# Harry Hill — Former CEO, Shop Japan

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/japan-s-top-business-interviews-podcast-by-dale-carnegie-training-tokyo-japan-294627/harry-hill-former-ceo-shop-japan.md
Podcast: [Japan's Top Business Interviews Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan](https://stenobird.com/podcast/japan-s-top-business-interviews-podcast-by-dale-carnegie-training-tokyo-japan-294627)
Published: 2026-02-13T22:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://japanstopbusinessinterviews.libsyn.com/harry-hill-former-ceo-shop-japan
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/japanstopbusinessinterviews/Harry_Hill_Ex-CEO_Of_Shop_Japan_-_66__20_16.09.m4a?dest-id=2099903
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Duration seconds: 3435

## Resource

"Everybody having a shared sense of purpose and shared values… is just absolutely imperative." "I trust you, and I start from the perspective of trust." "I would always caution Western leaders… to not just fill up empty space." "Getting buy-in from a Japanese team is really hard. But… once you get buy in… you absolutely over-perform." "Identify who are the biggest obstacles… and move them immediately and publicly." Harry Hill is an American entrepreneur whose career in Japan began by chance and grew into one of the country's most recognised direct marketing success stories. His connection to Japan started in college after discovering Shorinji Kempo, which sparked an interest in Japanese culture and language. After studying Japanese for two years, he moved to Japan and worked as an English teacher, including a posting in Gifu Prefecture. A major turning point came when he worked as an international coordinator for a regional expo, building relationships with businesses across Gifu, Nagoya, and the wider Chubu region. After a short stint in New York as a bond trader, Hill returned to Japan in 1990 and began building businesses by spotting "holes in the market," including work as a sports agent and grassroots exchange initiatives. In Nagoya, he co-founded a relocation and real estate services company for multinationals. His most significant chapter came with Oaklawn Marketing and Shop Japan, where he spent around two decades shaping Japan's TV shopping and direct marketing landscape. Under his leadership, the business grew dramatically—expanding from roughly 15 billion yen to nearly 70 billion yen in annual sales, with around 1,000 employees. In 2009, NTT DoCoMo acquired 51% of the business, placing Hill in the rare position of leading a high-growth company inside a large…

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