper.
3. Building on successful efforts to support
digital transformation.
4. Continuing to expand our work under the
ACCJ’s Health and Retirement pillar.
A committee’s success is entirely dependent on
the engagement of its members, so we are striving
this year to broaden our reach inside and outside thechamber. We look forward to working together withmember companies to drive an agenda that meets
their strategic business needs. n

Listen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

INTERVIEW

26

By C Bryan Jones • Photos by Miki Kawaguchi/LIFE.14

BRING THELAB HOMEHEALTHCARE x DIGITAL WINNERS BISUSHARE THEIR VISION FOR HEALTH STARTUPS

Technology that allows us to monitor our bodies
is changing how we manage our health.
Data that was once only obtainable by visiting a doctor is
now at our fingertips. A tap on the wrist informing you of how
many steps you’ve taken or calories you’ve burned is one thing,
but a readout of what’s happening inside your body is another.
Bisu is making such data easy to obtain with their home healthlab, an elegant and easy-to-use system that supports a range oftests that you can perform yourself.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

The Japan-based startup, which has offices in Tokyo andAtlanta won the Best Innovation Award and the audience-selected
Moonshot Prize at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s
inaugural Healthcare x Digital competition on December 1.
The ACCJ Journal sat down with co-founders Daniel Maggs andWojciech Bula—chief executive officer and chief technology
officer—to learn more about how the company was formed, thechallenges they have faced, and how they aim to help people live
healthier, happier lives.

How did the idea for the home health lab come about?
Maggs: I was working in a Japanese company as a product manager
and was looking at Internet of Things services. I had known fora while that I wanted to start a business and to make something
new. I was really interested in hardware devices because of thechallenge and the ability to learn more about our bodies. There
was a whole wave of new devices starting to appear, and I saw
this as being something where you could build a meaningfulbusiness—not just in Japan but all over the world.
We all need to be healthy and productive in old age far longer
than our grandparents did. So, I feel that it’s not just a challenging
and interesting market but it’s very meaningful work, because
we’re satisfying a very basic human need to be healthy and happy,
and to live as long as possible with the ones you love.
And during that exploration period, I met Wojciech, who was,at the time, at the University of Tokyo.
Bula: I’ve been a scientist for more than 15 years, working forvarious universities on projects related to electronics, microfluidics,
biology, and some IT. I was getting a bit tired of the number ofpublications in which you have to appear by the end of the year,
so when Daniel approached me, I was really interested. I wanted
to build something impactful and I felt this home health lab concept
was a very good niche. It’s not a diagnostic that you will use once
per quarter or maybe twice a year. This is something you can put
into someone’s hands and they might use the information theyobtain to change their life.
How did the company come together?
Maggs: In the early days, when we were still doing market research,trying different kinds of technology, and creating very early prototypes, we incorporated a US company in Delaware. That was in2015. We did that from Japan because it meant that we could do
it cheaply, could avoid having to change our visas for some time,and, because we weren’t running a Japanese company, it would
be easier to get money from more globally minded investors. We
now also have a Japanese company as a subsidiary.
What challenges did you face?
Maggs: In the early stages, you start with a bunch of assumptions
about what you think the problem is that you are trying to solve
and what your product is likely to be. We had two: The device would be installed in the toilet
 We would be checking for signs of disease
On the second point, we spent some time talking with doctors to learn about patients and chronic conditions. We came tounderstand how these conditions develop slowly over a very long
period of time. So, the key is not discovering whether someone
has a condition or is on track for one, it’s to try and get them tochange their behaviors. Intervention and prevention are key.
That made us think about what things we could detect. And
we also asked why a person who is on the track to chronic disease
would be motivated to check for a problem when they’re not alreadymotivated to take care of their health. You want people who actually care about their health, who want to invest in it.
On the toilet side, people have been talking about healthsensing toilets for a long time. We’ve seen prototypes, but they
are extremely expensive and complicated. No one’s really madea successful one yet. We took a step back and thought about adifferent approach. We decided to go portable so that the productcould be used anywhere, not just in one location, and actually
could be used by multiple people in a hygienic and easy way. Thisis one of the best decisions we ever made, because it meant thatthe product became a lot more scalable. A reader could be in acompany toilet, at home, or in a gym.
We could also do new kinds of testing that have never been done,
so we’ve made tests for pet health and a saliva test for oral health.
We have one for baby health that is a diaper with an embedded
removable test stick. There’s a whole pipeline now that would not
be possible if you were stuck in one location with a toilet.
Were there design challenges?
Maggs: With a hardware company, it’s really important not to fallin love with the technology. You must always try to be focused on
the best means to an end.
We’re trying to provide a really great experience. The challenge
is that we are bringing medical-grade technology to the consumer
market, and it’s a new technology—at least for the field in which
we operate. That’s challenging for a couple of reasons. One isthat you need to have a very clear and simple way to explain theconcept. The other is that investors—because many are not thattechnically minded—are more interested in building a big business quickly rather than in something being genuinely innovative.
One thing that is satisfying about this business is that we reallyfeel we’re doing something that’s going to move humanity forward.
The challenge for us is that we have this technical foundation that is needed to realize the product, but we must translate it in a way that’s very simple and human and relatable. For
example, our website looks quite nice now, but we had to go
through many iterations trying to make it less technical, withless jargon, to the point where the visitor is like, “Ah! I get it!”That was a learning experience.
Bula: The technology you’re developing should solve a problem.
That’s actually a first trap that a hardware startup can fall into.
Take a smart toilet. It sounds like a great product, because it’s derived from great technology. But is it a good product? Especiallyin terms of detecting the biomarkers of early disease, it sounds
great. But as a user, would you pay for a product that scans for fiveor 10 biomarkers out of the huge spectrum of all the diseases you
might have? Probably not. You want to have the whole overview;
but there’s no technology that does that yet, no technology that isgiving the user peace of mind.
If you go this route, you are giving the user a bad experience.
We avoided the trap by not loving our technology too much. Wechanged the prototype a few times, started from scratch, started
to focus on the user and what they want. It’s a standard textbook
way of doing business, but it’s more difficult to actually apply thanto talk about.
How important are aesthetics to consumer adoption?
Maggs: I think it’s essential. People’s perception of urine testing isthat it’s something you would normally do in a clinical setting. You
are kind of in the position of patient and you’re almost performing
an experiment on yourself. We wanted to get to the point where
testing your urine is simple, elegant, and pleasant, where you
would have a very positive association with using the productand it can be part of an aspirational, positive lifestyle.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

27

28

IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT NOT TO FALL
IN LOVE WITH THE TECHNOLOGY. YOU
MUST ALWAYS TRY TO BE FOCUSED ON
THE BEST MEANS TO AN END.
Bula: It should be a device that people would truly like to use—
not just a pleasure to look at but also engaging. If you are looking
to design, it is definitely a language with which you talk to theuser. If the design is functional but less sophisticated, then it
shows a lack of respect for the user, because the language you’reusing is not personalized, not the best language you could use. So,
it was definitely worth the effort to create the design we have.
That is also at the core of how we want to establish the interaction with and relation to the user. It’s about respect. It’s not aboutmarketing or selling them things they don’t want; it’s about really
addressing their needs. Design is part of that.
How the device loads and how it works also matters, as does
being environmentally friendly. We spent a lot of time trying to
make it as energy efficient and modular as possible. If something
breaks, the user potentially can replace the part, or we can fix thedevice. That’s part of being environmentally friendly. We deeply
believe that the device should last, can be repaired, and have a low
environmental impact. That is also part of respecting the customer,
because we know that they also care about these things.

