13:00 - 13:20
OPENING REMARKS

The “Third Kaikoku” is about to Change Japan
- A new Japan envisioned by the Japan Association of New Economy -

JANE’s theme for 2019 is the third “kaikoku,” or opening of the country to the outside world. Japan is facing another era of drastic transformation comparable to that of the Meiji Restoration and the post-WWII reforms.

As a relatively young economic association founded in 2012 and a navigator to the future, JANE has proposed how rules of the business and society should be formed in Japan over the past seven years.

Hiroshi Mikitani, Representative Director of JANE, will share with you his thoughts on issues surrounding Japan in the new Reiwa era: the most current trends of the world, where the industrial structure is undergoing a rapid transition; how Japan should position itself against that backdrop and what steps it should take. We hope you will be able to take home some hints for the future of your business.

Mikitani will also present JANE’s new initiative “JANE Stock Index” (tentative name), first of its kind as an initiative led by an economic association. This is an index of the stock prices of JANE’s general members listed in the four market sections of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Through comparison with such representative indexes of the Japanese stock market as TOPIX and Nikkei 225, the new index will show that rapid growing companies and sectors are participating in JANE.
We are looking forward to your participation.
Mickey Mikitani
Founder, CEO and Chairman,
Rakuten, Inc.

Representative Director, Japan Association of New Economy
Mickey Mikitani
Mickey Mikitani
Mickey (Hiroshi) Mikitani is the founder, chairman and CEO of Rakuten, Inc. Founded in Japan in 1997 with the mission to contribute to society by creating value through innovation and entrepreneurship, Rakuten has grown to become one of the world's leading internet services companies.

Rakuten has a dynamic ecosystem of more than 70 services, spanning e-commerce, fintech, digital content, and communications, bringing the joy of discovery to more than 1.2 billion members across the world. Rakuten is also preparing to become Japan’s newest mobile network operator in 2019.

In July 2017, Rakuten became the Main Global Partner and first-ever Official Innovation & Entertainment Partner of one of the world’s most admired soccer clubs, FC Barcelona, and, in September of the same year, became the first-ever jersey partner for NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors.

Born in Kobe, Mikitani was educated at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, began his career in investment banking, and earned his MBA at Harvard Business School. In 2012, he was awarded the HBS Alumni Achievement Award, one of the school’s highest honors.

Mikitani is also a recipient of the Legion of Honour, awarded by the French government in recognition of contributions to the economy and culture of France. In 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, which has the longest history and tradition of any orchestra in Japan, and serves as Representative Director of the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE). In 2015, Mikitani was appointed as Board Director at Lyft, Inc. In 2016, he was appointed Chairman and Director of Rakuten Medical, Inc. (formerly Rakuten Aspyrian, Inc.), a biotechnology company developing precision-targeted cancer therapies based on its proprietary photoimmunotherapy platform, and also took up the role of CEO in 2018.