Executive MBA students explore Japan’s resurgent economy in inaugural immersion trip

UC Berkeley Haas executive MBA students headed to Tokyo this month for the inaugural Japan Global Immersion program, visiting influential companies, meeting alumni leaders, and connecting with Dean Jenny Chatman.

The international immersion is one of five required during the 22-month executive MBA program. Japan is the program’s newest international location, chosen for its extensive number of Haas alumni and the Berkeley Executive Education (BEE) network.

During the trip, held May 11-15, 58 students visited some of Japan’s best-known companies, including Mitsubishi Estate, Onitsuka Tiger, Japan Airlines, SONY, Nomura Holdings, JETRO, and Sega Sammy.

“Japan is experiencing an extraordinary resurgence,” said Elizabeth Stanners, executive director of the executive MBA program. “From globally established corporations to a rapidly evolving startup ecosystem, the country offers unparalleled opportunities for our students to deepen their understanding of the global economy.”

Tokyo, as the newest international immersion, is one of five required during the program. Others include Leadership Communication in Santa Cruz; Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Silicon Valley; Applied Innovation in wine country; and Business and Public Policy in Washington, D.C.

Steven Jim, EMBA 26, a cohort co-president and a process engineer at the Intel Foundry, said the immersions are a critical differentiator for Haas.

“The weeklong intensive sessions provide opportunities to go deep on a particular subject,” he said. “They are also very special opportunities for our cohort to become tighter. Whether we were in California or Japan, the immersions serve the purpose of building that supportive culture and that sense of camaraderie that make the Haas EMBA program so unique and the only program I applied to.”

A behind-the-scenes look

The Tokyo immersion leveraged the deep professional networks of Dean Chatman and Berkeley Executive Education CEO Mike Rielly, drawing on their extensive connections with Haas alumni and global clients. To bring the program to life, a cross-functional team—including Stanners and Kirsten Berzon, the EMBA program’s associate director of Events and Experiential Learning—integrated expertise from the Dean’s Office, Admissions, Development and Alumni Relations, and Berkeley Executive Education.

Saikat Chaudhuri, faculty director of the undergraduate Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (M.E.T.), served as course instructor. As teaching assistant, Sahar Kleinman, EMBA 18, and Haas Alumni Council chair, played a key role in the content and delivery of the new course.

Chaudhuri said the immersion was designed to offer a behind-the-scenes look at innovation and entrepreneurship in Japan, cultivating students’ leadership skills in an increasingly interconnected world.

The trip also provided opportunities for the group to soak in the long-standing culture of the country through visits to the Meiji Jingu Shrine and the Imperial Palace Gardens. “Those visits put the country’s leadership philosophies and corporate values in context,” Chaudhuri said.

Meeting the dean in Tokyo

Japan is home to one of the largest Berkeley Haas alumni communities outside the U.S. That community includes two Haas Board members, Haruki Satomi, MBA 12, president and CEO of Sega Sammy Holdings; and Seiichiro Yamamoto, MBA 92, board chair of Nomura Asset Management.

Those connections were among the reasons for Chatman’s Human Edge of Innovation Global Tour, which took her to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and Tokyo, where she ended the tour so she could meet with the EMBA students and Haas alumni. (She also sat down for an interview with the Japan Times to discuss why universities are critical to startup success.)

“Tokyo was the emotional highlight of the trip,” Chatman said. “I intentionally planned my Asia visit around the Japan immersion week. Being there alongside our EMBAs during their final in-person week before commencement felt special. I bonded with this class as I watched them soak in this experience together. It was a moment I won’t soon forget.” 

Inspiring company visits

During a visit to Japan Airlines, students were welcomed by Hiroko Kojima, CEO of JAL Mileage Bank (Japan Airlines’ membership program), before touring the aircraft hangar where wide-body jumbo jets are serviced.

The cohort heard from a finance executive there who spoke candidly about the airline’s recovery after facing bankruptcy, inviting questions and ideas from the students. “He asked how the company could continue innovating and remain competitive,” topics that the students addressed in their Haas courses, Jim said.

Another highlight of the immersion for students was the SONY visit, Kleinman said. “Chief Digital Officer John Kodera challenged them to rethink what it means to be an entertainment company and build lasting emotional connections with customers,” she said. “He reminded our students that even in the sophisticated world of AI, it’s all about human connection.”

For William Mee, EMBA 26, hearing from Masahiro Ito, CEO of PowerX, which Japan Airlines has invested in, and Ryoji Shoda, the head of the shoe brand Onitsuka Tiger, was inspiring. 

“Ito spoke about providing energy for data centers, an area I am very interested in, and Shoda was quietly passionate in speaking about building a brand versus making a quick profit,” he said. “I know little about fashion brands, but his attention to detail and conviction really stood out.”   

Making alumni connections

Company hosts were inspired by the EMBA cohort visits.

“It was a joy to welcome friends from Berkeley Haas and Berkeley Exec Ed, and the future leaders from Haas,” said Kojima of Japan Airlines. “Our speakers and volunteers were incredibly impressed by the energy, intellectual curiosity, and high-level discussions brought by the Haas students.”

In addition to meetings with Satomi and Yamamoto, the students attended receptions and dinners with Atsushi Nakajima, MBA 93, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Estate; Yasuyuki Konuma, MBA 92, president of the Haas Japan Chapter; Atsushi Toda, MBA 94, Kazutaka Kanairo, MBA 10, co-deputy presidents of the Haas Japan Chapter; and Mitsuru Igarashi, BS 89 (Engineering), a UC Berkeley Foundation trustee.  

Yamamoto, one of several Haas alumni attending the closing dinner, said he found the EMBA students’ emotional speeches shared during the dinner about their experiences in the program deeply moving. “It touched the hearts of our Haas Japan leadership,” he said.

For Christina Tasci, EMBA 26, bringing her family along on the trip made the immersion even more meaningful.  “My kids got to watch me investing in myself, and my family got to meet the lifelong friends I’ve made through Haas,” she said.