an external agency, but they’re very good at this—to really go into
depth about who we’re trying to speak to and what their needs
are. What are their external problems? What internal emotional
problems are they experiencing? How do you speak to each person?
I’ve walked through this thing called StoryBrand, which I
highly recommend. It’s based on how, in a movie script, you have ahero who has a problem, and there’s a villain stopping them fromgetting to where they need to be. It can be an embodied villain or
it can be a situation. Then along comes a guide, someone there toadvise them, who gives the hero a plan and calls them to action.
And by taking this action, they achieve their success and avoid thefailure that they were afraid of. StoryBrand basically takes thatframework and lets you describe that for a consumer in relation
to your product. At Bisu, we have three basic target segments:
 Those interested in weight loss, and looking and feeling good
 People in their thirties, forties, and fifties who want to takecare of themselves as they age
 Fitness enthusiasts trying to get the extra five percent

Each segment has their own fears. People who are struggling
How did your market research guide you?
to lose weight may feel guilty that they don’t know what to do andMaggs: The key is to make things easy for people, to deliver alack control. Those who are more on the wellness side may feelpleasurable experience, with minimum effort and zero pain, at athat they’ve lost something they had before, and they want to rereasonable cost. Our thesis is that if you can get to that experience,
gain that sense of vitality, excitement, and joy. And the last group
you can get a lot of people to use the product.
may be insecure about not being at their best or being mediocre,
Initially, I was very much in this sort of “biohacker” world of
not being number one.
health optimization and health tracking. After a while, I realized
That framework has helped us clarify things and apply some
this is a small market. It’s an important market, but for somediscipline to how we talk about the product and issues surrounding
people on the outside it’s harder for them to approach your productit. Words are like emotional real estate. When you choose words,
if they see you as being in this category. They might say, “Well, I’m
you’re occupying some emotional territory that people either
not a biohacker, I don’t identify with this. It’s kind of interesting,do or don’t care about. It’s a really delicate art.
but I guess it’s not really for me.” So, you want to position
yourself in a way where your messaging is wide
How does your podcast help your business?
enough to welcome those potential users but not
Maggs: Podcasts are useful for several reasons.
so soft that the enthusiasts won’t come at the start
One is because people are looking for personal,
and be the active adopters.
intimate conversations. Podcast content has very
Probably the most important thing I’ve donehigh engagement. It’s a really good way to literally
in my role in the company has happened during
have someone’s ear, to get into the details of somethe past five months. I’ve been working through athing without necessarily jumping quickly to theDaniel Maggs
process with our marketing team—they’re actually

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

equipment and got the executives to wear calorie
estimation devices to gather the reference data
set for the watch. They went to a huge amount ofdetail, but a lot of products don’t do that. And thenthe ones that are on the medical side are almost
all about treating patients. So there’s a gap in the
middle. I think the main focus is going to be not on Experts who are going to reinforce a statement
the technology but the problem you’re trying to solve
Wojciech Bula
you want to makeand how you make using the product a joyful experience.
 Influencers who are going to help drive traffic
If you can do those two things, I think you’ve solved 90 percent of
the picture.
Before starting the podcast, I was thinking in terms of thethings that we track and are relevant to us. We’ve done six episodes
Bula: There are some very sophisticated tests in the research stage
on these topics. Now, I’m thinking more in terms of the things that
that, potentially, can be dropped into a product such as ours. But
we need to educate people on by a certain date to help set up thatthe question is actually, why would you do that? For the sake ofunderstanding before launch. One speaker I’m quite excited about
just putting it on the market so that people can use it twice a year?
is a former astronaut who wrote a book on learnings about healthThis is not really a good thing. So, I think we should be careful.
that have come from activity in space. We have interest from NASA,We simplified our technology to broaden the number of biobecause urine testing in space is very difficult, and he is one of themarkers that we can measure to give you direct information on
researchers with whom we’ve submitted a joint application to thewhat’s happening to your body. That can give you better insightagency. So, my aim is to do a podcast interview with him.
into what you can do to change your behavior and achieve yourgoals. I think this is the most important thing for a product like
How can home devices help sustain the healthcare system?
that to go to the mass market. The technology is secondary.
Maggs: I think user experience—an emotional connection—will
always be key, because people need to be in a sweet spot between
How will your Healthcare x Digital wins help you?
the cost—in terms of time, effort, money—of using something.
Maggs: We are somewhere between the traditional medical biotech
The lower those barriers are, the more often the device can beworld and the consumer world, so it matters for us to have validaused. But it has to have some kind of corresponding value. Wetion and recognition from the medical industry, because we caresee some devices from companies that are very good at sales andvery deeply about quality. I think there are more consumers now
marketing, and, at the beginning, they sell lots of product andwho are more cynical about hardware devices, because manyraise a lot of money. But, in the end, the reviews catch up with them,
didn’t live up to expectations or weren’t accurate.
because what they’re advertising is not really what they can do.
It’s also important to us because we would like this product,
We need to balance the desire to make money and build aone day, to be used by patients as well. We have a roadmap that thisbusiness with a desire to actually feel that what we’ve made iswill eventually be in the hands of people with diabetes, chronic
legit and robust. My impression on the science and technology
kidney disease, hypertension, and so on.
side is that the next five years are going to be very good for us
These things are not essential for launching our first products
and a few other companies we see in the health and wellness
in the consumer market, but they put us on the radar and also help
space. But probably it will be another five to 10 years before we
doctors understand that we are legit, and they can take us seriously,
finally have legit health tracking at home as a standard thing.
even though, initially, we’re actually not going into their space.
Even the early wearable devices are pretty shaky on the quality
So, we very much appreciate this. And also, we are a US company,of data such as step and calorie estimation. For the latest Apple
we’re European founders, and we’re in Japan. I think it’s smart for
Watch, they basically filled a whole warehouse full of exercise
us to try and build connections that touch these different points.
next YouTube video, and it’s a good way to build yourbrand and authority. I think it’s a very important
format. It’s one of the highest-growth formats andis less saturated than video.
You’re typically working with two kinds ofpeople in your podcast:

Any advice for those entering this year’s
Healthcare x Digital competition?
Maggs: It’s important to look at who’s
sponsoring and what their goals are. In
our case, we had three very well-known
pharma sponsors: AstraZeneca, Bayer,and Eli Lilly. When considering your pitch,sponsors are looking for some kind of
credible basis, some proof of progress orform of validation. It doesn’t have to be
fully peer reviewed.
They also want to see something thatties into their business interests, so reading
up on press releases, seeing what they’re
doing on things such as digital healthcare,and how they’re working with startups
can provide helpful clues about how to

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

29

Event coverage specialists
Photographers and videographers

Transforming valuable
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Have agreat idea?
Want to have it reviewed by top
executives from leading international
healthcare and technology companies?
Sign-ups for the 2021 Healthcare x Digital
pitch event will open this summer, withsubmissions by those selected due in fall.
Don’t miss your chance to win prizes and makekey industry connections: accj.or.jp/hxd

WORDS ARE LIKE EMOTIONAL REAL ESTATE. WHEN YOU
CHOOSE WORDS, YOU’RE OCCUPYING SOME EMOTIONALTERRITORY THAT PEOPLE EITHER DO OR DON’T CARE ABOUT.

present your pitch. It can also be helpful to get some soft feedback
before you apply—not asking someone if the tech is good or not,but if they have any suggestions about what angle is good for thispresentation and so on.

About Healthcare x DigitalA program of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Any last words for startups?
Maggs: We want to encourage more people to try and run global
startups from Japan. Not necessarily to be like us, but I think thishybrid model we have of a US company with a Japanese subsidiary
works really, really well.
We also have a relationship with the Japan External Trade
Organization. They’re fantastic. We consider ourselves to be a
Japanese startup, but we’re also a global startup. And we’re Europeans. And an American company. We all have these different
faces, and we can use those faces in the right way, depending on
what we’re trying to achieve.

