Where Every Connection is a Gift



At Makana Partners, “Makana” isn’t just our name—it’s our guiding belief.

We view every client, every candidate, and every opportunity as a gift, and

we respond with deep care, integrity, and purpose in everything we do.

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Transforming Executive Search in Japan

In the competitive landscape of 21st-century recruitment, finding and securing top bilingual professionals in Japan is a daunting task. Traditional methods often leave clients feeling neglected, bombarded with irrelevant CVs, and frustrated by a lack of feedback. At Makana Partners, we’ve reimagined the executive search process to be swift, efficient, and high-quality.
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Why Choose

Makana Partners?

Expert Consultants: Our team boasts an average of 15 years of experience in various niche markets, successfully closing some of the most challenging searches, even those open for over a year.

Unparalleled reach: We are a boutique search firm with extensive networks, robust research capabilities, and minimal off-limit clients.


Unwavering Commitment to Quality: We deliver lightning-fast searches without compromising on the quality of candidates.

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Our Services

Executive Search in Japan: Specializing in mid-senior level roles, we offer both contingent and retained search services. Our strategic approach, combined with extensive market intelligence and advanced technology, ensures we find the perfect match for your organization’s needs. We bring unique opportunities to Japan.

Career Guidance for Talent: We understand the significance of your career decisions. Our advisory services span across various industries, helping you make well-informed choices for both short- and long-term career goals, considering your passions and life aspirations.

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Global Reach with Local Expertise

Since 2022, Makana Partners has proudly partnered with Horton International, a top 40 global executive search firm. This partnership enhances our capabilities, allowing us to connect outstanding talent with remarkable opportunities worldwide.


Experience the Gift of Opportunity

Join Makana Partners and discover how we can transform your executive search experience. Let’s connect talent and opportunity to shape a successful future together.

Contact Us

Ocean Gate Minatomirai 8F, 3-7-1 Minatomirai,Nishi-ku,Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan 220-0012

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Our Core Values

At Makana Partners, we believe that talent and opportunity are universal gifts.

Our mission is to connect these gifts through exceptional service built on trust and integrity.

 We prioritize long-term relationships and aim to add value at every step of the recruitment journey.

