Rediscovering Japanese Business Leadership

Who are Asia's biggest business leaders? What kind of leadership skills and philosophies do they possess that have put them at the forefront of their respective industries? What makes these business leaders, in particular, best-equipped to meet the challenges of a 21st century global economy?

In Rediscovering Japanese Business Leadership, we gain insights into the leadership strategies of Japan’s most successful global brands, including Toyota, Canon, and Nintendo.

This book will be the first title in a series on Asian business leaders, leading companies and corporate philosophies in the 21st century. The inaugural volume will focus on business leaders and strategies at Japanese companies that are not only driving and reshaping their respective industries in the 21st century, but are demonstrating a knack for consistently meeting the various challenges of today's rapidly changing world.

Preface.

1 Succeeding by Destroying a Growth Model (Kanemasa Haraguchi, Secom Co., Ltd. (Service).

2 In the Right Place, Good Things Sell Themselves (Toshifumi Suzuki, Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (Retail).

3 Is Something Holding You Back? (Shinzo Maeda, Shiseido Co., Ltd. (Cosmetics).

4 The Customer Always Trumps Legacy (Satoru Iwata, Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Video Games).

5 Standing with Consumers on Deregulated Ground (Kaoru Seto, Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. (Land Transport).

6 From Japan to the World’s Dinner Tables (Yuzaburo Mogi, Kikkoman Corp. (Food).

7 Matching Brick-and-Mortar Innovation with the IT Revolution (Tadashi Yanai, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. (Clothing).

8 Growing in a World of Change (Kazuyasu Kato, Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd. (Food).

9 Reviving the Engine of Japan Inc. (Akio Mimura, Nippon Steel Corp. (Steel).

10 Adversity is a Reversal of Fortune Opportunity (Fumio Ohtsubo, Panasonic Corp. (Electrical Machinery).

11 When Business Must Not Come First (Yasuchika Hasegawa, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Pharmaceutical).

12 Winning in the New Workplace (Masahiro Sakane, Komatsu Ltd. (Machinery).

13 Increasing Management Quality (Fujio Mitarai, Canon Inc. (Electrical Machinery).

14 Returning to One’s Roots (Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corp. (Automobiles).

15 Work Steadily Toward Objectives, Don’t Rush Results (Sadayuki Sakakibara, Toray Industries Inc. (Textiles).

Epilogue.

Bibliography.

Index.

Yozo Hasegawa was born in Tokyo in 1943. After graduating from Keio University's Faculty of Economics in 1967, he joined Nikkei Inc. as a journalist in the business and foreign-news departments and was posted as a foreign correspondent and bureau chief in Warsaw and Vienna between 1982 and 1985. He returned to Japan as senior staff writer until his retirement in 2007. Hasegawa is now a full-time professor at Teikyo University and adjunct professor at Gakushuin University in Tokyo, while also serving as a regular commentator in radio and television. He regularly interviews top business leaders as host of a weekly television show, “Top Leadership, Up Front.” His books include: Clean Car Wars: How Honda and Toyota are Winning the Battle of the Eco-Friendly Autos; Lexus: A Challenge of Toyota; Would You Like to Work for Carlos Ghosn?; Passing on the Honda DNA; Carlos Ghosn’s 5 Revolutions; and Jack Welch & Japan's Recovery.

Tony Kimm is a freelance translator, writer and movie subtitler who makes his home in Tokyo, Japan. He has worked for a major Japanese publishing company and has translated articles and publications for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the Asahi Shimbun and various Japanese government agencies. Tony, a Minneapolis native, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.

Japanese companies established a formidable reputation in the latter half of the twentieth century. Their production methods were admired and emulated around the world while their business strategies were the envy of many international MNCs. That changed when the Japanese economic bubble burst in the late 1980s. However, Japanese companies have proved remarkably resilient and as the world struggles to come to terms with the global financial crisis of 2008, many business strategists are once again turning to Japan to see how to succeed in global markets and ride out the rough times.

Rediscovering Japanese Business Leadership is a timely collection of profiles of the country’s most innovative CEOs. Covering a diverse spread of industries, leading journalist and academic Yozo Hasegawa explores the experiences and philosophies of 15 Japanese managers who are steering their companies to new growth in the twenty-first century. These leaders represent the core of a growing breed of savvy business leaders who are well-rooted in traditional Japanese values yet also subscribe to and are well-versed in global business realities. Japanese business leadership has returned.

Only an insightful writer like Yozo Hasegawa could provide masterful portraits of the new Japanese leaders and describe how great Japanese companies continue to soar. This is a fascinating must-read business book to better understand some of the greatest Japanese business leaders of today.
Dr. Dominique Turpin, The Dentsu Professor IMD

Once again, we face a period of great transformation in our world. In Japan since the 1980s, many managers had increasingly looked to adopt Western business models as the most rational means for success in a globalizing world only to see those foundations collapse with the “Lehman Shock” of 2008. Amid all the turmoil and the ebb and flow of Eastern versus Western business models, there are those companies that have repeatedly and consistently demonstrated first rate, if not world class, leadership strength. The 15 companies and top managers introduced in this book are just such a breed. Mr. Hasegawa shows us why their ongoing stories offer much from which the world can learn going forward.
Yotaro Kobayashi, Former Chairman, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Rediscovering Japanese Business Leadership will guide readers through a fascinating exploration of how 15 remarkable leaders are building world class companies through traditional values and practices that have been reinvented to achieve amazing results. Distilled into principles that apply to every company and every manager, it's easy to see a future where Japanese business returns to the forefront of global leadership and innovation.
Jeffrey Hollender, Executive Chairman, Seventh Generation, Author, The Responsibility Revolution