Cross-Border HR & Organization Partner
Move forward
across cultures.
In Japanese and cross-border business environments,
different roles, expectations, and ways of working often intersect.
rokana supports Japanese and local teams in clarifying roles, building alignment, and moving toward a shared future.
Philosophy
Beyond visible issues,
start from the future.
The issues we see on the surface are not always the real issues.
Leaders may not be developing.
People may not be taking ownership.
HR systems may not be working as intended.
Headquarters and local operations may not be fully aligned.
Behind these issues, there may be a deeper question.
What future does the organization want to move toward?
Can people believe in that future?
And is the organization intentionally building the culture needed to move in that direction?
Starting from the future,
we revisit people’s roles, leadership,
and the cultural foundation that enables organizations to move forward.
Perspective
Where assumptions intersect,clarify the direction forward.
In Japanese companies overseas, people often work between multiple expectations and assumptions.
Expectations from headquarters.
Expectations from Japanese expatriates.
Expectations from local leaders and staff.
Expectations from customers and regional stakeholders.
When these expectations are not aligned, people can easily become surrounded by many “have to” demands.
Over time, individuals may lose sight of their own roles, voice, and direction.
Organizations may also lose sight of where they are truly trying to go.
rokana helps individuals and organizations clarify where they are heading, even where different assumptions intersect.
From there, we build the foundation for people and organizations to move forward by themselves.
Founder
Built from experience
in both business and organization.
I have worked with people and organizations from both sides: building and leading businesses, and supporting organizations as a consultant.
Through these experiences, I have come to believe that people cannot truly be changed from the outside. Training programs and systems can create opportunities for change. But real change only begins when people reflect on themselves and choose, with their own intention, what they want to change and what future they want to move toward.
The same is true for organizations. No matter how strong the strategy is, or how well-designed the systems are, an organization cannot truly move forward if people do not believe in the future it is trying to create.
When people find their roles, reflect on their own direction, and feel that they have a meaningful part to play in creating the future, a quiet strength begins to emerge within the organization.
organizations begin to regain the power to move forward by themselves.
What I support is not only the resolution of visible issues.
It is about creating the foundation where people can bring out their potential, leaders can own their roles, and organizations can believe in the future they are moving toward.
This is the origin of rokana.
Profile
After graduating from Hosei University, Makoto began his career at Taisei Corporation, where he worked in accounting. He later joined Sumitomo Riko, where he was involved in both domestic and overseas sales.
After studying abroad, he joined RGF HR Agent, a Recruit Group overseas business. After working in China, he moved to Thailand and led the newly established Thailand entity as Country Manager, driving the business from launch through organizational expansion. He later served as Managing Director of HONDA ESTILO’s Thailand entity, where he was responsible for company establishment and the launch of multiple businesses.
After returning to Japan, he served as General Manager at Brain Lab, overseeing business operations and experiencing PMI. He then joined Bizmates, where he served as Director of both the B2B sales division and the product development division, working across business operations, organization management, and service development.
He later returned to Thailand as Lead Consultant at beyond global group, supporting Japanese companies across Southeast Asia in HR system design and talent development. He also served as a trainer for Japanese management-level employees.
Through experience in overseas entity management, business leadership, and HR and organization consulting, he came to see that business growth is shaped not only by strategy and systems, but also by the way leaders see things, make judgments, and engage with others. He himself has also faced uncertainty as a leader, going through trial and error in how to work with local members and how to face the organization. This is why he believes that a leader’s way of being is reflected in how an organization moves.
He now provides coaching for people carrying roles in overseas business and global environments. Amid multiple expectations and responsibilities, he creates time for people to regain their own standards of judgment and revisit how they want to stand and engage as leaders.
Seeing new landscapes and experiencing different cultures has been a central part of his life. Having lived in five countries and traveled to more than 90 countries, he also runs JOURNEY LENS, a personal project that records landscapes encountered through travel.
Coaching
Coaching
rokana provides coaching for people working overseas or involved in global business, helping them reinterpret questions around role, judgment, and future career from a future goal.
For who this coaching is for, how we think about coaching, and how the first conversation works, please visit the coaching page.
Business Information
Business Information
rokana
Makoto Yagenji
Kanagawa, Japan
Coaching and support related to global business, HR, and organization
Primarily online. Consultations are available from Japan and overseas.
Please contact us through the form.