Ep. 12: 3.11. Earthquake to COVID-19, the changing landscape of business expansion to Japan with Daiki Nakajima
Featuring guest
Daiki Nakajima
We explore bilateral investment and international expansion with Daiki Nakajima, who leads JETRO's Invest Japan division and US-Japan relationships. Throughout our conversation, we examine how the landscape of US-Japan business has evolved over the past decade, including government adaptations to COVID-19 and technology policy changes responding to market needs. We discuss practical insights for navigating business gaps between the two countries, featuring a success story of HubSpot's expansion into Japan. Daiki shares valuable lessons about supply chain diversification, the benefits of looking beyond Tokyo for business opportunities, and the importance of patience when expanding internationally. We also cover how Japanese companies can effectively tell their stories when expanding to the US, emphasizing research-driven approaches to bilateral business success.
Themes of Inquiry
- US-Japan bilateral investment
- International business expansion
- Government policy adaptation
- Supply chain diversification
- Cross-cultural business navigation
We explore bilateral investment and international expansion with Daiki Nakajima, who leads JETRO's Invest Japan division and US-Japan relationships.
Episode Summary
We explore bilateral investment and international expansion with Daiki Nakajima, who leads JETRO's Invest Japan division and US-Japan relationships. Throughout our conversation, we examine how the landscape of US-Japan business has evolved over the past decade, including government adaptations to COVID-19 and technology policy changes responding to market needs. We discuss practical insights for navigating business gaps between the two countries, featuring a success story of HubSpot's expansion into Japan. Daiki shares valuable lessons about supply chain diversification, the benefits of looking beyond Tokyo for business opportunities, and the importance of patience when expanding internationally. We also cover how Japanese companies can effectively tell their stories when expanding to the US, emphasizing research-driven approaches to bilateral business success.
The Guest Biography
Daiki Nakajima
Daiki Nakajima leads two key initiatives at JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation): the Invest Japan division and Japan-US bilateral relationships. A New Jersey native with over a decade of experience in international trade and investment, Nakajima represents a new generation of Japanese government leadership. His bilingual and bicultural background uniquely positions him to facilitate dialogue around creating an open innovation ecosystem in Japan. As a young leader in what is traditionally considered a conservative government organization, Nakajima brings fresh perspectives to helping foreign companies navigate the complexities of doing business in Japan while supporting Japanese companies in their global expansion efforts.
Continue the Dialogue
Ep. 13: テレワークの世界でオンライン会議の価値を再考する with ガオ流（高柳健）
We explored the transformative power of graphic facilitation with Ken Takayanagi, examining how visualization guides teams toward their goals. Our conversation delved into leveraging COVID-19's remote work shift to revolutionize online collaboration and break traditional barriers to employee autonomy and creativity. We discussed the challenges of building work-from-home environments in Japan, where clients often lack familiarity with collaboration tools and personal space is limited. Takayanagi-san shared strategies for building trust in virtual settings, reading participant reactions in camera-off meetings, and redesigning large group dynamics. We examined how graphic facilitation differs from PowerPoint presentations in driving participation and focus. The discussion emphasized designing meetings by goals rather than time constraints and the critical role of senior leadership in modeling new organizational values and behaviors.
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