A conversation I had recently stayed with me.

A leader told me, “Our team is doing everything right… but somehow it’s still not clicking.”

I hear versions of this quite often in my work. Especially in organizations with Japanese and US team members, where everyone is committed, thoughtful, and trying to do a good job.

What I often notice is not a lack of effort, but a gap in how things are understood.

Expectations that were never fully verbalized.
Assumptions that feel obvious to one side, but invisible to the other.

And over time, that creates distance. Not dramatic conflict, just a quiet sense of misalignment.

The work I do often sits right in that space.

Click below to read more!

After sharing my reflections on the human connections at the Japan Texas Economic Summit a week or so ago, I wanted to follow up with some of the ideas and insights that stayed with me from the content itself. Texas policy makers and business owners brought an incredible amount of openness and practical insight to the table, and the conversations felt refreshingly grounded in reality.

I joined several breakout sessions, including one on Workforce and another on Space Collaboration. Both were thoughtful and future facing. The workforce discussion in particular highlighted how Texas is thinking seriously about talent pipelines, skills development, and regional resilience. The space session reminded me how much overlap there is between Japan and Texas when it comes to long term thinking, public private cooperation, and ambition that spans decades rather than quarters.

Still, the topic that truly stopped me in my tracks was power generation and energy use.

Click below to read more!

The G1 Summit, convened by GLOBIS, is a leadership forum grounded in action. Its principles are to make proposals rather than criticize, to act rather than stay theoretical, and to cultivate awareness as leaders responsible for society. What makes G1 particularly meaningful for me is how consistently it places Japan at the center of global conversations, not as a follower, but as a shaper.

I attended the closing session, “New Golden Age of the US‑Japan Alliance: Where Do We Go From Here?” as a GLOBIS MBA alumna and on behalf of Japan Consulting Office. It felt fitting that this conversation came at the end of G1. It was less about diagnosis and more about responsibility. Less about what is happening, and more about what Japan and the US choose to do next.

The framing of a “new golden age” was deliberately provocative. Not celebratory, but conditional.

Click below to read more!

The G1 Summit, convened by GLOBIS, is a leadership forum grounded in action. Its principles are to make proposals rather than criticize, to act rather than stay theoretical, and to cultivate awareness as leaders responsible for society. What keeps me engaged with G1 is its focus on long‑term responsibility, particularly where Japan’s global role intersects with business, security, and leadership.

I attended the session “Navigating a Strategic Roadmap for the US‑Japan Alliance” as a GLOBIS MBA alumna and on behalf of Japan Consulting Office. This session felt especially consequential. Unlike abstract geopolitical debates, the conversation focused on constraints, trade‑offs, and decisions Japan must make even when the options are imperfect.

The discussion made it clear that the alliance is strong, but it is also evolving under pressure from security realities, economic shifts, and domestic political considerations in Japan.

Click below to read more!

The G1 Summit, convened by GLOBIS, is a leadership forum grounded in action. Its principles are to make proposals rather than criticize, to act rather than stay theoretical, and to cultivate awareness as leaders responsible for society. What makes G1 distinctive for me is its willingness to take on uncomfortable questions, especially where technology, humanity, and Japan’s future intersect.

I joined the session “A New Age of the Human‑AI Relationship” as a GLOBIS MBA alumna and on behalf of Japan Consulting Office. This conversation felt different from the more operational AI sessions. It was less about tools and policies, and more about how we understand ourselves once AI is no longer something we fully control.

The panel brought together perspectives that challenged some of the assumptions many of us still hold, including the idea that control is the right goal at all.

Click below to read more!

The G1 Summit, convened by GLOBIS, is a leadership forum grounded in action. Its principles are to make proposals rather than criticize, to act rather than stay theoretical, and to cultivate awareness as leaders responsible for society. What is so appealing to me about G1 is the seriousness of the conversations, especially when it comes to how Japan navigates global change with long‑term intent.

I attended the Business and AI session at G1 wearing the same two hats as before, as a GLOBIS MBA alumna and on behalf of Japan Consulting Office. This session felt especially relevant to my day‑to‑day work, because it was not about abstract AI potential. It was about how real organizations, especially Japanese ones, can govern, adopt, and live with AI in a world that is increasingly polarized and fragmented.

Click below to read more!

The G1 Summit in Silicon Valley, convened last week in Half Moon Bay by GLOBIS, is a leadership forum built on a simple but demanding premise: ideas only matter if they lead to action. Its principles are to make proposals rather than criticize, to act rather than stay theoretical, and to cultivate self‑awareness as leaders with responsibility for society. I’ll be sharing my experiences joining this summit during the next few weeks.

I attended the GLOBIS SV G1 Global event wearing two hats: as a GLOBIS MBA alumna and on behalf of Japan Consulting Office. That dual perspective shaped how I listened. I was not there just to absorb ideas, but to understand what they mean for Japan–US business, policy, and leadership in practice.

From the very first plenary, one message was clear. Japan is investing deeply in the United States, financially, strategically, and emotionally. This is not passive capital flow. It reflects a shared belief that Japan and the US are entering a new phase of cooperation, one that feels less ideological and more grounded in mutual need.

Click below to read more!

I recently joined an inspiring JWIBA International Women’s Day Celebration Workshop, titled “Confident in Your Future”, beautifully facilitated by Kristy Ishii.

The room was full. Not just in numbers, but in energy. Women from different backgrounds and stages of life came together, all carrying the same quiet question: What’s next for me? Some were looking to re-enter the workforce after a pause. Others were ready for a renewed direction, a career shift, or simply fresh inspiration. The atmosphere was open, supportive, and deeply motivating.

Click below to read more!