Professor, Dr. Hajime Ushimaru
Graduate School of Business Administration (GSBA)
Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan

Title:  Toward an AI-Driven Management Science in Japan: Current Status and Research Potential

In recent years, leading Japanese companies have rapidly expanded their application of artificial intelligence (AI) across a broad spectrum of domains, including business process automation, people analytics in human resource management, customer behavior analysis and personalization in marketing, as well as planning and content creation support using generative AI. While small and medium-sized enterprises have generally lagged in adoption, several startups have positioned generative AI as the core of their business models.

In contrast, the use of AI in academic research within the field of business administration remains limited in Japan. This is largely due to challenges such as insufficient technical expertise, the complexity of processing unstructured data (e.g., text and images), and restricted access to proprietary corporate datasets. Furthermore, much of the existing literature focuses on the implications of AI for business management, rather than leveraging AI as a methodological tool in empirical research.

Against this backdrop, this presentation introduces the first in a series of empirical studies by Ushimaru, employing the BERT natural language processing model. The study investigates how management control systems (MCS) influence the formation of an inclusive climate, an essential factor in effective diversity management. Using corporate diversity-related documents from 284 companies recognized for their diversity initiatives, BERT was used to extract and quantify semantic variables. Subsequent analyses, including ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression, revealed that while Japanese firms tend to emphasize boundary systems within their MCS, such systems negatively impact inclusive climate. In contrast, beliefs and interactive control systems were found to have a positive effect.

Although the integration of AI in corporate practice continues to advance, its incorporation into management studies remains underdeveloped. Nevertheless, recent shifts—such as the inclusion of AI and data science in management education curricula, and policy initiatives from the Science Council of Japan and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology—suggest that AI-driven research in the field of management will likely expand in the coming years.