Tokyo's Waseda University Releases Podcast Season 3, Ep.4 Global Goals, Local Realities: Rethinking Sustainable Business

Professor Hasegawa explores how MNEs create value through sustainability, local engagement, and collaboration, highlighting TAISI's global-local approach.

TOKYO, JAPAN, November 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- [Tokyo, Japan] Waseda University released the fourth episode, “Global Goals, Local Realities: Rethinking Sustainable Business”, of Season 3 of its English language podcast series “Rigorous Research, Real Impact” on November 4, 2026. All podcast episodes are available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Episode 4: “Global Goals, Local Realities: Rethinking Sustainable Business”

In this episode of “Rigorous Research, Real Impact,” Professor Shinji Hasegawa of Waseda University’s School of Social Sciences discusses multinational enterprises (MNEs), sustainability, and local embeddedness. He explains how companies can create value by building trust and understanding local cultures and needs. Cases in Kyoto and Osaki highlight collaboration among businesses, governments, and communities. He also emphasizes the importance of connecting regions, sectors, and people to address local challenges and create new opportunities.
He also highlights the appeal of Waseda’s TAISI program, where students explore global challenges while staying closely connected to local realities.

“Waseda University Podcasts: Rigorous Research, Real Impact”

About Season 3

This season, eight Waseda researchers will join three charismatic Waseda students, who will take on the role of MCs and guide the conversations. In relaxed, approximately 15-minute episodes, the researchers will introduce their areas of expertise, discuss how their research intersects with current social debates and trending news, and talk about their experiences teaching in Waseda’s English-based degree programs. Topics explored throughout the season include Japan’s economy, labor and migration in Japan, business in Japan, Japanese culture, and AI. By bringing academic expertise into accessible conversations about contemporary issues, the podcast offers international audiences a fresh perspective on Japan and the research taking place at Waseda. It is especially aimed at prospective international students, those considering further study or research in Japan, and anyone interested in discovering new perspectives on the issues shaping Japanese society and beyond.

Episode Release Schedule

■Episode 5（Release date: 2026/11/25）：
Professor Naoko Nemoto (Faculty of Commerce, Waseda Business School)—
“Can Doing Good Make Good Business?”
■Episode 6（Release date: 2026/12/16）：
Associate Professor Maki Nakai (Faculty of International Research and Education)—
“Clothing, Power, and Court Culture in Premodern Japan”
■Episode 7（Release date: 2027/1/6）：
Professor Yoshio, Hitomi (Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences)—
“Translating Japan: Literature, Gender and the Global Reader”

About Waseda University

Waseda University currently offers English-based degree programs at 6 of its undergraduate schools and 15 of its graduate schools. According to the 2025 Japan Student Service Organization’s report, Waseda welcomes the highest number of international students per year in Japan. Additionally, in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 Waseda placed in the top 100 in the world in the broad subject areas of Arts & Humanities (rank #61) and Social Sciences & Management (rank #78).

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Season3 EP04 Teaser Video