(ACCJ), Healthcare x Digital is designed to give innovators theopportunity to pitch ideas to top executives from some of theworld’s leading healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. It
is led by the ACCJ-Kansai chapter and four committees: Healthcare
 Information, Communications and Technology
 Alternative Investment
 Secure Digital Infrastructure.
To solve Japan’s most critical community healthcare and individual patient challenges, we believe the private and public

Bula: It’s nice to come back to the roots of the startup. You should
start your own way and not care about what other people are saying. Do your stuff and do it the way you feel you should, because
the disruption won’t come from textbook startups doing things
how a venture capitalist asks them to, because that is how they’vedone it a couple of times before. That’s not future proof. I would
say to find your own way and just do it. n

Listen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

sector should join forces. We seek to foster partnerships thatlead to the creation of eco-systems, by bringing together
private innovators, private sponsors, and public sponsors.
Join us to discover Japan’s most innovative healthcare ideas
and develop partnerships to make them a reality.

Participation and sponsorship details: accj.or.jp/hxd

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

31

FITNESS32

By C Bryan Jones

VIRTUALWORLDSREAL GAINEVOLVING TECH ALLOWS MORE
EXERCISE WHILE STAYING HOME

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

For many people, one of the hardest parts of thereality (VR). Sometimes seen as a niche technology

coronavirus pandemic has been staying home.

that appeals mainly to hardcore enthusiasts, VR

With fewer opportunities for outdoor exercise andhas evolved rapidly in recent years and offers easy,

trips to the gym, keeping in shape has become more

immersive ways to exercise—or just reduce stress—

difficult. One option often overlooked is virtualwhen working from home.

Fiction Becomes Reality

Concept2 Inc. has been making rowing machines for competitive athlete training since 1981, and their RowErg is designed
for a full-body, low-impact workout. It’s great for pairing with
Holofit, a platform from Holodia that is available in commercial
and home versions.
“I rowed canals that cut through a mythological Babylonian
town and watched the markets, fight practice, and the odd
elephant,” she recalls. “It was more like tourism than exercise!
At the time, Holofit was mainly marketed at professional gyms,
I think partly because the entry cost was very high.”
This was before standalone VR headsets, such as the Oculus
Quest, so a home setup would have required a fast gaming PC, atethered headset, and an exercise machine that was compatible
with the Holofit software. “It would have been a serious investment, and I even considered it,” she said. “That’s how much I
liked it.”A year later, everything changed. The standalone Oculus andVive headsets drastically reduced the cost of entry for home users.
Today, you can step into another world any time you want, in yourown home, for as little as ¥40,000. And, in most cases, no exercise
equipment is required. But if you want to combine VR with familiar
tools such as a stationary bike, you can. That’s what Tasker does. She
keeps an exercise bike behind her desk so she can hop on anytime.

Simulated environments have long been a staple of entertainment,
particularly in movies and films that imagine what our world will
be like in the distant future. Perhaps the best-known example
comes from Star Trek, in which starship crews frequent theholodeck, a room where projections can simulate everything fromrecreational activities to fitness and combat training.
The yellow grid that defines that room is a familiar bit offiction to people all over the world—but it isn’t fiction anymore.
Those same lines appear when you get too close to your room’s
wall when using the Oculus Quest 2, the latest version of thegroundbreaking VR headset from Facebook Technologies, LLC.
And they may also appear while you are boxing, playing racquetball, or practicing tai chi.
The advancements in the Quest hardware, as well as the Vivefrom HTC Corporation, are key to VR for fitness. These headsets
contain all the processing power required to generate virtualworlds, eliminating the need to tether to a gaming PC. The change
opens the door to freer movement, and the feeling is liberating.

Initiate Program“I cannot remember the absolute first time I tried VR, but myearliest experiences were at demonstrations in shopping centers
or in game arcades,” said Elizabeth Tasker, an associate professor
at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Institute ofSpace and Astronautical Sciences. “I find virtual reality incredibly
immersive, and my brain seems completely ready to accept that
I’ve just been swept away from a street outside a McDonald’s anddeposited in a war against humongous titans or similar!”
While Tasker conjures up images of epic battles, she also
loves using VR for fitness, and her accounts of rowing the streetsof Babylon and peddling around a black hole show how the technology can help us cope with the current situation.
Her earliest VR experiences were short ones designed to show
off the thrill factor with activities such as riding a roller coaster or
falling off a cliff. She tried a fitness platform for the first time in
2018: the Icaros Pro system from Icaros GmbH, whose products
blend training, gaming, and social competition to create excitingand effective exercise experiences. Initially installed in premium
fitness clubs and hotels, Icaros professional systems can now befound in leading orthopedic and neurological therapy facilities.
“The Icaros exercise machine allows you to be suspended
as you fly or swim through three-dimensional scenes,” Tasker
explained. “I quite enjoyed that one, but I had a similar problem
as being thrown off a cliff. The studio assistant actually understood this issue and suggested I try the Holofit software on oneof their Concept2 rowers.”

Motivation
So VR is cool. But is it a magical switch that you flip to turn off
all your fitness procrastination? Not exactly.
“I have to be honest and admit that, while I do love the Holofit
program and the different worlds you can explore, there is still anenergy barrier needed to get my lazy backside onto a bike—even
one that is right behind my desk,” Tasker said. “So, I tend to go
through periods where I’m on Holofit every day, and then the bikegets used as a coat rack for several weeks. But there’s no doubtthat the bike would have morphed into a full-on clothes hanger
without Holofit and VR.”
She offered some tips for overcoming those moments of
weakened motivation.
“To try and coach myself off the sofa, I do flip between a variety
of apps. There is VZfit, which also works with an exercise bike andactually lets you cycle through Google Maps, so you can explore
the entire world from your living room,” she said. “It’s the only way
I’ve been able to visit the UK over the past year. As Google Maps
is not designed for VR, the 360-degree imaging isn’t perfect like it
is in all of the Holofit worlds. But the two complement each otherquite nicely. If I want to go traveling, I pick VZfit. If I want to feel I’ve
stepped into a storybook or science fiction movie, I choose cycling
through Dwarven mines or the colony around Saturn on Holofit.”

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33

App Escape

These VR systems have given rise to some business initiatives. One
is Fun and Body, a showroom for VR exercise that was located near
Harajuku, in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, when Tasker visited to experience Holofit in 2018. The small, sunlit studio had space for just four
people and allowed visitors to try equipment for one hour for ¥3,000.
Coronavirus precautions and the extended state of emergency declaration last May led the company to suspend general VR training
experiences and services to companies considering VR solutions.
Fun and Body has since moved to a new location in Chiyoda Wardand is waiting for the crisis to subside before taking next steps.
Another is Bodience, a body and science personal studio.
With two locations in Yokohama, the company offers 30 minutesof VR core training on Icaros equipment for ¥7,000. To keep guests
safe from Covid-19, Bodience carries out daily trainer healthchecks, thorough disinfection of equipment after each use, andensures regular ventilation.
Visiting such studios is a great way to find out if VR is for you
before purchasing a headset and exercise equipment.

