ISM Study Tour 2025: Innovation, Culture, Connection

Our long-standing partner in Lithuania, ISM University of Management and Economics, returned to Japan this October for another intensive study tour hosted by NUCB Business School. Since the first program in 2015, ISM has regularly sent groups to Japan to gain exposure to Japanese management practices and innovation culture—an initiative that resumed after the pandemic and continues to grow.

This year’s delegation, composed of students from ISM’s graduate programs, spent a full week exploring how Japanese organizations approach sustainability, technology adoption, and design thinking. Their program combined company visits, interactive lectures, and discussions with leaders across industry, government, and academia.

The tour began in Nagoya, where the group visited the SCMaglev and Railway Park to understand Japan’s long history of engineering excellence and high-speed transportation innovation. They then moved to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology, tracing the evolution of Toyota from textile machinery to one of the world’s most influential manufacturers.

At the Nagoya Innovator’s Garage, students met Mr. Toshio Sumi, Director of the Nagoya City Government Startup Support Division, who introduced the city’s growing startup ecosystem and its public-sector support programs for entrepreneurship.

The program also featured two lecture sessions led by NUCB Business School faculty:

• Prof. Hoe Chin Goi delivered Designing a Sustainable Tomorrow: The Power of Innovation and Design Thinking, offering frameworks that students later applied during company visits.
• Prof. Ted Katagi, CEO of Kenja Co., spoke on AI Innovation, highlighting practical applications of AI in transforming business models and decision-making.

Students also visited the headquarters of Vermicular, a successful Japanese manufacturer known for its high-precision cast-iron cookware, where they observed the firm's product development philosophy—a blend of craftsmanship, engineering, and design. Later in the week, the group met representatives from Toyota at Midland Square in Nagoya to learn about current directions in mobility and global strategy.

The tour concluded in Kyoto and Tokyo, allowing participants to experience Japan’s cultural and commercial centers while reflecting on the business insights gained throughout the week.

Programs like these remain an important gateway for students seeking first-hand exposure to Japanese organizational culture. With its extensive network of corporate partners and overseas institutions, NUCB Business School continues to host more than half a dozen such customized programs each year for leading universities including Esade (Spain), CUHK (China), and Thammasat University (Thailand). This year’s ISM program once again highlighted the value of direct engagement—not only in observing how Japanese companies innovate, but also in understanding the broader environment that shapes their strategies and long-term vision.