Kyoto Firm Research Center

Our Purpose

Kyoto is a hub of Japanese history, and many Kyoto firms have a long history. In addition, you can feel an influence of good old Japanese culture in traditional products, techniques, work by craftspeople, etc. At the same time, the firms are characterized not only by traditional values, but also by cutting-edge technology and innovation. For example, NIDEC, an electronic components manufacturer, is known for its advanced motor technology. In recent years, new industries are emerging, such as biotechnology-related start-up firms.

This unique mix of history and cutting-edge technology in Kyoto will create a global hub for research and education about Kyoto firms. We will provide a place to interact to researchers, practitioners, and students from Japan and abroad who are interested in Kyoto firms. Through our activities, we aim to contribute to the local economy by communicating the attractiveness of Kyoto-based firms to the rest of the world. In addition, it will serve as a gateway for researchers from around the world to study corporate activities in Kyoto and Japan.

– Yoshihiro Tokuga
(Professor, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Kyoto University of Advanced Science and Director of KUAS Kyoto Firm Research Center)

Activities

Research

By collecting materials and hosting workshops, we aim to build a network with researchers worldwide who share the same aspirations, serving as a global hub for research on Kyoto firms and, by extension, Japanese firms.

In-house & Collaborative Research
The research is primarily conducted by in-house researchers focusing on Kyoto firms. For example, the group led by Professor Takahiro Inada, Professor Takayuki Suzuki, and Professor Fusako Adachi is researching the “Kyoto Entrepreneurial Ecosystem” using text data analysis and simulation. They aim to provide insights into the development of future entrepreneurial ecosystems by exploring factors of growth from the perspective of interactions between firms or managers, not just individual firms. This research is funded by a KUAS internal grant (Advanced Research)

Material Collection & Archiving
Materials collected through these research activities are archived. Interview texts with managers and lecture records are shared with external researchers (limited to those in joint research with KUAS team), expanding research on Kyoto firms (for those interested in joint research, please contact us at the address listed in the inquiry section).

Hosting International Workshops
In addition to the above research activities, we annually plan an international workshop, the KUAS Paper Development Workshop (PDW) on Management in Japan. Editors from internationally renowned journals such as Strategic Management Journal and Management Science are invited to provide feedback on papers about managerial phenomena in Japan. This also offers global researchers the opportunity to engage with unique managerial phenomena and research in Kyoto and Japan.

Education

Insights gained from research activities are utilized in education within the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Global Business and Economics Courses, and the KUAS Business School.

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (Japanese) >

For example, in “Business in Kyoto” (Professor Akikazu Kobayashi), we invite managers from Kyoto firms to give lectures and interact with students. In ‘Entrepreneurs’ (Professor Fusako Adachi), entrepreneurs active in Kyoto share their experiences on starting businesses and careers.

Beyond lectures, internship programs also provide opportunities to work in Kyoto firms.

In the “Service Learning” course, which offers real business experiences, students plan, develop, and sell products or services. Mr. Masao Hosoo from Hosoo Co., Ltd., which collaborates with world-renowned firms to innovate Nishijin-ori, participates as a mentor while also serving as an adjunct professor at KUAS.

Lectures are provided in English for international students from all over the world. For instance, in “Entrepreneurs in Kyoto” (Professor Takayuki Suzuki), students learn about entrepreneurs who have built global firms originating from Kyoto. It is expected that their studies and experiences in their home nations will intersect with the knowledge practiced and accumulated by Kyoto firms, leading to the creation of new insights.

KUAS Business School (Japanese) >

An environment where executive candidates of Kyoto firms learn together exists. Students from various firms, including NIDEC, Omron, SCREEN Holdings, Nissin Electric, have gathered here. Within the lectures, students have the opportunity to listen to and directly ask questions to Mr. Shigenobu Nagamori (NIDEC founder, KUAS Chairman). Students educated in this unique environment deepen their understanding of their workplaces and compile their findings into master’s theses.

Members