The benefits of VR fitness apps go beyond simple health maintenance. Tasker says that, while exercise is obviously a big factor,
the Holofit worlds also provide escapism.
“If I’m frustrated, I often finding cycling through one of thevirtual worlds is a way of feeling that I’ve left my desk and goneon a short vacation. Especially over this past year, with Covid-19
restricting our ability to get out of the house, it has been great tofeel that multiple locations can be accessed from my own room.”
While there are a variety of apps to choose from, there are somestandouts that can turn your workday into a productive outing on
two fronts: work and health.
Breaking the fourth wall, as the author I will share with you
my own VR-inclusive approach to time management. Using an iOS
app called Focused Work, by Australian developer Michael Tigas,
I create workflows that inject five- or 10-minute workouts into 15or 30-minute work sprints. To stop myself from sitting for hours
without moving around, I keep a visible timer running that forces
me to take periodic breaks. And to make those breaks count, I pop

Image: Holodia

Image: FitXR

34

Business Potential”I FIND VIRTUAL REALITY INCREDIBLY IMMERSIVE, AND MY BRAIN SEEMSCOMPLETELY READY TO ACCEPT THAT I’VE JUST BEEN SWEPT AWAY.”

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

”I CREATE WORKFLOWS THATINJECT FIVE - OR 10 - MINUTE
WORKOUTS INTO 15 - OR
30 - MINUTE WORK SPRINTS.”
Image: One Hamsa

35

s Racket: Nx‘s futuristic take on racquetball.

Image: Cubicle NinjasssGuided Tai Chi immerses you in nature.

Opposite page: FitXR delivers fast-paced boxing while Holofit
transports you to places such as the canals of Babylon.

on my Oculus Quest 2 for a quick round of boxing or a
few minutes on the racquetball court. It’s just enoughto keep my energy level up, and the calorie burn isalso welcome.
A standout for creating workflows that combine
focused work with VR exercise is FitXR, a virtual fitness
studio that delivers short boxing and dance sessions
that offer a real workout.
FitXR offers in-app metrics so that you can track
your progress, including estimated calories burned.
There is a huge number of classes to choose from, andadd-on sets are also available. The workouts, which are
led by top trainers, are designed to increase energy
levels, burn calories, and improve strength, according to the company. Each is timed and the options range
from quick three-minute bursts to one-hour marathons. The ability to compete against other FitXR
users adds another level of motivation.
If you prefer racket sports and fancy a futuristic
escape, Racket: Nx is a fast-paced experience thatdeveloper One Hamsa describes as “racquetball meetsBreakout inside a giant pinball arena.” Once inside thedome, which serves as the walls and ceiling of a traditional racquetball court, the controllers you hold in eachhand become rackets, the hexagonal cells that line thewalls light up with glowing targets, and a ball of energy
descends. With a swing you send the ball flying and yourworkout begins. The level of immersion is incredible.
Holodia’s Holofit, which Tasker described, isdesigned primarily to augment your rowing machine,
stationary bicycle, or elliptical and is compatible withmajor fitness brands. The company also offers premium virtual content, virtual coaching, and online
competitions through the Holofit community. A com-panion smartphone app provides advanced tracking,comparison, competition, and connectivity features.
And, similar to Apple Fitness, you can earn trophies tokeep yourself motivated.
For a more relaxing break from work stress, there
is Guided Tai Chi, from full-service digital agency
Cubicle Ninjas. The app offers more than 200 tai chiinspired workouts, including 100 meditation sessions,in 20 breathtaking natural environments. Options
range from three to 60 minutes, and the headset cameras can actually track your hands, so there’s no needto hold controllers.

Tomorrow’s Tech Today
While VR is finding new users during the pandemic,
as people look for ways to leave their home without
actually doing so, wider use is likely to be more thanjust a flash in the pan. Once vaccination fully takes
hold and the real world reopens, there will still bea place for such escapes to virtual worlds. And as
the processing power and image resolution of thesestandalone headsets increases, so will the possible
applications of the tech.
If you’re curious about the benefits of VR, trying
it today is easy. The technology has finally reachedthe mainstream.
“A few years ago, the cost of setting up VR in yourhome was sufficiently high that you had to be pretty
sure ahead of time that you would really like it,” Tasker
said. “However, the new wireless headsets are now
the cost of a gaming console. That is not super cheap,
but given the amount you can do with that headset
for games, fitness, and meetings, I would say it is worth
giving it a go!” nElizabeth Tasker
Associate Professor
Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency
Institute of Space andAstronautical Sciences

Learn about the apps:
holodia.com
fitxr.com
racketnx.com
guidedtaichi.com
virzoom.com

Listen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

MEMBER FOCUS

By Malcolm Foster

Green Tree Growth36

MnK builds sustainable business and community in NisekoAfter skiing in Niseko for five winters, Eddie
and Chi Guillemette found that Hokkaido’s
beauty and wide-open spaces were an antidote
to their hectic, city-based lifestyle. Knowing that otherfamilies could also benefit, they bought land in 2007
and built nine spacious houses. The aim was to createa family-friendly resort that could offer guests an escape, a chance to get back to nature, rest, and explore,
or even a place from which to work year-round.
Today, their company MnK, short for midori no ki
or green tree in Japanese, has grown to offer more than
100 modern and beautifully furnished properties inthree communities at the foot of the Niseko ski resorts,
whose powder attracts skiers and snowboarders from
Australia, Southeast Asia, and even the United States.

Getting Started
Presented inpartnershipwith MnK.

When the first development, Country Resort, openedin 2008, a community of rental houses was rare in
Niseko. Most people stayed in hotels or ryokans(traditional Japanese inns). The development is aneight-minute drive from the village of Hirafu, a bustling

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

ski slope hub. Some local residents felt the distance
was too great to draw visitors, but the Guillemettes
wanted space and a break from crowded cities. Overtime, Country Resort has proved popular with vacationers, many of whom come from Hong Kong, where
Eddie and Chi were originally based.
To better serve the owners and guests, they set up
MnK Management Company and added a permanent
reception building with a restaurant. They began
spending nearly half their time in Niseko to grow andimprove their new venture. “We started putting inservices that we would want ourselves,” Eddie said.
They changed or added things based on feedback
received from owners and guests.
Their second development, Akazora, a serviced
apartment building in the middle of Hirafu, wascompleted in 2012 as an option for guests who wanted
to be in the village. As the business grew, they started
another community of standalone homes from scratch.
Called The Orchards Niseko, in 2015 the development
was named Asia’s Best Resort Residencies for Japanby online property portal group Property Report, aregional luxury property and lifestyle magazine andwebsite that publishes news and insights on investment destinations.

Family Friendly
At all three communities,
MnK’s service goal is tobe family friendly—amission guided by the
Guillimettes’s experiences
raising their own children.
Soon after they began
their Niseko business, thecouple started a summer
camp for their children andthose of other families staying
at Country Resort. Theirs
were city kids used to livingin apartments in Hong Kong,and the Guillimettes wanted
them to explore nature. The
project also provided an additional rationale to visit Niseko inthe summer, when camp counselors would look after the kids. This hasgrown into a full-blown summer program
called EdVenture—combining education and adventure—that draws more than 300 children each year.
A key part of the summer program is visiting local
farms, where the children milk cows, get eggs fromthe henhouse, and harvest vegetables to help themunderstand where food comes from. “The kids love
the hands-on experience,” Guillemette said. “Then we
take the produce back to the clubhouse and fry up anice breakfast with the kids and the parents, which isalways a lot of fun.”A few years later, they branched into winter day
camps after receiving feedback from guests that theirchildren didn’t want to ski all day long. Camp staff
pick up the kids at the rental homes and go sledding,make snow caves, or enjoy snowshoeing. This is mixed
with some indoor playtime. After lunch, they have anafternoon group ski lesson.
In recent years, MnK has added more programs,
including a camp experience in English for Japanese
students that is popular for birthday parties. “Allour expansion has come from solving a problem orchallenge. Each new business has been a building
block on top of an existing one,” Guillemette said.
“As Covid-19 hit our international business, our teamfound a new customer base of Japanese families andgroups wanting to explore Niseko and Hokkaido
through an English immersion experience.”

