MRI: Tackling today’s needs andtomorrow’s challenges

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Mitsubishi Research Institute Website

Through its Value Creation Process, Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) works alongside public and private actors
in designing far-reaching solutions to global challenges.
Of all the theories advanced toaccount for Japan’s reluctanceto embrace digitalization, perhaps the most persuasive is thatthe country’s analogue systems
were so efficient that it had noneed to go digital. Covid haschanged all that, however, anda concerted effort is now underway to bridge the gap between
the physical and digital worlds.
Enter the Mitsubishi ResearchInstitute (MRI), a Japanese
think-tank of more than 50 years
standing, which, thanks to its
innovative business model, finds
itself perfectly placed to meetthe challenges presented by factors such as the country’s aging
population and low birth rate.
According to President Kenji
Yabuta, MRI provides two coresolutions to these issues: “Thefirst is optimizing human resources to enhance productivity; thesecond is improving wellbeing
through initiatives in the healthcare sector based on our uniquevalue creation process (VCP).”
While maintaining its consulting work in the public sector,
which remains at the core of its
business, MRI is extending its
range of activities to offer thesame to the private sector, andto further take on the real-world
applications of the solutions it
proposes. For example, in thefield of digital transformation,
Mr. Yabuta describes how MRI
helps companies evolve as the“DX journey”. The process oftransformation itself is “an adventure”, with MRI lending ahand in both charting the way
forward and guiding companies
along the way.
A shared spirit of action
across the company led to thecreation of its Value Creation
Process (VCP), a singular modelthat enables MRI to provide
consultation research andpolicy-making advice, which it
can then help implement in thereal world. Mr. Yabuta adds:“We launched our VCP Management program to facilitate theefficient flow of this process

VCP diagram“Japanese innovation
plays a key role ingenerating social
value for people
around the world.”
Kenji Yabuta,President, Mitsubishi
Research Institute, Inc.

DX Journeyfrom upstream to downstream.
Our upstream work consists inrecommending policies to attainthe most ideal solutions. Downstream, we implement solutions
ourselves in collaboration withbusiness partners or by supporting other businesses to do so.”In practice this process servesto create synergies between
the public and private sectors,
building solid networks which
foster collaboration and mutualgrowth. A striking example ofthis is in the field of renewableenergies, an area of increasing importance as Japan moves
towards carbon neutrality. Focusing on electricity-trading
specifically, MRI identified agap in the Japanese market andbegan working in tandem with
Dutch-based KYOS Energy Consulting with the aim of leading
the emerging market in Japan.

The partnership shows how
research and consultation (upstream) can lead to real-world
application (downstream). AsMr. Yabuta states, “MRI forecasts the kind of work that will
be required by our society 30
years from now”, harnessing
their research to “enhance people’s quality of life”.
Looking to the future and alongside existing opportunities in theenergy and healthcare sectors, thecompany is turning its focus to Wellbeing. “The idea,” Mr. Yabuta says,
is “to enable more people to live
more active lifestyles.” Accordingly,
MRI has created a structure within
the local community involving thetransportation and infrastructure
sectors: the Region Ring service,a regional digital currency geared
towards supporting active lifestyles.
Outside of Japan, MRI is also
looking to expand its interna-tional network, with offices recently established in Hanoi for
Southeast Asia and Dubai for
the Middle East. The purpose,according to Mr. Yabuta, is twofold: “to create a network withthe governments and Japanesecompanies in those regions, andto address various societal issues that these regions will face.”
Underlying this dual purpose, ofcourse, is the knowledge thathaving experienced many of these
problems itself, Japan is in an
excellent position to share its expertise with the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, as evidenced bytheir recent collaboration withKYOS, MRI is also clear on theimportance of European andNorth American countries in addressing issues such as carbon
neutrality and digital transformation. Helping Western startups establish their business inJapan and provide their services
to the country’s population will,in time, mean the introductionof cutting-edge technologies andnew innovations. Most recently,
MRI began working in the fieldof data analytics with OVHcloud,Europe’s largest cloud-service
provider, to accelerate digitaltransformation in APAC markets.
Addressing prospective future
partners about the unique opportunity that working with MRI
provides, Mr. Yabuta says: “We at
Mitsubishi Research Institute address various societal challenges
and have advanced technicalexpertise. We are committed toaccelerating and improving thedigitalization of Japanese society,and would like to work together
with companies that are interested in expanding their businesses inthese fields within Japan, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.”

www.mri.co.jp/en