JAPAN, Tokyo – 18 December 2025 - NAVEX, a global leader in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) software headquartered in Oregon, USA, held its “NAVEX Japan Market Entry and Office Opening Press Conference” in Tokyo on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
At the event, CEO, Andrew Bates, Executive Vice President & Managing Director of International, Yuval Grauer, and NAVEX Japan Country Manager, Naoaki Mitsuya, took the stage to explain the background behind the company’s full-scale entry into the Japanese market and present their perspectives on future developments.
The event also welcomed guest speaker Takeshi Yoshida, Partner at Baker ＆ McKenzie, who provided insights into how whistleblowing systems and grievance-handling mechanisms intersect in practice, along with key considerations arising from recent regulatory developments. By combining NAVEX’s global expertise with perspectives from a legal specialist, the session offered participants a deeper understanding of the current issues surrounding GRC practice in Japanese organizations.
At the opening of the event, CEO, Andrew Bates, took the stage and expressed his strong commitment to deepening NAVEX’s presence in Japan, including the opening of its Tokyo office. “Across the world, expectations for corporate governance and accountability are becoming increasingly sophisticated year by year. In Japan as well, the importance of compliance continues to grow, driven by developments such as stronger whistleblowing systems. There are many areas where NAVEX’s global experience can be of real value,” he noted.
Bates also touched on the need to advance GRC in the age of AI, stating, “We aim to support Japanese organizations in building a foundation that enables continuous and effective risk management.” Bates emphasized NAVEX’s long-term commitment to Japan, noting that the company aims to deliver global best practices with local precision and build enduring partnerships with Japanese organizations.
Following this, Yuval Grauer, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of International, introduced an overview of NAVEX Japan. He highlighted that Japanese companies face increasingly complex regulatory requirements—including the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, and the Corporate Governance Code—while also needing to maintain psychological safety in the workplace.
Centered on NAVEX One, the company’s GRC platform provides integrated support for whistleblowing management, policy management, training, third-party risk, conflicts of interest, and AI-driven risk analytics. NAVEX is strengthening its local capabilities by combining global best practices with approaches tailored to Japan’s corporate culture and regulatory environment, while also expanding its Japanese-language support. He added that NAVEX continues to invest in a fully Japanese-language customer experience across support, implementation, services, and customer success. Grauer noted that “Opening our Japan office is an important step toward providing services that are even more closely aligned with the needs of our customers in Japan,” underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to the market.
Naoaki Mitsuya, Country Manager of NAVEX Japan, then shared insights into the current state of GRC operations within Japanese organizations. He noted that as companies work to comply with diverse regulations and guidelines while maintaining business continuity, there is a growing need for transparency and well-structured processes. He highlighted challenges such as delayed progress in AI governance and third-party risk evaluation, limited adoption of speak-up culture, and fragmented, siloed risk-management systems across many organizations.
In areas such as whistleblowing systems, key considerations include standardizing investigation procedures, managing evidence appropriately, and clarifying roles and responsibilities across the organization. He also emphasized the importance of integrated risk management, privacy-by-design approaches, and the use of benchmark data to drive continuous improvement.
Mitsuya commented, “By combining NAVEX’s global expertise with a deep understanding of Japanese corporate practices, we aim to support organizations in implementing GRC operations that are truly grounded in day-to-day realities.”
Takeshi Yoshida, Partner at Baker & McKenzie, delivered a presentation on internal whistleblowing systems and grievance mechanisms, explaining how companies are currently expected to respond to reports in light of both domestic and international regulatory environments. He outlined the evolution of Japan’s internal whistleblowing framework, which has been strengthened through years of responding to corporate misconduct, as well as the global trend toward expanding human rights due diligence regulations. He emphasized that the ongoing enhancement of whistleblowing systems remains a continuous challenge for companies.
As part of efforts to strengthen these systems, he also highlighted the importance of IT system management in supporting the handling of reports, a point that drew significant interest from attendees.
NAVEX has now officially commenced operations in the Japanese market and plans to progressively expand its support framework for Japanese companies. Going forward, NAVEX will continue to prioritize collaboration with partner organizations and support GRC operations that are closely aligned with on-the-ground business practices, helping companies foster sustainable compliance cultures. In addition, NAVEX plans to support Japanese companies in their international expansion by leveraging the global expertise it has cultivated and its capabilities in addressing regulatory requirements across different countries and markets.
About NAVEX
Trusted by 13,000 organizations, including 75 percent of Fortune 100 and 500 companies, NAVEX is the global leader in risk and compliance solutions. Its NAVEX One platform strengthens risk and compliance programs, empowering organizations with unparalleled industry benchmark data and insights. NAVEX One provides a 360-degree view of enterprise, third party and ecosystem risk for enhanced regulatory compliance and proactive risk management. Based in Lake Oswego, OR, with a global presence, NAVEX continues to shape the future of governance, risk and compliance. Visit our blog or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.