Vice-President, Executive Dean, Assistant to the Trustees
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Professor Kenji Yokoyama, Ph.D. is Vice-President and Executive Dean of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) and a former dean of the APU School of Management. He started working for APU in the year 2000. His career as a college educator began in 1983 after spending 3 years as a journalist.
He is a board member of three academies, President elect of AAPBS (Association of Asia Pacific Business Schools), and a member of the Japanese Universities Accreditation Association's (JUAA) Business School Division.
He has served in several upper management positions at APU, such as Secretary General for the Ritsumeikan Center for Asia Pacific Studies (RCAPS), Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dean of Admissions, Dean of Student Affairs, Dean of the APU School of Management, and Pro-Vice President before assuming his present position. His research interests include institutional studies of export/import transactions. Professor Yokoyama has published 15 books and 63 academic papers as of 2017, earning accolades for his work including three academic prizes from internationally recognized organizations.
Education
Bachelor (Economics), Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
PhD (Business Administration), Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
Experience
1993 Associate Professor, Kyushu International University
2000 Professor, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Secretary General, Research Center of Asia Pacific Studies
2001 Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
2005 Dean, Admissions
2008 Dean, Student Affairs
2009 Dean, College of International Management & Graduate School of Management
2015 Pro Vice-President
2016 Vice-President
Other Positions and Associations
Director of the Board, Japan Society of Foreign Trade and Business
Executive Director of the Board, International Business Communication Association
Director of the Board, International Trade Association
President Elect, AAPBS (Association of Asia Pacific Business Schools)
Advisory Board Member, AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)
Areas of Expertise
Professor Yokoyama has drawn on his experience as a higher education administrator, advising and mentoring management at multiple business schools across the world on a variety of subjects, including international accreditation procedures. His academic area of study is export/import transactions, utilizing a methodology of institutional analysis.
In additional to his professional and academic experience, Professor Yokoyama invests time and effort in global human resource education and management of business/management schools. He has been very active in the field of global HR education, being a key member of many committees and research institutes organized by public and private organizations.
What have been the main lessons you have learned in your career and how do you implement them in your management?
As an executive who has managed a diverse multicultural faculty and an equally diverse student body, there are two things I have found essential: First, do not jump to conclusions. Second, you can gradually gather a consensus as the situation improves.
Mentors
Mr. Ryuji Konishi, a former executive board member of The Japan Long-Term Credit Bank, encouraged me to make my debut in the international community of business/management schools. Ever since then, Mr. Konishi has always encouraged me to be internationally proactive. I did not fly for many years because I had claustrophobia; I never could have imagined that I would be able to fly one day. However, Mr. Konishi pushed aggressively for me to face my fears, to which I owe him thanks.
Quotes
"If you feel depressed, you are living in the past. If you feel anxious, you are living in the future. If you feel at peace, you are living in the present."
– Junia Bretas
"Fortune and misfortune are intertwined like the strands of a rope."
– Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)
