One Month Until Opening | Marketers Must See | Asahi Beer, Ajinomoto, and Other Leading Marketers Discuss "Reproducibility of Hits" at Forum Opening June 18

The Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Distribution Economics Institute (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), will newly host the "Ryuken Marketer Forum 2026" targeting individuals involved in product development and marketing in manufacturing, wholesale, and retail industries. Part 1 of this forum, "Product Development & Branding" Marketer Forum (total of 5 sessions), which is one month away, will be held starting Thursday, June 18, 2026. At this forum, the individuals responsible for the actual product development of hit products that have become topics in the industry will take the stage. They will share the core of their practical work, including the background of development, the conflicts in decision-making, and the improvement process after launch, which only those directly involved can tell. Furthermore, panelists such as Mr. Tatsuya Okamoto, who promoted marketing reforms as a former Executive Officer and Managing Director of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., and Mr. Toru Mizutani, who led brand strategy as a former Representative Director of Suntory Beer Ltd., will be invited to delve into the decision-making process and "reproducibility" that create hit products. In addition, an information exchange meeting will be held after each session, providing an opportunity for participants to build networks with each other and with the speakers. This will create connections among practitioners beyond company and industry boundaries, contributing to the creation of new collaborations and business opportunities. Click here to apply Dates: Thursday, June 18, 2026; Wednesday, July 8; Tuesday, September 8; Wednesday, October 7; Wednesday, November 11. Each session from 13:30 to 19:00. Format: Hybrid (in-person at venue and online via Zoom webinar) Venue: Scheduled for a venue near Ichigaya Participation Fee: 600,000 JPY per company (excluding tax). Advance registration required / Application deadline: June 11. * Up to 2 participants per company Target Audience: Individuals involved in product development and marketing in manufacturing, wholesale, and retail industries. Main Program: Main Hit Product Cases: <1st Session> Hit Product Case: Asahi Beer Mirai no Lemon Sour Speaker: Mr. Takehiro Sato, General Manager, RTD Marketing Department, Marketing Division, Asahi Breweries, Ltd. <2nd Session> Hit Product Case: Kabaya Tough Gummy Speaker: Mr. Ikumi Aradono, Section Manager, Gummy Section 1, Brand Planning Department, Brand Marketing Division, Kabaya Foods Corporation <3rd Session> Hit Product Case: Suntory Wellness VARON Speaker: Mr. Makoto Sakamaki, General Manager, Skincare Department, Suntory Wellness Ltd. <4th Session> Hit Product Case: Lotte Premium Ghana Speaker: Mr. Koji Sakakibara, Executive Officer, General Manager, Marketing Division, Lotte Co., Ltd. <5th Session> Hit Product Case: Ajinomoto Hakumai Dozo Speaker: Ms. Sanae Takahiro, Group Leader, New Business Area Group, Consumer Foods Business Division, Food Products Business Department, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Main Theme Speakers: <1st Session> Theme: Process of Converting Insights into Value Proposition Speaker: Mr. Takahiro Omatsu, President and CEO, Decom Inc. <2nd Session> Theme: How to Create Ideas Speaker: Mr. Keiichi Higuchi, Representative Director, Keiichi Higuchi Office Co., Ltd. <3rd Session> Theme: Expressing Product Concepts Speaker: Ms. Ikuko Mukai, Center Director, Marketing Design Center & General Manager, Communication Design Department, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. <4th Session> Theme: What is Necessary for Branding in the Current Era Speaker: Mr. Tomonobu Tominaga, Executive Advisor, Preferred Networks Inc. & Representative, OFFICE Shimofuri LLC <5th Session> Theme: Types of Marketing Organizations and Performance Speaker: Mr. Tsuyoshi Moriguchi, Director, Continuing Education Promotion Office & Professor, Graduate School of Commerce, Ph.D., Waseda University Time Schedule: * Heads/Managers of Product Development and Marketing Departments * Companies wishing to strengthen their understanding of consumer insights, idea generation, and brand strategy * Those who want to improve the reproducibility of creating hit products * Companies aiming to enhance competitiveness in the consumer goods and food industries * The concept of "designing sellable products" starting from consumer insights * Decision-making processes and reproducible know-how for creating hit products * Practical product development and branding methods learned from success and failure stories * Frameworks applicable in the field and their implementation into concrete actions * Opportunities to build networks with marketers active on the front lines of the industry Panelist: Mr. Tatsuya Okamoto, Advisor, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Former Executive Officer and Managing Director) Special Advisor, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Distribution Economics Institute Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc. in 1987. From 1996, involved in household products ("Hondashi®", "Cook Do®", "Pure Select® Mayonnaise", "Knorr® Cup Soup®", etc.) Keywords: