Transforming Japan: Yoshito Hori’s Vision for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Join us for an inspiring event featuring Mr. Yoshito Hori, a visionary leader transforming Japan’s entrepreneurial landscape. As the founder of GLOBIS University and GLOBIS Capital Partners, Mr. Hori has established Japan’s leading business school and a prominent venture capital firm. He is also the mind behind the G1 Summit, Japan’s version of the World Economic Forum’s Davos Forum; the owner of the professional basketball team Ibaraki Robots; and the founder of LuckyFes, a vibrant music festival. In this program, Mr. Hori shares his entrepreneurial journey, discussing his pivotal roles in GLOBIS, the G1 Summit, Ibaraki Robots and LuckyFes. In addition, with many global events unfolding this year, he offers his perspective on U.S.-Japan relations, the Japanese economy, and his views on the world stage. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from Mr. Hori and be part of a discussion that is shaping Japan’s business and future.

Speaker
Yoshito Hori, Founder & President, GLOBIS University; Founding Partner, GLOBIS Capital Partners

Presider
Joshua W. Walker, Ph.D., President & CEO, Japan Society

Agenda
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Registration & Reception
12:30 pm –   1:00 pm:  Lunch
1:00 pm –   2:00 pm:  Lecture and Q&A

Ticket/Admission Information
This is a paid event with advance registration required. A designated number of tickets are available for free to our corporate members. (Corporate member code is required to register for the event. If you don’t know your corporate member code, please contact [email protected].) Please note that seating is limited and on a first come, first served basis.

YOSHITO HORI
Founder & President, GLOBIS University
Founding Partner, GLOBIS Capital Partners

A Harvard MBA graduate and former Sumitomo Corporation employee, Mr. Yoshito Hori established GLOBIS Management School in 1992. GLOBIS gained University status from the Government of Japan in 2006, started a Full-time MBA program in English in 2012, and expanded to offer an Online MBA program in 2015. GLOBIS University is now the No.1 business school in Japan by student intake. In addition to being a leader of business education in Japan, Mr. Hori founded the venture capital firm GLOBIS Capital Partners in 1996. The firm has since managed seven funds with over USD $2 billion.

Mr. Hori founded the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Japan Chapter in 1995 and became the first EO board member from Asia in 1996. He has also served on the World Economic Forum’s New Asian Leaders Executive Committee, the Global Agenda Council on New Models of Leadership, the Harvard Business School Alumni Board, and the Global Advisory Council of the Wilson Center. He has been featured on the cover of Forbes Japan and Forbes Asia as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Japan. In 2008, Mr. Hori launched the G1 Summit, which led to the foundation of the G1 Institute in 2013, for which he currently serves as president. The G1 Institute has become a leading community and think tank to realize a better Japan. To outline his vision toward this goal, the G1 Institute published 100 Actions. Just three days after the Great Tohoku Earthquake in March 2011, he launched Project KIBOW to support the rebuilding of disaster-affected areas. This led to the formation of the KIBOW Foundation and KIBOW Impact Investment, which he leads as president. Mr. Hori serves as an ambassador for his hometown of Mito City and Ibaraki Prefecture. In April 2016, he became the owner of the Ibaraki Robots professional basketball team. In November 2019, he purchased Ibaraki Broadcasting System, Ibaraki’s only prefecture-wide media company. In 2022, he produced LuckyFes, an annual music festival held in Mito. He has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors for Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc. in June 2024.

Mr. Hori received his BS in engineering from Kyoto University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He has authored several books, including Visionary Leaders Who Create and Innovate Societies, Six Dimensions of Life, and My Personal Mission Statement. He is an avid swimmer and enjoys spending time with his wife and five sons.

JOSHUA W. WALKER
President & CEO, Japan Society

Joshua W. Walker, Ph.D., became President & CEO of Japan Society in December 2019. Previously, he worked at Eurasia Group, the world’s leading political risk analysis firm, where he served as global head of strategic initiatives and Japan in the Office of the President. Prior to that, he was CEO and president of the USA Pavilion of the 2017 World Expo in Astana, Kazakhstan; founding dean of the APCO Institute; and senior vice president of global programs at APCO Worldwide, a leading global strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C. Before joining the private sector, he worked in numerous roles at various U.S. government agencies, including the State Department and the Defense Department.

He is Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, and professor of Leadership and the American presidency at George Mason University and the Reagan Foundation. He was also Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and co-founded the Yale Journal of International Affairs. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond, a master’s degree from Yale University, and a doctorate from Princeton University. Dr. Walker grew up in Japan where his parents still serve as missionaries, came to the United States when he was 18, and is bicultural and bilingual.

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Photo © Daphne Youree.

Business & Policy Forum is generously supported by Japan Society Global Leaders & Corporate Partners.

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Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.