The Enigma of Low Trust in Japan with Richard Edelman x Yoshito Hori

Japan is widely revered as a paragon of efficiency, stability, and civility. This perception is reinforced by a wide number of globally recognized measures of success: it is the third largest economy in the world, it ranks at the top of education and public health measures, and it offers citizens a consistently high quality of life.

Despite this, Japan ranks near the bottom of Edelman’s Global Trust Barometer index year after year. Japanese respondents rank four major sectors (business, government, NGOs, and the media) as distrusted. This is a notable contrast to ratings in other countries.

Why is trust so low in Japan, and what is required for meaningful change? If Japan does so well on other global metrics, does this score matter? Edelman suggests that trust is the ultimate currency. So how can leaders and institutions earn trust domestically and overseas?

Join us on November 19 to hear Richard Edelman, on his first trip to Japan in three years, present striking trust data. This will be followed by a robust discussion with Yoshito Hori. The two CEOs share deep expertise and diverse perspectives to unlock Japan’s trust enigma. The discussion will be followed by a twenty minute Q&A with event participants.

■ Date and time: Nov 19 (Sat) 14:00-15:30

■ Venue: GLOBIS University, 1F Hall, 5-1 Nibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0084 and Zoom (online)

■ Organizer: GLOBIS Corporation, Edelman Japan

■ Moderator: GLOBIS CEO Yoshito Hori

■ Language: English (no translation)

■ Schedule

13:45 Doors open

14:00 Presentation by Mr. Edelman (25 min)

14:25 Dialogue between Mr. Hori & Mr. Edelman (40 min)

15:05 Q&A (20 min)

15:25 Final remarks (5 min)

15:30 End

*if you would not like to be photographed, please let us know the day of.

Speaker profiles

Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman

Richard Edelman is the CEO of Edelman, a global communications firm, and Chairman of Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, the firm’s holding company. Founded in 1952 by his father Dan, Edelman is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary. With more than 6,000 employees in 66 offices across 28 countries, Edelman is proud to be independent and family owned.

Now in his 26th year as CEO, Richard is one of the longest tenured agency leaders in the marketing services industry. Richard has extensive experience in marketing and reputation management, having led assignments with major corporations, NGOs and family businesses. As the creator of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, Richard has become one of the foremost authorities on trust in business, government, media and NGOs. Now in its 22nd year, the Edelman Trust Barometer is widely recognized as the leading piece of research on trust.

Richard serves on multiple boards, committees and counsels including the Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), the Atlantic Council, and the National Committee on U.S. China Relations. Richard earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1978 and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in 1976.

Yoshito Hori, CEO of GLOBIS

Yoshito Hori is the CEO of GLOBIS Corporation. He is also a Founding Partner of GLOBIS Capital Partners, the No.1 venture capital firm in Japan, and President of the G1 Institute, a platform to create a better Japan. His other roles include Founder of the KIBOW Foundation, a project to support the revitalization after the Great Tohoku Earthquake; owner of the Ibaraki Robots, a professional basketball team in his hometown of Mito; and owner of the Ibaraki Broadcast System, Ibaraki’s only prefecture-wide media company.

He serves as an ambassador for his hometown of Mito City and Ibaraki Prefecture. In April 2016, he acquired a majority stake in the Ibaraki Robots professional basketball team. In November 2019, he purchased Ibaraki Broadcast System, Ibaraki’s only prefecture-wide media company.

He is an author of several books including Dear Visionary Leaders Who Create and Innovate Societies, Six Dimensions of Life, My Personal Mission Statement, The Case-Method Approach to Strategic Entrepreneurship, and Venture Management Revolution.

He received his BS in engineering from Kyoto University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.