Join us for a fireside chat with Hiroyuki Otsuka, founder and CEO of Newton

Investment Partners (Japan Activation Capital), and former Deputy Head of

Carlyle Japan. This event will feature a deep dive into the intersection of private equity, M&A, and public equity markets and the changing environment for listed companies in Japan.

In recent years, private equity firms have shown a remarkable interest in Japan. Then, in 2023, interest by international investors in Japanese equities drove the Nikkei Stock Average to a 33-year high. This trend of growing interest in Japanese equities is influenced not only by macroeconomic factors but also by structural changes, such as corporate governance reforms. Mr. Otsuka has a unique perspective on this topic given his experience at Carlyle Japan and Newton Investment Partners (Japan Activation Capital). He also participated in the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) “Fair Acquisition” Study Group, which led to the publication of the “Guidelines for Corporate Takeovers” in August 2023.

During this discussion, Mr. Otsuka will share his thoughts on the future of private equity in Japan, his insights from METI’s study group, and the thesis of his new venture, Newton Investment Partners.

Are you interested in learning more about entrepreneurship and Japanese healthcare? Then, you won’t want to miss this exclusive talk with Rob Claar, co-founder and CEO of HekaBio K.K., as he shares insights from his decades of experience in the industry.

Join us to explore how the Japanese market can be reinvigorated and revitalized through entrepreneurship and cross-border collaboration and gain valuable insights from a successful entrepreneur who has navigated the complexities of the industry.

In addition to his journey, Rob will discuss how HekaBio delivers healthcare innovations to the Japanese market, potential game-changing drugs and devices in the HekaBio pipeline, and opportunities for other innovators and entrepreneurs in the Japanese healthcare market.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about the future of Japanese healthcare from a leading expert in the field. Register today!

The Covid-19 pandemic raised a critical question: How can our regulatory ecosystem work better and faster to evaluate and deliver therapies across the globe?

By shifting from a document-centric mindset to a more data-driven approach, and by leveraging cross-border reliance practices that enable real-time data exchange and discussion among regulators and companies, we can ensure that new drugs reach patients more quickly and efficiently.

Accumulus Synergy, a non-profit industry association focused on global digital transformation, is uniquely positioned to assist in this effort. Accumulus is building a first-of-its-kind cloud solution to optimize data exchange, insight sharing, and collaboration among all stakeholders, thus enabling improved interactions that lead to shortened review times and earlier delivery of critical therapies to all nations.

Join us for this event at which Accumulus CEO Frank Nogueira and Chief Regulatory Innovation Officer Khushboo Sharma will share the company’s vision and progress to date, and discuss Japan’s role in this global movement.

Stop by any of Japan’s 55,000 convenience stores and you’ll notice that successful foreign brands can be counted on one hand.

Join us as we hear from Paul Kraft, former Japan country manager of German confectionery giant Haribo, as he chronicles the gummy Goldbears’ journey from niche import grocery item to a commanding distribution in the convenience channel on the way to No. 1 market share. Topics ranging from price and product adaptation to motivating distributors and wholesalers means there is something for everyone in this event.

Event Overview

Get ready for an intellectual showdown as three of Japan’s most seasoned experts—Jesper Koll, Dave McCaughan, and William Hall—go head-to-head. The experts will try to outdo each other with comments about Japan using three letters of the alphabet, random numbers, and unmarked graphs. Topics may include economics, social trends, health, culture, education, and whatever else spontaneously emerges.

This fun and informative series is the ACCJ’s longest-running annual program.

Starting with A, B, and C, eight installments (A through X) have been held, leaving only Y and Z to complete the alphabet.

Is this the end of the program? Will there be an ABC 2.0? To find out, be sure to register early!