Executive Sustainability Forum

Management meeting for sustainable growth in Japan and Asia

Climate change and similar threats to the global environment are becoming more serious year by year, and international society is calling on corporations to take strong action in response to these threats and make their businesses sustainable, while national governments and other authorities continue to draw up various regulations and voluntary rules. These regulations and rules, however, have been formulated mainly in Europe; and since they cannot be said to adequately reflect issues particular to Japan and the rest of Asia, there are concerns about their future impact on the competitiveness of corporations in this part of the world. The PwC Japan Group believes that engaging in constructive discussions about how to make business sustainable, taking into account regional factors and making proposals to international society are essential for attaining sustainable growth.

Amidst these circumstances, the PwC Japan Group, together with business leaders actively engaged in sustainability management, has launched the Executive Sustainability Forum as one of the few current examples in Japan of private companies taking the initiative in creating venues for the exchange of views by business leaders. The Forum will conduct fact-finding surveys on sustainability trends in Japan and the rest of Asia, including among local companies, start-ups and others, and on this basis will carry on discussions at regular intervals with business leaders on how to make business sustainable, then issue proposals and related information to the public.

Activities of the Executive Sustainability Forum

Overview of the Forum

Founding member corporations and their representatives

*In Japanese syllabary order by company name

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
Member of the Board, Representative Executive Officer, President & CEO
Taro Fujie
Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Governor
Nobumitsu Hayashi
JERA Co., Inc.
Global CEO and Chair
Yukio Kani
The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited
Representative Director, President
Toshiaki Sumino
Teijin Limited
President and CEO, Representative Director of the Board
Akimoto Uchikawa
Development Bank of Japan Inc.
Chairman
Mitsuru Ota
Nomura Holdings, Inc.
President and Group CEO
Kentaro Okuda
Fujitsu Limited
Representative Director, CEO
Takahito Tokita
Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Director, President and Representative Executive Officer, CEO
Toshihiro Mibe

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, Inc.
Director, President Executive Officer

Toru Takakura
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
President & CEO
Seiji Izumisawa
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
Member of the Board of Directors, Chairman
Kanetsugu Mike
PwC Japan Group
Group Representative
Masataka Kubota

Achievements

In January 2024, the Forum issued a joint statement summarising the outcome of discussions and outlook on future prospects.

Supporting companies

The Executive Sustainability Forum is dedicated to contributing to the development of a circular economy and carbon neutrality within ASEAN by facilitating the exchange of information across countries and industries. To enhance this mission, the forum has onboarded new Supporting Member Companies from the ASEAN region to actively participate in these initiatives and share valuable insights.

Planned activities

The Forum will be a venue for ongoing studies of how to eliminate the trade-offs between growth and sustainability in Asia, achieving both, and of the kind of growth to be pursued in a new era. The topics to be examined include, forging alliances with various companies in Asia, from major corporations to start-ups, as specific ways for Japanese corporations to take the leadership in market creation. The discussions and proposals by participating business leaders will further be communicated actively to the world, including through presentations at international conferences.

Our Team

Masataka Kubota

Territory Senior Partner, PwC Japan Group

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Takafumi Nakashima

Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Sustainability LLC

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Amma Masaaki

Senior Executive Officer, PricewaterhouseCoopers Sustainability LLC

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