Year-round Work
Niseko’s local economy is very much driven by theseasons. There are plenty of winter jobs, but many
disappear during the warmer months as hotels andrestaurants shut down.
The Guillemettes want to employ their staff yearround to benefit both the workers and the resorts. “We
don’t want to rely on our winter seasonal staff to be

our main source of customer
service. We want to provide
year-round, viable career
options at MnK. I think that’s
very important. The level ofservice you receive fromsomeone who lives here,
who has a connection to thecommunity, is so different
from what you get from seasonal
staff,” Guillemette said.
“A lot of operators in Niseko areunderstandably winter-only, andthey are foreigner-focused businesses. We have always stayed
open for summer and we wereready to pivot to the domestic
market because our Japanese staff
are fully plugged into how travel
works in Japan.”This summer, with the pandemic
likely to continue restricting international
travel, Niseko offers city dwellers from the Kanto andKansai regions an accessible, easygoing escape thatfeels a world away.
“Hokkaido has always been a popular destination
with a small group of domestic travelers,” said MnK
general manager Patrick Ohtani. “With everyone
looking at options in Japan for their summer holidays,
perhaps this year, more than ever, we have found a
new audience for accommodations and services.”
MnK welcomes visitors for weekend, weekly, oreven monthly stays during summer, and excellent,stable internet service makes remote work easy.
“Niseko is a great place for a long stay, because
there is something for everyone. Just from a climate
perspective, it’s pleasant in the summer—muchcooler than Honshu. And there is fresh produce fromthe farms and Hokkaido’s famous seafood to enjoy,
as well as plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy,”
said Guillemette.

37

Learn more:
mnkniseko.com/accj

REAL ESTATE

By

Green Trees
Looking to the future, MnK is committed to being
ecologically responsible, and has started measuring its
environmental impact and adopted some best practices
in environmental, social, and corporate governancepolicy to improve the business for stakeholders. The
company is trialing one measuring system, EaSyGo,
with local partner Goyoh, an exclusive concierge service.
“Given our company name, being environmentally conscious has always been there,” Guillemette
explained. “Now, there are tools to measure this andhelp change behavior.”
Preserving Hokkaido’s abundant nature is vitally
important, he says. And whatever time of year visitorscome, he hopes people will feel at home. “We want you
to stay as a guest and return as a friend.” nListen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

HR

38

By Julian RyallSHARE
SUPPORT
ENGAGEEXPERTS OFFER TIPS FOR SUCCESSFULONBOARDING IN A VIRTUAL AGE

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

39

Bringing a new team member into a business—and then making themfeel a valued part of the operation—can be a challenge at the best oftimes. During a pandemic, with people working remotely and no watercooler around which to gather for introductions and valuable insider
tips, it can be significantly more difficult.
Yet businesses cannot sleep, even in a time of crisis,and new hires must be introduced and blended into thework environment. As a result, companies have had to
rapidly devise ways to welcome new faces and get themup to speed while safely managing the coronavirus.
American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ)
members in the human resources field shared with
The ACCJ Journal successful approaches to bridging
the virtual gap.

Interim Tactics“Integrating a new hire into a company under thecurrent situation presents some specific challenges,”
admits Eric Cole, president of Tokyo-based executive
search firm Cole and Company. “Most of the companies we work with who have brought on new employees
have invested more time in onboarding than in thepast. They have allocated more time for video calls
and added a more formal structure to communication
by holding regularly scheduled video meetings.
“Overall, the feedback so far is that these interim
tactics are working—but not to the extent of being in
an office with people,” he said. “No surprise there.”
For many jobs, the induction into a new company
is a crucial period during which the newcomer doesa deep dive into the firm. It is far more difficult to replicate this process with video calls and takes longer,
Cole added.
Ryan Yasunari, president and chief executive officerof recruitment process outsourcing company Envision
Co., Ltd., said his firm would typically carry out onboarding and training sessions at its headquarters, but
new hires are now being provided with digital materials
and the sessions are being conducted virtually.
And while the training aspect of the process has
been largely successful, Yasunari said, “the most difficult aspect of virtual onboarding is creating a senseof belonging and connection to the organization.”
This was a common refrain in interviews with adozen or more human resources experts for this story.

Adapt on the Fly
Kevin Naylor, vice president of business development
at en world Japan, said many companies “have had to
adapt on the fly,” acquiring new or additional hardware

to facilitate effective remote work or implementing
additional software or processes while, at the sametime, increasing communication and engagement
across their organizations. And some have struggledwith onboarding due to unanticipated constraints.
“Even with the reduction in hiring over the past
year, almost all firms have had to onboard someone,”
Naylor said. “Unfortunately, few firms have had thewherewithal or initiative to fully overhaul their training
and onboarding programs to suit the new, remotedominant paradigm.
“Many have just expected this to be over sooner
rather than later and have not thought it worthwhile todedicate the resources to making a fundamental change
in processes or practices,” he said. “This frequently
means one trip to the office to fill out key documents andreceive necessary hardware, then banishment to theirhome to start their new, quarantined working life.” And
that approach is creating new problems, he believes.
“Almost all firms and all employees onboarded
during the Covid-19 crisis are experiencing issues withdisconnection and disengagement,” he said. “New
employees have not had a chance to create an internal
network, often leaving them lost when it comes to whothey need to contact to solve problems or get advice.
On top of that, they have not built a sense of trust or
belonging, which makes it more difficult for them tocome together with their team members to overcome
challenges when there are disagreements or problems.”
Naylor believes that, arguably, the biggest issues
concern the training of new hires, which he feels has
been “at a significantly inferior level in comparison
with years past.”
For Jeremy Sampson, managing director of Robert
Walters Japan K.K., not being able to conduct training
in person was the “biggest challenge” for new hires andthe companies employing them.
“For organizations that have implemented remote
work arrangements for the first time, the transition
to remote processes has not been an easy task,” hesaid. “This is also one of the reasons companies havewanted to hire someone who could hit the groundrunning. There would be less training required. But
with the right technologies and systems in place,training and onboarding new staff is possible.

Nancy Ngou
Associate Partner
EY Strategy &Consulting Co., Ltd.

Eric Cole
President
Cole and Company

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

40

While video is a must for meetings, it can also be used to help new hires get to know each other and build rapport.

Ryan Yasunari
President & CEO
Envision Co., Ltd.

Kevin Naylor
Vice President of
Business Development
en world Japan“The first step that companies had to take wasLonger Process
investing in tech hardware and software, such as
Nancy Ngou, an associate partner with EY Strategy &communication tools and cloud platforms, to support
Consulting Co., Ltd. and an ACCJ governor, said that
remote work,” he pointed out.
an orientation process that previously took place in“For companies that were already equipped withperson over a week or so is now spread out over a
the technology, the challenge was more around adaptmore extended time frame, with obvious drawbacks.
ing the training program to be facilitated online which,
Besides the difficulties of training, the next hurdle isin many roles, is far more difficult than hands-on trainto make newcomers feel part of the organization anding in person.”that they have the support of their colleagues.
Cole agrees that “structured video calls cannot“The biggest challenge is finding ways to convey the
replace serendipitous meetings with co-workers, line
company’s culture, which is often displayed throughmanagers, and so on. Learning the ins and outs ofthe collective energy generated in the time new staff
a new job comes fromspend with the facilitatorsinteracting with others,
and other colleagues,” she
ALMOST ALL FIRMS AND ALL
including direct andsaid. “It’s about meeting
EMPLOYEES ONBOARDED
indirect stakeholders.”
fellow newcomers faceYet, in his experiDURING THE COVID - 19 CRISIS to-face and creating thatence, some of his clientsbond. It’s far more difficult
ARE EXPERIENCING ISSUES
have responded impresto have those impromptu,
WITH DISCONNECTION AND
sively under these toughone-on-one conversations
DISENGAGEMENT.
circumstances, “by being
to get to know new colauthentic, friendly, andleagues individually whencaring in their approach to training new staff.”
you are on a virtual group call.”“They make the most of the tools that they have
Employers have been finding creative ways toand do the best they can in the current situation, someconnect new hires with existing staff to give them atimes with surprisingly encouraging results,” he said.
flavor of their new working environment, she added.
“Many have found that the increased reliance on the
Ngou, who is a co-chair of the ACCJ Human Restructure of regularly scheduled video calls helps withsource Management Committee, believes “it’s importantthe technical knowledge aspects of induction.
to make them feel special and let colleagues get to know
“Setting clear goals and then scheduling follow-up
them so they feel a part of the team. In my team, we
meetings to review performance helps bring newcominvite new hires to our virtual social events even before
ers up to speed faster than a completely informal
they start working. We assign ‘buddies’ so they can stay
approach,” he added.
in touch and can get to know their future colleagues.”

