​Becoming a First-Time Country Manager in Japan

​Being appointed as a first-time country manager in Japan is exhilarating. It often means a significant leap in salary and status. But that promotion also comes with a sharp increase in responsibility, visibility, and pressure.

​In your previous role (perhaps in marketing or sales?) you reported to the local general manager. Your line of sight was short, direct, and mostly clear. You were close to the action but rarely its central figure.

​Now, you are the strategic fulcrum of the entire Japan organization. Your decisions ripple outward, influencing APAC leadership, global headquarters, and your local team. But this expanded line of sight is anything but straight or clear.

​The Pressure and the Crosswinds

​As country manager, you face a swirl of competing demands. Your Japanese team needs a boss who leads with vision, empathy, and operational insight. Headquarters expects you to grow revenue fast, ideally without additional investment. Japanese clients, meanwhile, want global innovation at low cost, yet still expect exceptional quality and local service. These tensions are not theoretical. They are daily realities, and you stand squarely at their intersection.

​Why This Summit Matters

​This CEO Summit brings together a curated mix of first-time country managers in Japan and seasoned veterans. There are no PowerPoints, no lectures. Instead, we focus on interactive roundtable discussions, small-group strategy sessions, and peer-to-peer insight sharing.

​We unpack the realities of leadership in Japan, identify avoidable pitfalls, and open up space for honest conversation about what it takes to thrive in this complex and often contradictory role.