Future GX Leaders to Learn Environmental Management Graduate Institute of Environmental Management (pending accreditation) will hold a seminar on November 29, 2012. Seminar on "Becoming Tougher on Ambiguity" & Newsletter to Follow!

Hirano Gakuen Educational Corporation (Location: Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, President: Koji Hirano) provides various learning communities for working people interested in environmental management.

The school is currently working to open a graduate school of environmental management (tentative name, pending approval for establishment, abbreviated as NECSUS), and the above is part of its efforts.

In anticipation of the opening, a special NECSUS seminar, "How to Think Tough on Ambiguity: Learning from Negative Capability for Sustainable Growth," will be held online on November 29, 2012.

A newsletter with contributions from influential columnists is also available.

The pace of change is accelerating and the future is difficult to predict. Businesses and individuals alike are being called upon to achieve sustainable growth in the face of uncertainty. In the practice of environmental management, the ability to discern the essence of environmental issues in a complex and intertwined society is essential.

In this seminar, Mr. Toshiya Tanaka, a faculty member scheduled to teach at the University, will speak on how to deal with conflicts that arise in organizations and interpersonal relationships from the perspectives of both "negative capability (the ability to endure uncertainty)" and "positive capability (the ability to discern the essence of issues and promote them).

Purpose of the seminar

TUAT is aiming to open a professional graduate school specializing in environmental management in April 2027. The period leading up to the official opening of the school is positioned as a period of preparation, and we are creating a "place of learning" to connect with working people, students, companies, and government officials who want to learn about environmental management.

Environmental issues such as global warming, biodiversity crisis, and pollution (air, ocean, etc.) have a significant impact on corporate management. Companies need to place GX at the core of their business strategies. In light of this situation, TUAT aims to open a professional graduate school to foster strategic change leaders for the GX era, and will hold the seminar as a realization of a place for learning that connects with society even before the school opens.

Seminar Outline

Title: How to Think Tolerant of Ambiguity

　　　　　 -Hints for Sustainable Growth from Negative Capability

Date and Time: Saturday, November 29, 2025, 10:00am-11:00am

Lecturer: Toshiya Tanaka (Chairman and Representative Director, Nippon Manpower Co.)

Registration: https://necsus.jp/seminar/

Format: Online (Zoom)

Participation fee: Free of charge

Sponsor : Hirano Gakuen Graduate School of Environmental Management (Approval for establishment pending)

Seminar Registration 2D Code

Purpose of Seminar

The objective of the University is to develop human resources who can integrate environmental and social issues into management strategies and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, in particular, the following three abilities.

1【Strategic Conceptualization】: Ability to integrate environmental and social issues into management strategies and conceptualize business opportunities

2【Business Implementation Capability】: Ability to design and promote specific sustainable business models

3【Organizational transformation and leadership】: Ability to lead organizational transformation by involving diverse internal and external stakeholders

In order to realize a sustainable future, there is an urgent need to train leaders who can understand environmental issues and management from a cross-sectional perspective. Therefore, the Graduate School of Environmental Management will hold a series of open seminars as a "place of learning" prior to the opening of the university. Each seminar will incorporate one of these elements in its theme and structure, with an awareness of fostering the three capabilities of the human resource development vision of the university: the ability to conceive strategies, the ability to implement business, and the ability to drive organizational change. Each seminar incorporates one of these elements in its theme and structure. Participants will have the opportunity to gain practical knowledge while anticipating what they will learn in graduate school.

Three Elements of Strategic Change Leaders in the GX Era

Past Seminars

In the past seminars, we have invited a wide variety of experts to share their cutting-edge knowledge.

First "Is Cosmetics and Sustainability a Trade-Off?"

Date: 7/5/2025 10:00am-11:00am

Speaker: Shigekazu Sugiyama (Representative of SEN Marketing Office, Former President of Shiseido Japan)

Content: How to achieve both "sustainability" and "sales"?

　　　How to deliver value to society while moving the hearts of customers?

　　　Based on a practical example of balancing value creation and environmental consideration in cosmetics,

　　　We discussed the future of marketing based on a practical case study of a cosmetics product that both adds value and is environmentally friendly.