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

Encourage Interaction
This was also an issue that became apparent withclients of Robert Walters Japan, said Sampson.
“Social isolation and lack of interaction with peers
are common frustrations that professionals face whenworking remotely,” he agreed. “During the early stagesof work from home, we did see the rise of online nomikai[drinking parties] and online team gatherings to addressthese shortcomings.
“While they were a bit of fun and a novelty at first,
I think many people have since moved on from them,”
he added. “More team engagement during the courseof the day, more video calls rather than only audio, andfinding ways for greater collaboration in the day-to-day
business can often be far more productive and beneficial than an online drinking session or catch-up.”
Envision’s Yasunari said new employees wereencouraged to reach out to their colleagues immediately after joining, and regularly planned social events
went ahead virtually. The company even surprised
staff with gifts sent to their homes to enjoy during
the get-togethers.
“We are also running a program that provides astipend to employees who wish to gather for a virtual
happy hour after work, as we believe having strong
relationships within our team os crucial to our success as an organization,” he said.

Naylor agrees that such initiatives are importantand beneficial, but he feels they may fall short as relationships and trust are built over time.
“We have seen the most impact with firms thathave created special ‘clubs’ for new joiners to shareideas and challenges over time, and to support one
another,” he said. “Another thing that has worked is
assigning a ‘buddy’ from another team or division tocheck in on new hires from time to time and also facilitate introductions to others in the organization. Thishas been especially effective where senior members ofmanagement have been able to get actively involved.”

41

Critical Care
Experts emphasize that the onboarding experience hasa big impact on employee retention, and it is therefore
critical for organizations to ensure that their processes
enable new joiners to feel engaged and part of the team.
For some, that might mean permitting them to spendsome time in the office. Checking in regularly will
also help. Be clear about goals and expectations. Personalize the experience. Be flexible and patient.
Cole sums it up neatly: “Care about your people
and show it through your actions. We strongly believethat the culture of a company—and the character of
its leaders—is defined by their actions when times
are challenging.” nJeremy Sampson
Managing Director
Robert Walters Japan K.K.

Listen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio
Employers have been finding creative ways to connect new hires with existing staff.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

WELCOME TO OURNEW COMMERCIAL MEMBERS
American Express International, Inc.
Berkeley Research Group Limited
DSV Solutions Co., Ltd.
Envision Co., Ltd.
EQIQ K.K.
Food-eGlobal Produce Co., Ltd.
Hanesbrands Japan Inc.
Kroll International Inc., Japan Branch
Lustre Housekeeping G.K.
Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.
NulogyPlanet Design & Consulting Co., Ltd.
SignTime K.K.
SIPA Partners
Slalom K.K.
Splunk Services Japan G.K.
Turtle Beach LTD

TRAINING

By Dr. Greg Story

Abhor or Adore,
Online Will Linger
Prepare yourself and your team to master the new normalThere is light at the end of the vaccine tunnel.
Perhaps by this time next year, our upturned
lives will turn back to something closer towhat we knew. Not everything, though, is going torevert to the original model.
Online meetings are a plague. Well, face-to-facemeetings were a plague, too. We used to shuffle zombie-like from one meeting room to another, cradlingour oyster-shell laptops on our forearms, partiallyopen, like some hungry chick in a nest looking for its
next meal. The shift to virtual has cut down on the
shuffling, but has it contributed anything to improved
outputs? Poor communicators in person are stillpoor communicators—only now they are in a tiny box
onscreen. The major difference is that we can ignore
them and multitask in the background, escaping to aplace more interesting.

Master the Medium
So, how do we get more oomph out of online? Businessis an incremental game. We have been working online
for close to a year now, yet how many people have been
properly trained in mastering the medium?
The great sin of most online meetings is the lackof drive focused on outcomes. The majority of people
are passive observers, sitting there in multitask-distraction mode. We talk about how engaged people areat work, but engagement rates for online meetingsmust be close to zero for a lot of staff. Give yourself ascore. How would you rate the quality of your meetinginteraction on a scale of one to 10?
Many leaders are lost, too. They try to approximate their standard routines to the online world.
The real potential of online delivery never occurs tothem, because they don’t know what that could look
like. Ask yourself: Why is there no great concept of driving the technology hard to boost productivity, communication,and coordination?
 How many leaders have had any training on how
to facilitate a highly interactive online meeting?
 How many actually understand the engine under
the digital hood and what it is capable of?

Most platforms have standardized their functionality over the past year, so platform agnosticism
is now possible. But we still need to know the entry
points, pathways, and possibilities. How many leaders have mastered even one of the many mediums?
Online isn’t going way. We may return to theoffice, but the migration back may not be complete
and there will likely be a mix of arrangements. Flextime has been around forever, although not many

Presented inpartnership with
Dale Carnegie
Training Japan.

companies in Japan allow it. They prefer conformity,
predictability, and line-of-sight management. But
having been given a taste of freedom, many staff will
want to continue this regime. Are we concernedwith micromanagement or production? Do we needeveryone to be in the office every day?

Train for Success
Salespeople spend a lot of time doing useless stuff,
such as traveling to see clients. If the trust has been
built, could we skip the face-to-face ritual and still
have a meaningful business discussion online? Of
course, new clients will need that face-to-face element,
but do all need it, all the time, every time? How many
new clients could each salesperson search for and talkto if two-thirds of their existing clients were being
engaged online rather than visited every month?
How many members of your sales team have been
given professional training on selling virtually? Do
they know how to master the online environment tomake the most of the medium? Are they effectively
engaging the buyers when online together? Are badhabits still dominating, just in a different format?
We have long learned how to conduct face-to-facemeetings, but not everyone does a professional job of
it. In the same way, if our competitors are doing a muchbetter job online—and if they can arrange their workflows to spend less time traveling and meeting existingclients and more on prospecting and contacting newones—they will get more business than we will.
If leaders are doing a better job driving the full potential of online, then their outcomes will be superior.
The biggest differentiator will be mastery of the newenvironment. Winners won’t be waiting for osmosis
to kick in, they will be proactive about making thatmastery real. What are you doing about making online
really work for you in 2021? n

Dr. Greg Story
President
Dale Carnegie
Training Japan

Watch Greg’s training
and leadership videos.

Listen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

43

CHAMBER

Get Connected,
Get Involved

44

How to get the most out of your ACCJ membershipMaking connections is the cornerstone ofmembership in the American Chamberof Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). It’s throughinteraction with the people who drive the business community that ideas are born and advocacy takes shape.
Your gateway to event registration, members-only
information, and the directory of individual members
is the ACCJ Membership Portal. Contact the ACCJ
membership team if you need to get or update yourlogin details.
But that’s just the start of making the most of yourchamber membership. Whether you’re a new member
looking to get more involved or a veteran wanting
to leverage the array of promotional offers, here is arundown of some ways in which you can tap into theenergy and reach of the ACCJ.

