Join the Global Affiliates Program at Shorenstein APARC as our 2025-26 cohort of Global Affiliates visiting scholars presents findings from their research. This capstone event marks the culmination of their year-long research projects addressing Asia-Pacific issues related to their work.

In the second of two sessions, each of the five speakers will present their research for approximately 15 minutes, followed by a brief 5-10 minute Q&A session with the audience. 

AGENDA:

The Emergence and Persistence of Exploration in a Defense Organization – A Three-Layer Cyclical Model and Hybrid Leadership

Shinya Takasaka, Japan Air Self Defense Force

As the global security landscape rapidly evolves, emerging technologies–from artificial intelligence and unmanned systems to space and cyber–are reshaping how defense organizations innovate and operate. In this environment, success depends not only on refining existing capabilities, but also on continuously exploring new ones. 

However, defense organizations are structurally oriented toward ensuring mission reliability, minimizing risk, and maintaining institutional stability. As a result, they tend to prioritize the refinement of existing capabilities over the exploration of new ones. Consequently, achieving both exploitation and exploration simultaneously is not straightforward. How, then, can these two be effectively balanced? 

In this talk, Takasaka draws on the ambidexterity theory and real-world case studies, including Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem and U.S. defense initiatives such as the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), to examine how exploration can be cultivated and sustained. The discussion will also highlight the critical role of leadership in enabling long-term innovation within defense organizations. 

Electricity Market Design under an Evolving Market Environment

Noriaki Wada, Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry, Japan

Electricity markets are undergoing profound changes driven by decarbonization, demand growth, and the need for large-scale reinvestment in aging infrastructure. These shifts have intensified the challenge of maintaining investment incentives while ensuring system reliability. Traditional market designs–such as energy-only markets and capacity markets–address these issues in different ways, yet each exhibits inherent limitations under evolving conditions. 

Wada’s research examines how electricity market design influences investment incentives and system reliability by comparing major market models in the United States. It highlights how structural characteristics of power systems, including price formation constraints and non-storability, create persistent challenges that cannot be fully resolved by a single market mechanism. 

Wada argues that electricity market design should be understood not as a static choice among models, but as a dynamic process of combining multiple institutional tools. Based on this analysis, it draws implications for designing more adaptable and resilient electricity market frameworks. 

Institutional Environments, Technology Governance, and Organizational Adaptation: VMWare in China's Politically Sensitive Digital Economy

Ping (Jane) Jiang, NextG Tech Limited

As geopolitical tensions and regulatory divergence reshape the global technology landscape, multinational firms are increasingly forced to navigate complex and often conflicting institutional environments. Nowhere is this more evident than in sectors like cloud computing and AI, where issues of data sovereignty, national security, and technological control are deeply intertwined with policy and politics.

Jiang’s presentation examines how these pressures influence organizational strategy, focusing on VMware’s operation in China as a case study. Drawing on institutional theory, Jiang explores how regulatory demands, industry expectations, and strategic uncertainty drive key decisions–from local partnerships and governance restructuring to market exit.

By tracing these dynamics, the discussion highlights the growing challenge for global technology firms: balancing integrated business models with fragmented, sovereignty-driven regulatory systems. The findings offer broader insights into how institutional environments are shaping the future of technology governance and global market competition. 

Transformative Education for the Age of AI: Redefining Human Roles and Learning Structures

Takuya Tsunoda, Development Bank of Japan

As artificial intelligence continues to expand the boundaries of what technology can solve, the role of humans is also evolving. Rather than focusing on finding answers, the ability to define meaningful problems and effectively leverage technology is becoming an essential skill in the AI era. 

In this presentation, Tsunoda explores how education must adapt to meet this shift. He examines emerging approaches that prioritize human judgment, creativity, and critical thinking, with particular attention to frameworks such as design thinking and systems thinking. 

By rethinking how we learn, the discussion will consider what it takes to prepare individuals to work alongside increasingly capable technologies–and how education can better equip people to navigate, shape and lead in an AI-driven world. 

Redefining Job Satisfaction Factors for Generation Z and Organizational Talent Retention

Myongjin Bae, Republic of Korea Army

As Generation Z enters the workforce in growing numbers, their expectations around work are reshaping traditional ideas of job satisfaction. Compared to previous generations, they place great emphasis on personal growth, work-life balance, and a sense of purpose, fairness, and alignment within organizations. 

Yet many existing frameworks for measuring job satisfaction have not kept pace with these shifts. This gap can contribute to misunderstandings between generations, ultimately affecting employee engagement, workplace cohesion, and retention. 

In this presentation, Bae examines how job satisfaction can be redefined to better reflect Generation Z’s values. By analyzing generational differences and identifying key sources of workplace tension, the discussion will also explore practical strategies organizations can adopt to foster stronger collaboration and support long-term talent retention.