Assisted major US firms with research on entering or navigating the Japan marketplace by providing business intel through interviews and reports on the various aspects of local industries.

At a time when Japan’s role in the global marketplace was changing, many organizations felt it was time to update their views on Japan, and challenge the accepted wisdom through research. Such work was typically best carried out by “boots on the ground” – that is to say, long-term residents of the country, such as Makino, who were able to view the situation from an outsider’s point of view.  

This work was largely carried out for major international enterprises in the retail, pharmaceutical and financial services industries under NDAs. It involved locating and interviewing key individuals and stakeholders both Japanese and non-Japanese in these fields and presenting the results and analysis to the global management team in the US.