Get Familiar
Are you new to the chamber? A great way to get more
involved is to attend a new member orientation. The
ACCJ Membership Relations Committee hosts thesesessions monthly to welcome new members and toprovide the information you need to make the mostof your membership.
View the directory:

Get Informed

www.accj-business-

The ACCJ is a great source of information for the global
business community. Our twice-weekly newsletter,
The Insider, is filled will useful information about
what’s happening at the chamber and what’s coming
up, as well as opportunities to network and advanceyour business. Be sure to add comms@accj.or.jp

services.com
Learn more aboutsharing expertise:accj.or.jp/committees

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

to your email contact list to ensure that you receive
these mailings.

Get Involved: Join Committees
Are you ready to share your expertise and help the ACCJ
strengthen its voice and create an optimal environment
for global business in Japan? The chamber has morethan 60 special-interest committees covering everything from tech and legal issues to human resources,
health, and investments. They’re a great source of
information and peer connection. You can join as many
committees as you like and can pursue leadership
opportunities in the areas of your choice. Virtual accessto committee meetings is free to all members.

Get Seen: Speak at Events
One of the greatest benefits of ACCJ membership isthe opportunity to share your expertise to build yourpersonal and business brands. The chamber hosts
more than 500 meetings and events each year, andwe are always looking for speakers who can deliver
valuable content to members on a range of topics.
Speaking at an ACCJ event is a great way to raise yourprofile and make new connections. If you’d like toparticipate as a speaker, or have an idea for an event,contact the relevant committee leaders.

Get Listed: Join the Directory
The ACCJ Business & Services Directory provides a
publicly accessible, searchable index of member companies along with keywords related to their business,expertise, and services.

Get Heard: ACCJ Advocacy

45

The ACCJ’s mission is to further develop commerce
between the United States and Japan, promote theinterests of US companies and members, and improve
the international business environment in Japanthrough its core principles.
Through its committees, the ACCJ operates a very
active and influential advocacy program across many
areas of trade, regulation, and policy. Most recently,
the chamber has played a lead role in presenting theinternational community’s concerns about travel
restrictions on foreign residents in Japan.
Our regular formal and informal interaction with
the Japanese and US governments ensures that our
positions and messages are heard. To add your voiceand help influence the ACCJ’s advocacy positions, join
the relevant ACCJ committees.

Get Known: Share Your News

Participate in Events

A new feature the ACCJ is launching this year is theMember Company News Feed, which celebrates andpublicizes the achievements and activities of our members. Content from the news feed will be featured oncea month in an all-member email, and the news feed will
be promoted through our social media channels, including to almost 5,000 followers on LinkedIn. Submit
your news using the online form. Note that the news
feed is for company news, not promotional offers.

The ACCJ provides virtual access to all its events at anominal cost or for free, depending on your membership level. By participating and engaging during theevent via comments or questions, you can raise yourprofile among the membership while gaining valuable
insights and information during the session. Look to
our LinkedIn page to connect with other members
who are attending the same events. Watch for hybrid
events coming soon, based on the prevailing state of
the Covid-19 crisis.

Get Press: Provide Quotes
You can also raise your profile as a topic or industry
expert through the ACCJ’s media connections. The
chamber enjoys excellent relationships with journalists and is often approached for comment on topicalissues. Our monthly magazine, The ACCJ Journal,
is also constantly looking for member voices to add
to our features. If you have a particular expertise andare willing (and authorized) to speak to journalists,
contact the ACCJ communications team and we’ll add
you to our list of resources. When a story in your field
is planned, we’ll reach out to you for comment.

Get Published: Write for The ACCJ Journal
Our monthly magazine is circulated to more than 3,000
ACCJ members, business community influencers, andgovernment leaders each month. If you have a story
idea or would like to write a column or article, contact
the ACCJ communications team to discuss your ideas.
Note that topics must be of value and interest to themembership and not overtly self-promotional.

Share an Exclusive Offer
Another new feature we have launched this year lets
you promote your brand, service, or product withan exclusive offer to ACCJ members. It’s a great way topublicize your business while offering real value to the
ACCJ community. Exclusive offers will be communicated via email to all members, or a selected segment,
and be featured in the ACCJ Member Offers area of our
website. Packages start at ¥50,000.

Advertise in The ACCJ Journal
Another inexpensive way to promote your business isthrough a new section coming to our monthly magazine.
The ACCJ Marketplace is available exclusively to company and individual members, and you can advertisefor as little as ¥50,000 for a quarter-page. The package
includes a 12-month digital ad placement in the ACCJ
Marketplace on the ACCJ website.

Learn more about
ACCJ activities:
accj.or.jp/accj-events

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

Sponsor an ACCJ Event

46

The Diversity and Inclusion Summit Series
and Healthcare x Digital (page 26), as wellas the ACCJ Charity Ball (right) and othersignature events and white papers offer
great sponsorship packages that go far
beyond putting your logo on a banner.

LOW-COST PROMOTION & MARKETING PARTNERSHIPS

Extend the Benefits

Native Advertising and Sponsored Content

Adding more members to your company membershipis a great way to reward and develop staff. Dependingon your membership level, you can extend the benefitsof ACCJ membership to colleagues at a very affordable
price, or even at no cost.

Anyone, member or not, can promote their businesswith half-, full-, or double-page partnered content in
The ACCJ Journal. This content will also be promoted
through social media and featured alongside other stories from The ACCJ Journal on the chamber’s website.

MEMBER FOCUS

By Malcolm Foster

Fine Dining,
On Demand

20

21

Seth Sulkin’s new venture, Food-e, delivers Tokyo’s culinary bestW

hile working from home a few weeks into
the pandemic last spring, real estate devel-

oper Seth Sulkin noticed that his favorite
premier Tokyo restaurants were largely empty. Whenhe asked about delivery, most said they didn’t offer it,
because commissions were too high. More importantly,
they said the delivery itself is often poor and unreliable,leaving customers with late, shaken, cold, discolored,
and disappointing food.
Such an outcome is annoying even for fast food,
which dominates delivery, but totally unacceptable
when paying for gourmet meals. “Most of the time,it’s a terrible experience,” said Sulkin, who was often
frustrated by slow, inconsistent service. “Once I find arestaurant that works, I tend to order from it regularly,
because ordering from a new restaurant is so terrifying.”
Sulkin saw a business opportunity, as well as away to help his favorite establishments survive. He
would create a speedy, quality delivery service for top
restaurants that would provide a satisfying dining
experience at home, the office, or even the park. It
was also a way to offset the negative impact of thepandemic at his other businesses: shopping centersand hotels. Food-e was born.
“I was able to create a business that would benefit

Presented infrom the pandemic and save my favorite restaurants.
Those were my two primary motivations,” Sulkin said.
“We’re trying to offer people the best restaurants’ food,partnershipwith Food-e.

delivered to wherever they want to eat, within anhour. That’s a brand-new concept.”

Pro Drivers
Incorporated in May, Food-e GK began service on
October 1 and currently provides meals from 35 topend restaurants in central Tokyo. These include:

US Strip Loin from The Oak Door at Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Food-e is also the exclusive delivery service forthese restaurants. The minimum order is ¥3,000 for

can also check on the meal’s status to see whether it• Nobu Tokyo• The Oak Doorlunch and ¥5,000 for dinner. The average order isabout ¥16,000, so all those factors are appealing tois being prepared or is out for delivery.
While other companies will deliver from high-end
restaurants, Sulkin says many require orders two or• Elio Locanda Italiano

restaurants, he said.
In fact, upon hearing Sulkin’s pitch, restaurant
owners have agreed to join Food-e with remarkable

more days in advance and their websites can be complex to use. Food-e, in contrast, is easy and the only
one that will provide high-quality meals on demand.

