Leadership Spotlight: The Bridge Between Tokyo and Houston: A Finance Leader on Connecting Two Business Cultures

 Global Role, A Shared Purpose

Finance connects people, cultures, and decisions across a global organization. As Kuraray America, Inc. celebrates Kuraray’s century of growth, I find myself reflecting on what it means to serve as that connection—a bridge between our parent company in Tokyo and our operations in Houston, linking two business cultures whose combined strengths surpass either alone.

I joined Kuraray America after spending much of my career with our parent company Kuraray in Japan.

       | My role places me at the intersection of financial discipline and strategic
         vision, where Japanese business principles meet American enterprise.
        My work is equal parts analysis, cultural translation, and bridge building.

Finance as the Bridge: Two Cultures, One Purpose

Having worked for Kuraray in Japan, I understand the rhythms on both sides of the world. There are nuances of U.S. business culture I am still learning, and I believe that openness is essential to bridging cultures effectively.

In Japan, decision-making is deliberate. Once a course of action is chosen, the organization commits fully, and when something falls short, significant effort goes into understanding why. In the United States, decisions are made more quickly, with a readiness to pivot when conditions change.

Both approaches have their strengths.

• Japan: deliberate decision-making and disciplined execution

• United States: speed, flexibility and adaptability
   

       | The ideal is a combination: making decisions quickly and executing
         them with discipline.

I work to make that happen by helping our U.S. colleagues understand what matters in Tokyo and ensuring our parent company receives the context Houston needs to act.

Finance uniquely connects both sides of our organization.

Accounting occupies both ends of the business cycle. When issues arise, root causes often originate earlier in the process. This perspective allows us to act as translators, helping leaders in Houston and Tokyo link performance to the decisions that influence it.

My team collaborates with each business unit through dedicated controllers who provide manufacturing costs, customer insights, and pricing analysis. Whether a decision flows vertically through a business unit to Japan or horizontally across our U.S. region, we ensure both sides have clarity. One practice I carry from Japan is thorough documentation. Good conversations happen here every day, but if no one captures them, they disappear. Across borders, that discipline helps maintain alignment.

Building Trust Across Borders

  
     | The mechanics of finance are important, but the real bridge
       between organizations is trust.

Building cross-cultural connections requires it, and trust is fostered through transparency and follow-through. When we identify costs or trends that could distort a forecast, we work with the business to categorize them properly ensuring the next year’s budget reflects reality rather than assumptions. That hands-on partnership builds credibility on both sides of the Pacific.

The balance sheet and income statement are outcomes, not goals. Everything starts with daily actions. We don’t try to artificially boost the numbers; instead, we focus on improving our daily work, and the results follow. This approach resonates in both Tokyo and Houston, forming the common foundation from which our teams operate.

A Shared Commitment to the Long Term

A company that reaches one hundred years learns to think beyond short-term cycles.

       | One of the strongest threads connecting our Japanese heritage to
         our American operations is a shared commitment to the long term.
 

Safety culture is a clear example. Investments in safety strengthen the organization over years, not quarters. Our KuraSafe program reflects a willingness to invest in outcomes that extend well beyond the current budget cycle.

I see that same mindset in the way teams across Kuraray America show up for environmental stewardship. Kuraray America has participated in Trash Bash® for more than a decade, and having joined my colleagues there over the last four years, I have seen how closely sustainability and safety are connected. Efforts to protect local waterways and reduce litter support the environment, but they also help create cleaner, safer, and healthier communities for everyone.

Kuraray America’s commitment to the local community also includes supporting education in ways that can have a lasting impact.

Most recently, I joined colleagues at the LPISD STEM Legacy Festival at La Porte High School, where Kuraray America volunteers provided hands-on STEM learning activities for students and families. Experiences like this reflect the importance of investing in future generations and thinking beyond immediate results.

That broader perspective also carries into my work.

Our team monitors resource allocation across our portfolio to track progress toward the Kuraray Group’s Medium-Term Management Plan “PASSION 2026” goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 63 percent by 2035. Accounting tracks resource flows to each product line so environmental progress directly informs operational decisions.

Finance may not directly drive these initiatives, but we help ensure that the resources supporting them are measured, understood, and sustained.

Looking Ahead: The Next Hundred Years

The past century has been defined by continuous evolution, and that capacity for change is what carried the Kuraray Group to this moment. Not any single product. Not any single breakthrough. The willingness to improve every day, without exception.

The next hundred years will require the same. We may face disruptions we cannot yet anticipate, but that same daily discipline is what builds an organization capable of enduring.

Finance is foundational.

By accurately capturing manufacturing costs, sales data, and everything in between, our team gives Kuraray America the visibility to understand what we have accomplished and where new market opportunities exist. Without that clarity, neither side of the bridge can see the full picture.

      | As someone who operates between Tokyo and Houston every day,
        I know the quality of our shared decisions depends on the quality of
        the information connecting us. When people have clear data and
        genuine accountability, they make better decisions regardless of
        their cultural background.

A Culture Worth Bridging

When I think about what has shaped my leadership, I often recall a time when my children were young and the nursery would call unexpectedly. When I shared this with my colleagues, their response was always the same: go take care of your family. No hesitation. No pressure. That experience stayed with me.

Because people supported me wholeheartedly, I never took that support for granted. I made it a point to keep colleagues updated about my work so anyone could step in seamlessly when needed. Building that kind of backup system remains one of my top priorities as a leader.

It is the same culture of care in Tokyo and Houston. That is what makes this bridge not just a role but a personal commitment.

I often revisit the three core values at the heart of Kuraray’s corporate statement, “Our Values”:

• Respect for individuals
• Close cooperation to attain shared goals
• Constant creation of new value

These are the philosophies that make our cross-cultural connection work.

        | If I were advising someone starting their career at Kuraray, I would
          say: observe, listen, think independently, and then act. This cycle has
          supported our company for a hundred years, and I am confident it will
          guide us through the next hundred.

Reiko Fuwa, Senior Director of Finance, Kuraray America, Inc.