Part 2: "Not Just Rockets - The Frontline of the Space Business

Date: 8/2/2025 10:00am-11:00am

Speaker: Ryo Fujii (Chief Editor, UchuBiz)

Content: Space debris countermeasures, environmental protection using environmental data, etc,

　　　What kind of space business exists other than rocket business?

　　　He also explained about sustainable perspectives.

Session 3: "Challenging Climate Change from Local Communities: The World Organization Energy Leaders' Pledge

Date: 8/23/2025 10:00am-11:00am

Lecturer: Noriko Sugiyama (Professor, Faculty of Education, Tokai Gakuen University, Secretary General of the World Summit Pledge Japan)

Content: Climate change measures are not only "mitigation measures" to reduce CO2 emissions,

　　　Adaptation measures" to prepare for the effects of climate change are also important,

　　　Comprehensive efforts by local governments are expected.

　　　A new issue, "Energy Access and Energy Poverty," was also introduced.

Session 4: "World Energy Situation and Global Environmental Issues: Winners and Losers in the Global Competition

Date: 2025/9/4 8:00pm-9:00pm

Speaker: Nobuo Tanaka (CEO, Tanaka GlobalInc., Former Director General, International Energy Agency (IEA))

Content: The world is facing its first real energy crisis.

　　　Who will be the winner of energy hegemony? He talked about the future of the situation.

Part 5: "No Waiting! Transformation to Sustainability Management"

Date/Time 2025/9/20 10:00am-11:00am

Speaker: Toshihiko Goto (Special Advisor, NPO Environmental Management Association of Japan)

Content: Companies are now being questioned about how they should be, and are in the midst of a major wave of information disclosure.

　　　For this reason, a major shift to sustainability management and,

　　　The lecture discussed the current situation in which a major shift to sustainability management and value chain management, including the supply chain, are essential.

　　　The lecture discussed the current situation in which a major shift to sustainability management and value chain management, including supply chain management, are indispensable.

Session 6: "The Forefront of Cross-Cultural Management: Learning the Art of Collaboration from Practice and Theory

Date: 10/25/2025 10:00am-11:00am

Speaker: Gen Hikino (President, iRobot Japan G.K.)

Content: How can people and organizations collaborate and create value in different cultures?

　　　Based on the experience of management integration between U.S. and Nikkei companies,

　　　He will also introduce theories such as "Culture Map.

　　　He discussed the essence of cross-cultural management through a combination of practice and theory.

Each seminar was highly rated, with participants asking enthusiastic questions one after the other.

Many are repeat attendees, and the seminar is becoming a well-established forum for thinking about environmental issues and management issues from a cross-sectional perspective.

Plans for November and beyond

From November 2025 onward, lecturers who are also members of the TUAT Board of Directors will take the podium, and online seminars will be developed that also have a "mock class" character. The themes will not be limited to environmental management, but will offer a wide range of skills essential for today's managers and practitioners.

(Examples of planned themes)

Sustainable business ideas: Three perspectives on "value creation" to drive the future

　Shigeru Nakayama (former executive officer of Senshukai Co., Ltd., current president of Nakayama Marketing Design, Inc.)

Distinctive approaches to information dissemination

The Graduate Institute of Environmental Management publishes the newsletter "NECSUS Green File" twice a month in addition to holding seminars.

The newsletter is intended to share the latest seminar reports, trends in environmental management, and columns featuring interviews with faculty members and researchers to share the knowledge of "environmental management" with society at large.

Recent international contributors include influential Scandinavian columnists Thomas Kolster and Antti Isokangas, both of whom are well known in the sustainability industry, and whose articles delve into the essence of environmental management against the backdrop of international trends.

Mr. Thomas Kolster

Mr. Antti Isokangas

This newsletter has been distributed since June 3, 2025, and as of October 1, 2025, the number of recipients exceeded 1,000. Together with the seminars, it has expanded into a "learning community. Through such multifaceted learning, we will continue to nurture a future-oriented learning community for GX leaders together with those who are eagerly awaiting the opening of the university.

Newsletter Registration 2D Code