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May 28, 2025
日本の製薬業界におけるエグゼクティブ人材市場と産業動向の概要 Overview of Japan’s Pharma Executive Talent Market and Industry Trends 1. 日本の製薬業界におけるエグゼクティブ採用の最近の傾向 Recent Trends in Executive Hiring in Japan’s Pharmaceutical Industry 日本の製薬業界では、景気変動の影響を受けにくい特性から、エグゼクティブ人材の採用ニーズが増加傾向にあります。国内外の企業において、マーケティングやMedical Science Liaison(MSL)などの本社機能に特化したポジションでの採用が活発化しています。また、デジタル化とオムニチャネル戦略の進展に伴い、データ分析やデジタル関連職種の求人も増加しています。 加えて、コンサルティングファームやIT企業出身者といった異業界からの登用も顕著です。オンライン面接の普及により、地理的制約を超えた人材アクセスが可能となり、AI技術を活用した採用プロセスの効率化も進んでいます。企業は「エンプロイヤー・ブランディング」に注力し、多様性の推進を背景に、女性や外国人エグゼクティブの登用が加速しています。 The pharmaceutical sector in Japan has shown resilience against economic headwinds, with a notable rise in executive hiring. Specialized positions in marketing and MSL are in high demand, and digital transformation is fueling recruitment in data and tech roles. Companies are increasingly drawing talent from consulting and IT industries. Virtual interviews and AI-driven screening have broadened candidate pools and enhanced recruitment efficiency. Emphasis on employer branding and leadership diversity—especially the inclusion of women and international professionals—is reshaping executive hiring strategies. 2. エグゼクティブ職の給与動向と報酬パッケージ Salary Trends and Compensation Packages for Executive Roles 近年、日本の上場企業における役員報酬は上昇傾向にあり、成果連動型報酬や株式報酬の割合が増加しています。2023年度には、年収1億円を超える役員が1,120人となり、報酬開示企業も509社と過去最多を記録しました。特にCEO報酬の2/3が変動報酬というケースもあり、欧米型報酬制度が定着しつつあります。例えば、武田薬品のCEOの報酬は20億円を超える例もあります。また、物価上昇や政府の賃上げ推進により、一般従業員の給与も上昇しています。 Compensation for executives is trending upward, with performance-based and stock-linked pay gaining prominence. In FY2023, 1,120 executives earned more than ¥100 million, with 509 companies disclosing such information. CEO compensation in global firms can be especially high—Takeda’s CEO, for instance, received over ¥2 billion. Broader wage inflation and government initiatives are also lifting salaries for general employees. 3. 必要とされるスキルと顕著なスキル不足 In-Demand Skills and Notable Skill Shortages 製薬業界には高い専門性を持つ人材が多数存在する一方で、特に外資系企業においては、英語での発信力や自己主張力が不足しているケースが多く見られます。そのため、バイリンガルで異文化適応力を持つリーダー層への需要が高まっています。 薬事分野では、国際経験と英語力の両方を兼ね備えた人材が不足しており、育成型採用が進められています。さらに、デジタルスキルや戦略構築能力を備えた人材も希少で、メディカルアフェアーズにおいては実務経験と幅広い視野を持つプロフェッショナルが求められています。 While the industry boasts a technically proficient workforce, there remains a shortfall in business communication skills—particularly English fluency and assertiveness in multinational settings. Consequently, there’s strong demand for bilingual, culturally adaptive leaders. Regulatory roles suffer from a lack of internationally experienced candidates. Additionally, digital skills and cross-functional strategy expertise are scarce, especially in Medical Affairs, where broad, interdisciplinary experience is essential. 4. エグゼクティブ人材に関する研修・教育の動向 Key Developments in Training and Education for Executive-Level Pharma Talent 企業はエグゼクティブ人材の育成を戦略的に進めており、リーダーシップ研修やグローバル人材開発プログラムを導入しています。部門間のローテーションやMBA留学支援などにより、多様な経験を提供しています。加えて、階層別研修やメンター制度の導入も進んでおり、実務経験を通じてリーダーシップを育む機会が増加しています。 特に、異文化間でのコミュニケーション能力向上に向けたプログラムや、国際プロジェクトへの参加による実践型研修が重視されています。 Pharma companies are increasingly focused on cultivating future leaders through structured training programs. These include rotational assignments, MBA sponsorships, and tiered leadership development initiatives. Cultural competency and communication enhancement are key themes. International projects and mentoring frameworks are being leveraged to provide real-world leadership exposure and global readiness. 5. 日本の製薬市場の発展動向(国内企業および外資系企業) Market Development Trends in Japan’s Pharmaceutical Industry – Domestic and Foreign Players 日本は世界第3位の製薬市場であり、2022年の市場規模は約1,060億ドル、2026年には1,180億ドルに達すると予測されています。政府は薬価制度の見直しとイノベーション促進に注力しており、スタートアップ支援や創薬に関する5カ年計画も進行中です。 国内企業は、バイオ医薬品、再生医療、デジタルヘルスといった先端分野への投資を拡大しています。外資系企業も新薬の導入や共同研究を強化しており、国内外企業間の競争と協業が並行して進行しています。 Japan’s pharmaceutical market remains vital, valued at approximately $106 billion in 2022 and expected to grow to $118 billion by 2026. Policy shifts favoring innovation, startup support, and streamlined drug development are underway. Domestic firms are investing in biologics, regenerative medicine, and digital health, while global players are increasing new drug launches and partnerships. The environment is one of both competitive and cooperative engagement. 6. 2026年の人材および市場の展望 Predictions for the Talent and Market Landscape in 2026 今後、エグゼクティブ人材を巡る競争はさらに激化すると予想されます。英語力とデジタルリテラシーを備えた次世代リーダーへの需要が高まる中、異業種や海外からの人材登用が進む見通しです。 報酬面では、成果連動型報酬のさらなる普及が見込まれ、年収1億円を超えるエグゼクティブの数も増加すると予測されます。また、ダイバーシティの進展により、女性や外国人幹部の比率が増えるでしょう。 医薬品市場は引き続き堅調な成長を遂げ、革新的な医薬品や創薬支援策を通じて、日本発のグローバルイノベーションが加速する可能性があります。 By 2026, executive hiring will become even more competitive. Strong English communication and digital expertise will be key differentiators. Cross-industry and international talent mobility will increase. Compensation packages will skew further toward performance-based models, and leadership diversity—both gender and international—will expand. The pharma market will grow steadily, and innovation fostered by startups and supportive policy will begin yielding significant results. 