G1 Global Podcast

In today’s complex global environment, companies worldwide are navigating challenges such as geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and evolving expectations around DEI and ESG. Often characterized by a more reserved and measured communication style, Japanese firms contrast with the typically direct and proactive approach common in the West. This panel will explore these differing corporate communication styles, debate which approach is more effective for addressing today’s instability, and highlight how Japanese companies are adapting their strategies to build trust and demonstrate leadership in a rapidly changing world.

This panel will delve into the turbulent landscape of US domestic politics. The discussion focuses on key internal pressures, including intensifying political polarization, the rise of economic nationalism, and the contentious debate over federal spending and immigration. Panelists will examine how these domestic factors are now the primary drivers of US foreign policy decisions, often leading to a more transactional approach to international alliances and a shifting global role. The session then analyzes how these profound shifts in America's priorities compel Japan to reassess and adjust its economic and security strategies, navigating an essential and evolving alliance in an era of heightened unpredictability.

G1 Global Conference 2025 Politics Session held at Graduate School of Management, GLOBIS University in Tokyo, October 13, 2025. 

» https://g1summit.com/g1global/ 

[Politics] Trump 2.0: Decoding US Politics for Japan

Panelists: 

» Glen S. Fukushima (Visiting Fellow, Stanford University)

» Mark R. Kennedy (Director, Wahba Initiative for Strategic Competition, New York University; President Emeritus, University of Colorado)

» Kazuto Suzuki (Professor, University of Tokyo)

» Joshua Walker (President & CEO, Japan Society)

Moderator:

 » Junko Tanaka (Former Washington Bureau Chief, NHK)

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In today’s complex global environment, companies worldwide are navigating challenges such as geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and evolving expectations around DEI and ESG. Often characterized by a more reserved and measured communication style, Japanese firms contrast with the typically direct and proactive approach common in the West. This panel will explore these differing corporate communication styles, debate which approach is more effective for addressing today’s instability, and highlight how Japanese companies are adapting their strategies to build trust and demonstrate leadership in a rapidly changing world.

G1 Global Conference 2025 Business Session held at Graduate School of Management, GLOBIS University in Tokyo, October 13, 2025. 

» https://g1summit.com/g1global/ 

[Business] Japanese Measured Communication May Lead the Way in a Chaotic World

Panelists: 

» Rochelle Ford, Ph.D., APR (CEO, Page Society)

» Yasuharu Sasaki (Global Chief Creative Officer, dentsu)

» John Short (Leader, Communications & Impact Strategy, LIXIL Corporation)

» Kym White (Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Generate:Biomedicines)

Moderator:

 » Ross Rowbury (Senior Managing Director, Co-head of Group Corporate Communications, Nomura Holdings) 

Today, we address a world defined by geopolitical friction and economic uncertainty. As a response to recent developments in AI and shifting global power dynamics, Japan's model of political and economic stability is being re-examined. How did we get to this point? How have Trump’s tariffs, US-China decoupling, and recent developments in the Middle East and Ukraine/Russia contributed to where we are now? What about the lingering effects of the recent Japanese elections and its effect on business? This plenary session asks: Can Japan leverage this moment to become a global stabilizer and role model, potentially laying the foundation for a "Pax Japonica?" What is the next step? Our panelists contemplate these issues and frame the discourse for the day ahead.

Human capital forms an essential pillar of economic growth. What does it take to produce globally minded leaders with skills to match in competitive business environments? Is Japan lagging behind in the globalization of human resources? What are the current hiring trends of Asia-based companies? Three Deans from leading business schools in Asia discuss challenges and opportunities as providers of skills training and leadership education.

Global Skills and Leadership Education: Perspectives from Asian Business Schools

Entrepreneurship and innovation have long been considered to be a crucial component of economic growth. The “third arrow” of Abenomics includes policies intended to restore Japan’s venture spirit, although its true effects may only become visible in the long term. What are the driving forces behind entrepreneurship, and what strategies should be pursued to create an environment that can maximize prospects for dynamic growth? Panelists with experience and in-depth knowledge of business innovations and startups in Japan and Asia discuss.

Panelists:

Japan’s cuisine, fashion, and anime subcultures have already earned some faithful followers in different places of the world. But the multifaceted nature of Japan often seems to go overlooked – while being steeped in deep traditions and customs, Japanese culture is in a continual state of flux, with rapidly shifting fads and trends. How can Japan’s culture, lifestyles and values be effectively communicated on the global stage? This panel features a former Cultural Affairs Commissioner, a public diplomacy expert, and a renowned observer of Japan’s society and culture, moderated by one of the leading advocates of the Cool Japan initiative.

Gone are the days when the phrase “Japan passing” was used to imply the lack of outside attention paid to Japan. The international media now seems to embrace all the hype of Abenomics, although it still remains to be seen whether Japan can add substance to the hype and regain its global significance. How are Abe’s leadership and policies viewed by the foreign media, and how should the priorities of changing Japan be communicated to the global audience? This panel features journalists from leading international media outlets as well as PR and public engagement experts.

Japan has been suffering from a very low level of social trust since the aftermath of the 3/11 disaster. Although the decades-long deflation and underlying structural problems pose immense challenges, the Japanese economy is beginning to improve, and there is a general sense that Japan may finally be changing for the better. What can be done to restore public trust in the government and businesses? How can Japan improve its stature in the international arena? In this session, the creator of the "Edelman Trust Barometer" is joined by two prominent Japanese figures with backgrounds in politics, business and the nonprofit sector.

Japan has not adopted a new national energy policy after the 3/11 disaster that caused the Fukushima nuclear accidents. What short and long-term strategies should the resource-poor country adopt? How can Japan achieve energy security in the face of changing global supply demand? G1 Global Conference panelists, including a former foreign minister and a former executive director of the IAEA, discuss these topics.