More are being added each month.
It generally takes about an hour for food to bedelivered after the order has been placed online atwww.food-e.jp. Once the food is prepared, actual

speed, usually deciding to do so at the first in-personor online meeting. He says it’s the fastest decisionmaking he’s seen during his 35 years working indelivery time averages 10 minutes.
To provide fast, reliable service, Sulkin hired aJapan. “The terms we offer work for them in a waythat none of the otherJapanese delivery company with trained, uniformed
drivers who are familiar with Tokyo streets andget around on motorcycles. Many well-known fooddelivery services do.”To address hygieneand health concerns dur-delivery companies rely on part-time workers who may
not know the streets well and, generally, don’t have an
incentive to deliver food properly, Sulkin said.

ing the pandemic, Food-erequires drivers to wear
masks, covers the food,“We use only professional drivers. They’re fulltime and they’re careful with the food, so we don’t get

and minimizes contact between drivers and custom-complaints about the delivery,” he explained. “It’s justa completely different experience.”
Service is limited to a five-kilometer radius fromers. “We’ve been careful,
and we haven’t had any problems.”

the restaurants. Most are in Azabu and Roppongi.
This means Food-e will deliver to Ginza to the east,
Shibuya and Ebisu to the west, and Shinagawa to“We’re trying to offer people
the best restaurants’ food,delivered to wherever theywant to eat, within an hour.
That’s a brand-new concept.”

Delicious Pics
The Food-e website is fully bilingual andthe south. “We’ve chosen this area because it has
the highest concentration of customers who want tothe company aims to have an app for Apple
and Android devices in the near future.
To ensure that the site has excellent images,

order this kind of food, as well as the highest concentration of high-quality restaurants,” he said.

Sulkin has hired professional photographers toshoot appealing photos of the food. “Our goal is that,

New Approach

when you look at our photos, they will make you sohungry you want to order.”Getting food to a customer within an hour

As part of his goal to help restaurants survive, Sulkinreimagined the usual business model. Typically, delivery services charge restaurants a high commissionof 30–40 percent. This forces them to raise prices by
the same amount or give up their profits. Customers
pay a 10-percent service charge and, sometimes, adelivery fee of about ¥100, he explained.
Food-e flips this around and charges restaurants
a much lower, undisclosed commission while customers pay a higher, flat delivery fee of ¥1,000 per order,
which covers much of the delivery costs, Sulkin said.
This allows menu prices to remain largely unchanged.

In its first four months of business, Food-e has
seen demand for delivery to corporate events or
executive meetings, not just to homes. “If you want ahigh-quality lunch at an executive meeting, we’re theonly place that can delivermeans that chefs and restaurant kitchen staff musthave ingredients at the ready and prepare meals very
quickly. “Chefs are craftsmen and, for some, it’s terrifying to get a sudden order when they are used toonly handling customers with advance reservations,”
Sulkin said. “Some of my job is to convince chefs that
there are ways to deal with these sudden orders.”
On the website, each restaurant will post theestimated combined preparation and delivery time—
typically 40–80 minutes. Once an order is placed, thecustomer receives an estimated time of arrival. They

it on demand,” he said. The
company also had a growing number of advanceorders, so is expandingthat part of its website.

Place your order:
www.food-e.jp

Will It Stick?
Sulkin aims to expand
service later this year toa broader area, including Shinjuku andNihonbashi. Eyes are set on linking up
with local top restaurants in Yokohama
next year, and then the Kansai region.
But he doesn’t plan to significantly expand
the delivery radius from the restaurantmuch beyond five kilometers—perhaps to six orseven kilometers at the most—because food quality
deteriorates as distances and delivery times grow.
An example of the adage “necessity is the mother of
invention,” Food-e is a positive outcome of the Covid-19
crisis. “If it were not for the pandemic, I would not havethought about starting this business,” Sulkin said.
But will demand fade after the coronavirus subsides? Sulkin believes it will not, because the pandemic
has brought what he sees as lasting changes to people’s
behavior, including their eating habits.
“Japanese have been ordering delivery for hundreds of years. The business didn’t start with the
pandemic, and it’s not going to go away when it’s over.
Even when the threat disappears, people will probably
not eat out as often as they used to. So, I think demandfor delivery will be higher than before.”

Listen to this story.
journal.accj.or.jp/audio

Penne alla Norma from Andaz Tokyo’s The Tavern - Grill & Lounge

Learn more about
advertising options:comms@accj.or.jp

Member Feature in The ACCJ Journal

Advertise in The ACCJ Journal

A new addition to our monthly magazine this year
is the option to promote your business with full- or
double-page partnered content. This Member Focus
is exclusively available to ACCJ members and includes
a custom PDF of the issue’s cover listing your brand’scontent and the article for promotional purposes.
Member Focus content will also be promoted throughsocial media and featured alongside other content
from The ACCJ Journal on the chamber’s website. See
examples in this issue on pages 18–19 and 36–37.

A well-respected publication with a very influential
readership and a 58-year history, The ACCJ Journal is thevoice of global business in Japan. Whether you’re looking to build your profile, connect with global businessleaders in Japan, or find new customers, advertising in
The ACCJ Journal is a very cost-effective investment.

THE ACCJ JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 2021

Looking for other info, policies, or forms? Log
in to the ACCJ Members’ Portal and navigate to theFiles section. n

Corporate Sustaining
Member Companies
The ACCJ thanks these organizations for their extensive participation, which provides a cornerstone in the chamber’s efforts topromote a better business climate in Japan. Information as of February 16, 2021.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

3M Japan Limited

EY JapanMorgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP

Abbott Laboratories/Abbott Japan LLC

Facebook Japan

Morgan Stanley Japan Holdings Co., Ltd.

AbbVieFederal Express Japan Godo Kaisha

MSD K.K.

Adobe KK

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Tokyo

Naigai Industries, Inc.

Aflac

GE Japan Inc.

Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd.

AIG Companies in Japan

Gensler and Associates/International, Ltd.

Northrop Grumman Japan

Amazon Japan G.K.

Gilead Sciences K.K.

Oak Lawn Marketing, Inc.

Amway Japan G.K.

Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd.

P&G Japan G.K.

AstraZeneca K.K.

GR Japan K.K.

Pattern Energy Group Inc.

Asurion Japan Holdings G.K.

Hard Rock Japan LLC

Pfizer Japan Inc.

Bank of America

HiltonPrudential Financial, Inc.

Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd.

IBM Japan, Ltd.

PwC Japan

Bloomberg L.P.

IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan

Qualcomm Japan LLC

Boeing Japan K.K.

IQVIA

Randstad K.K.

Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K.

Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies

Robert Walters Japan K.K.

Brookfield Asset Management

KPMG

salesforce.com Co., Ltd.

Caterpillar

Kraft Heinz Japan

Squire Patton Boggs

Chevron International Gas Inc. Japan Branch

Lenovo Japan Ltd.

State Street

Citigroup

Lockheed Martin

Uber Japan Co., Ltd.

Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd.

Mastercard Japan K.K.

Visa Worldwide (Japan) Co., Ltd.

Cummins Japan Ltd.

McKinsey & Company, Inc. Japan

Walmart Japan/Seiyu

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC

MetLife

The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd.

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

MGA Japan K.K.

Western Digital Japan

Discovery Japan, Inc.

Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.

White & Case LLP

en world Japan

Mitsuuroko Group Holdings Co., Ltd.

Zimmer Biomet G.K.

Want to join the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan?
We offer membership programs for entrepreneurs, executives, individuals, and companies of all sizes—
from small and medium-sized enterprise to multinational companies.
For details, visit accj.or.jp/join-us.

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