結論 Conclusion 日本の製薬業界は、高齢化社会による医療需要の拡大、政策的なイノベーション推進、そしてグローバル化の進展により、大きな変革期を迎えています。これに伴い、エグゼクティブ人材市場にも質的・量的な変化が求められています。バイリンガルでデジタルスキルを備えた多様性のあるリーダー人材が一層重要となり、異業種・国際市場からの人材登用や内部育成の両面で戦略的な人材マネジメントが必要とされています。 報酬制度も成果主義にシフトし、グローバル基準を取り入れた構造へと変化を遂げつつあります。企業は、優秀な人材を確保し持続的な成長を実現するために、柔軟性と革新性のある人事戦略を構築することが不可欠です。 Japan’s pharmaceutical industry is undergoing a pivotal transformation driven by demographic shifts, pro-innovation policies, and increasing globalization. As a result, the executive talent market is evolving in both scope and expectations. The demand for bilingual, digitally fluent, and diverse leaders is intensifying, necessitating cross-industry and international hiring alongside robust internal development programs. Compensation structures are increasingly aligning with global standards through performance-linked models. To secure top talent and ensure sustainable growth, companies must craft forward-looking, adaptable human capital strategies that embrace innovation and diversity at the executive level.
By Ka Heng 'Ken' Lok May 27, 2025
We’ve had the pleasure of working with Noah Yamasaki Fish—a driven intern whose creative approach and strategic mindset significantly enhanced our marketing initiatives at Makana Partners. A junior at Connecticut College studying Economics and International Relations, Noah brought not only his academic insights but also a unique cultural perspective, leveraging his native Japanese language skills to strengthen our communication and outreach efforts Read on to discover more about Noah’s journey with us—his contributions, the challenges he overcame, and the lessons he learned along the way. We are excited to share his story and look forward to seeing where his promising career takes him next! Please introduce yourself, including your academic background and future plans. Additionally, what motivated you to choose Makana Partners for your internship? Hi, my name is Noah Yamasaki Fish. I am currently a junior studying Economics and International Relations at Connecticut College. At college I am a member of the men’s varsity squash team and the presidents of the East Asian Studies Student Advisory Board and Club Baseball team. I was motivated to choose Makana Partners for my internship because I was looking for a job where I can utilize my native Japanese language skills as well as communication skills. Executive search seemed like a profession where communication was extremely important, and as Makana Partners is based in Yokohama, my Japanese language and culture skills could be utilized. Could you describe your role and responsibilities at Makana Partners? How did you apply your academic knowledge to the tasks you were assigned? My main role and responsibility was marketing. My goal was to increase engagement on all of our social media platforms. I used knowledge that I had learned from previous experiences managing social media accounts for many of my activities at school, such as managing the East Asian studies and club baseball social media accounts. What did you enjoy most about managing our social media platforms (X, Instagram, Facebook), and why? I enjoyed seeing our engagement on our social media grow. Compared to when I first started, the amount of engagement on our social media platforms as a whole has grown significantly. Being able to quantitatively see the strategy that was being implemented was very rewarding. Which social media strategy or campaign did you feel had the biggest impact, and what made it successful? I believe that the change in the job post templates had the biggest impact on our social media. The weekly job posts are highly relevant to many people viewing the Makana Partners` linkedin page, so making sure that they had a clean look was very important. How did you go about creating growth plans for our marketing efforts, and what challenges did you face? The main way that I created growth plans for marketing efforts is by doing research on what other relevant firms are doing. Based on my research, an important part of growing a social media page is consistent uploads. This was hugely successful for our Linkedin page. However, for our social media pages that are less developed (Instagram, Facebook, X) different strategies had to be implemented. I noticed that the more that I engaged with other firms using those social media platforms the more traction that I received back through them. In your view, what could be improved in our social media strategy to boost engagement and growth? In my opinion, I believe that creating a social media that is more personable would create more engagement. For example, many of our current posts are job posts and other very industry specific postings. Recently, we uploaded Instagram reels and Youtube shorts from the Makana Podcasts. Some of these posts took off fairly quickly, and I believe that it is partially because it was a change