Global Knowledge Network

Based on results of accreditation on business schools in 2008, ABEST21 regards it an urgent issue to set opportunities for joint discussion between academia and industry on system design to enhance education at business schools in Japan. As a neutral body among academia and industry, ABEST21 has appealed the necessity for establishment of “Management Human Resources Development Council” to Deans of the top business schools in our country and executive officers in charge of human resources at business corporations. With the support of the following business schools and companies, “Management Human Resources Development Council” was founded on October 28 at the special conference room of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Attendants included Tadashi Okamura, Chairman of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Atsuyuki Asano, Director, Office for Professional Graduate School, Technical Education Division, Higher Education Bureau, MEXT, and Susumu Yamauchi, Executive Vice President of Hitotsubashi University. Members of the Council are the following business schools, companies, accreditation institution/economic organization, etc.

• Business schools: Aoyama Gakuin University, Hitotsubashi University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Keio University, Kyoto University, Kobe University, Nanzan University, University of Tsukuba, Waseda University
• Companies: Fuji Zerox Co., Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., NTT Data Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Recruit Management Solutions Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, Toshiba General Human Resources Development Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation
• Accreditation institution/ economic organization, etc.:
  ABEST21
  The Office of “Management Human Resources Development Council” is based in ABEST21. Meetings will be held on regular basis to discuss various issues on development of management human resources and present recommendations widely to the public. The second meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at ABEST21 Conference Room, where business schools will report their education programs and companies will make comments.

This meeting was held on Friday, January 20, 2023.
Speaker: Office of Professional Graduate School, Professional Education Division, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Speaker: Mr. Shigeki FUKUDA, Director of Domestic Programs, Japan International Cooperation Agency

This meeting took place on Thursday, June 16, 2022.
Speaker: Office of Professional Graduate School, Professional Education Division, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Speaker: Takeshi HIBIYA, specially-appointed professor at Sophia University (former advisor to Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.)

This meeting took place on Thursday, February 3, 2022.
Speaker: Mr. Tomonori WATANABE, Unit Chief of the Office for Professional Graduate School, Technical Education Division, Higher Education Bureau, MEXT
Speaker: Professor. Dr. Hua Xu, MBA Program in International Business, Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences University of Tsukuba, Japan

This meeting was held on Wednesday, September 15, 2021.
Speaker: Professor Hideyuki KOBAYASHI, Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration, SBI Graduate University

The 38th meeting took place on Thursday, May 13, 2021.
Speaker: Mr. Tomonori WATANABE, Unit Chief of the Office for Professional Graduate School, Technical Education Division, Higher Education Bureau, MEXT
Speaker: Professor Hitoshi TAKEHARA, Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration, Waseda University

The 26th meeting of Council for Human Resources Development was held on Monday, March 17, 2014 at Minami-Aoyama Kaikan. In preparation for the Third-phase Proal, the Council is receiving reports by professional graduate schools on ideal industry-academia relationship between business schools and companies to nurture management professionals. At this meeting, report was given by Professor Hiroshi Kanno, Dean of Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University, on actual industry-academia relationship at Hitotsubashi University. It was reported that at Hitotsubashi, the relationship was framed along two dimensions – “who” will educate (train) “who” – before developing a program and putting into practice. The case was an example of a very systematic implementation.

The Meeting was held on November 29 at Minami Aoyama Kaikan. The first agenda was partial amendment of the Council Rules, which was ratified. Then Professor Toshihiko Shiraki, Dean of Graduate School of Business Administration, Nanzan University, provided an intriguing report on Case Project 4, which deals with the new product development project based on industry-academia cooperation among Nanzan Business School, Pokka Corporation, and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd.

The meeting was held on Friday, May 17, 2013 at Minami Aoyama Kaikan. The meeting started with election of the President due to the expiration of the term, and President Itoh was re-elected. Then Dean Yoshihiro Tokuga of the Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, provided a report on industry-academia partnership at Kyoto University Business School, as a second case report for “Industry-academia relationship in business school education”, followed by an active Q&A session. Finally, Mr. Kotaro Takahashi, Promotion Unit Chief, Office for Professional Graduate School, Technical Education Division, Higher Education Bureau, MEXT, provided explanation on “The Concept of Future University Education – draft of Third Phase Proposal Outline by the Education Rebuilding Council” based on the materials.