Yuri Harada, MBA Class of 2024, reflects on his experience in the “Doing Business in Asia” program, jointly organized by Hitotsubashi ICS, Peking University, and Seoul National University. Through company visits in Tokyo, Beijing, and Seoul—including sites like Kawasaki’s AI SCAPE café, POP MART, and Amore Pacific—he explored how Japan, China, and Korea approach innovation, strategy, and culture in distinct ways. Beyond business insights, Yuri highlights the power of human connection across Asia, learning that collaboration, openness, and shared cultural strengths are key assets for leadership and global business.
Japan, China, and Korea are among the top countries in the world in terms of GDP. They share many similarities in their paths of economic growth and demographic change. At the same time, they show clear differences in their key industries, business strategies, and government policies.
For example, Japan has long been strong in manufacturing and precision technology, with companies like Toyota and Sony leading innovation. China, supported by government-led investment and its huge market size, has experienced rapid growth in e-commerce, AI, and entertainment industries. Korea, led by conglomerates such as Samsung, POSCO, and Hyundai, has developed concentrated innovation and strong cultural branding through K-Culture.
The “Doing Business in Asia” program was jointly organized by Hitotsubashi ICS, Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, and the Graduate School of Business at Seoul National University. The program aimed to analyze the three countries from the perspectives of National Innovation Systems (NIS) and Centers of Excellence (COE).
A total of 22 students participated in the 12-day program. We attended lectures, visited companies, joined cultural events, and traveled together. On the final day, each group delivered a presentation. It was a very intensive program, offering both academic learning and intercultural exchange from morning to night.
DBiA 2025 Group Photo on the Final Day
In each country, we visited leading companies and directly experienced their working environment.
In Tokyo, we visited two robot-operated cafés. The first was AI SCAPE by Kawasaki Heavy Industries at Haneda Innovation City, where robots cook and serve food. The second was DAWN Café by Ory Research Institute, where people with disabilities can remotely control robots to serve customers from home. These visits showed me that Japanese companies focus not only on efficiency but also on customer and employee satisfaction. I felt this reflects Japan’s unique style of stakeholder capitalism.
In Beijing, we visited POP MART and TAL Education Group. POP MART is a fast-growing designer toy company, which uses social media and intellectual property (IP) strategies to expand its fan base worldwide. TAL Education is a major education service provider, applying AI and big data to offer personalized digital learning. Both companies represent China’s rapid digital growth and their ability to combine entertainment with business models that engage consumers.
In Seoul, we visited Kakao and Amore Pacific. Kakao has developed a wide business ecosystem, starting from its messenger app and expanding into mobility, finance, and entertainment. Amore Pacific, a leading cosmetics company, invests heavily in both branding and R&D to strengthen its global presence. I was also impressed by their well-designed offices and employee-friendly facilities, which showed Korea’s strong commitment to employee engagement and corporate culture.
Looking across the three countries, I noticed clear differences in how business is approached.
These insights are not something we could fully learn from lectures or financial reports. They became clear only by visiting the companies on-site, meeting the people, and experiencing their business culture directly.
Tokyo Module: Observing the Service Robot Nyokkey at AI SCAPE
Beijing Module: Experiencing AI Learning Tools for Children at TAL
Seoul Module: Exploring AMORE PACIFIC Headquarters
Since I was the only Japanese participant in the program, I was sometimes jokingly called an “endangered species.” Because of this, professors often cold-called me during class, asking for the Japanese perspective. My classmates also asked me many questions about Japan during meals, sightseeing, and even at parties. These situations encouraged me to reflect more deeply on how I view my own country.
What impressed me most was the strong sense of hospitality in both China and Korea. My classmates themselves organized cultural activities such as campus tours, shopping, and dinners. At parties, they offered baijiu and soju, actively sharing their own cultures with me. Through these experiences, I realized that what I used to think of as a uniquely Japanese value is not limited to Japan. In fact, I regretted not introducing Japanese culture to them more.
Of course, my experiences were limited to a short stay, but I strongly felt the warmth of Asian culture—building relationships through meals, conversations, and mutual curiosity. I believe this spirit of human connection is a unique strength of people in Asia, and it can be a powerful advantage in the context of global business. Realizing this shared cultural strength was one of the greatest treasures I gained from the program.
Sightseeing at the Summer Palace on a Boat Ride
Korean Lunch with Classmates
The program also gave me valuable lessons for my leadership development. One of the most memorable parts was the group presentation. In this project, each team selected one industry and then compared companies from Japan, China, and Korea within that industry. This required us to quickly build trust, decide on a theme, prepare materials, and deliver a presentation, all within a very short time. The challenge was how to balance efficiency with enjoyment, while working with teammates from very different backgrounds and motivations.
In this process, I tried to focus on being a good listener and making sure every member could contribute their strengths. By creating an open atmosphere where everyone could speak, our group built a sense of unity despite the short time together.
Group presentations are a common part of MBA programs, but the extremely limited time for team building made this project very different from the ones I had experienced with familiar classmates at Hitotsubashi ICS. It felt closer to a real business challenge and was highly rewarding.
Another benefit was learning from the other teams’ presentations. Because each group focused on a different industry, I had the chance to discover companies I had never heard of and to understand broader market trends in Asia. This widened my perspective and enriched the overall experience.
Since this was also the final course of my MBA, it became a meaningful Capstone project that brought my whole learning journey together.
Conclusion
I can confidently recommend this program to all students. It was a great honor to participate, and I am deeply grateful to the universities, professors, and staff who supported us throughout the journey. Beyond the classroom learning, the friendships I built and the perspectives I gained will stay with me for a long time.
For me, “Doing Business in Asia” has now come to an end, but I feel that the real challenge starts from here. The next step is not only about “Doing,” but also about “Being”—living out the values and lessons I experienced during the program. I hope to carry forward the spirit of collaboration, openness, and humanity that I felt across Asia, and to contribute in my own way to creating new innovation in Japan and beyond.
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Yuri Harada Yuri Harada, a member of the MBA Class of 2024, was born in Shimane and grew up moving across Japan, spending four formative years of his youth in Düsseldorf, Germany. He has built a decade-long career in the commercial banking industry, working in Tokyo branches on credit analysis and client relationship management for SMEs and high-net-worth individuals, before transitioning to the HR department as a |