in the normal content that is uploaded and has much more dialogue and human interaction within it. I believe that there is a lot of potential growth that can be made by continuing to make this type of content. How did working on podcast editing complement your social media work and overall understanding of our brand? Working on podcast editing complemented my social media work. I was able to work on my video editing skills and research how other people were creating their podcasts. It seems as though many people are starting to hop on the trend of creating podcasts and being able to do research on that definitely helped me with ideas for social media. Listening to some of the podcasts also helped me understand how industry leaders think and act. Can you share an example of a research project you supported and what insights it provided for our marketing? An example of a research project that I supported was the publishing of the second edition of Makana 2.0! Prior to publishing, I did research on how we will build traction and hype around the magazine. After publishing, I analyzed many of the analytics on our social media platforms to see how it performed. This provided me with a lot of insight for future marketing projects and where I should focus my efforts. Looking back at your overall experience, what advice would you offer to future interns handling social media and marketing projects? Looking back at my experience, one piece of advice I would give to future interns handling social media and marketing projects is to track metrics meticulously. When I first started, I was still learning how to use all the functions of a business’s social media platforms. Of course, there is a learning curve, but I am now able to use the majority of these functionalities. If I had been able to utilize more of the available tools earlier, I believe it might have changed the way I approached certain marketing projects. I definitely learned a lot from having this hands-on experience and looking forward to using the skills I gained in the future.
May 27, 2025
Over the past six weeks, from January to February, we had the pleasure of working with Sage—a talented intern who significantly boosted our marketing and content efforts at Makana Partners. Whether sourcing on Loxo, creating engaging social media content, or editing podcasts, she consistently demonstrated creativity and innovation. In this exclusive video interview, joined by our managing director, Yan Sen Lu, Sage reflects on her enriching experience and the collaborative culture she encountered in Japan. Yan Sen: All right, Sage, thank you very much for joining Makana Partners on your internship. This is the end of your six weeks. Sage: Thank you for having me. Yan Sen: Oh, it happened so quickly. How was your experience? Sage: It was great. I was really excited coming into it, and I was excited to partner with an executive search firm. I also really enjoyed doing more marketing work and seeing that side of things. Overall, I had a great time. Yan Sen: How was working in Japan different from working in the US? Sage: It’s a little different. I don’t know if I got the full experience because we were in a WeWork building. But one thing that stood out is how collaborative people are here compared to my previous internships back home. Also, things feel more organized here—like public transit, especially compared to New York City. Yan Sen: If you’re seeing this on YouTube or LinkedIn, a lot of the content is thanks to Ken working behind the scenes. What role or responsibility did you enjoy the most? Sage: I enjoyed sourcing on Loxo—it’s like solving a puzzle, trying to find the perfect candidate. I also liked working on social media content and getting creative with tools like iMovie and Photoshop. Learning more about AI and editing podcasts was another highlight for me. Yan Sen: That’s great. I know you spent a lot of time on the podcasts. Now, your internship was cut short—anything you wish you could have done more of? Sage: Maybe more sourcing, but honestly, I really enjoyed the marketing side and working on the podcasts. Rewatching and re-listening to the guests’ insights was very rewarding. Ken: Thanks for everything, Sage. You helped us grow in both marketing and other areas at Makana Partners. How did you manage balancing all the tasks we gave you—content creation, sourcing, and video editing? Sage: I focused on prioritizing tasks—if something needed to be posted on a specific day, that came first. I also preferred to complete one task before moving on to another, especially for bigger assignments like podcast editing. That way, nothing felt overwhelming. Ken: That’s a good approach. Yan Sen: Between us, you’re probably our best intern so far. Sage: Thank you! Yan Sen: We were impressed by your speed and quality of work. It’s just a shame the internship was short. Sage: Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you for the opportunity.
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