Tohru Yoshioka-Kobayashi

Profile

Dr. Tohru Yoshioka-Kobayashi is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Innovation Research and Graduate School of Business Administration at Hitotsubashi University.

He studies a wide range of topics in innovation management, linking management and legal perspectives. He has published research articles on innovation policy, higher education policy, and intellectual property management in global academic journals, including the Journal of Business Research, Studies in Higher Education, Scientometrics, and Science, Technology, and Society. His research topics cover industrial design innovation management, academic research management, technology strategy, and career development of doctoral graduates.

He received an L.L.M. from Osaka University, Japan, in 2007 and a Doctor of Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2015. He worked as a policy analyst in innovation and intellectual property policy for one of the largest private think-tanks in Japan. Prior to joining Hitotsubashi University, he worked for the University of Tokyo as a Project Research Associate. He also has contributed to academic societies as a board member and to the government as a visiting scholar.

ORCID: 0000-0003-4393-3989

CV

Work experience (Full-time positions)

Bold Italic indicates current positions

2007.4-2012.12. Researcher/Policy Analyst, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan)
2014.4-2015.9. JSPS Research Fellow DC2, the University of Tokyo (Japan)
2016.10-2019.3 Project Research Associate, Department of Technology Management for Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. (Japan)
2019.4-2024.3 Assistant Professor, Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo, Japan)
2019.4-2024.3 Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo, Japan)
2024.4- Associate Professor, Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo, Japan)
2024.4- Associate Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo, Japan)

Work experience (Part-time positions)

Bold Italic indicates ongoing positions

2009.8-2012.12. Project Researcher, Todai Policy Alternative Institute, the University of Tokyo (Japan)
2013.7.-2014.3. Project Research Assistant, Todai Policy Alternative Institute, the University of Tokyo (Japan)
2015.9-2016.9 Adjunct Assistant Professor, Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo, Japan)
2015.11-2016.9 Adjunct Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo (Japan)
2017.4-2019.3 Adjunct Assistant Professor, Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo, Japan)
2018.6-2025.8 Part-time Lecturer, Waseda Business School (Graduate School of Business Administration), Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan)
2021.9-2025.3 Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Global Informatics, Chuo University (Tokyo, Japan)
2021.9-2024.3. Senior Fellow, The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research (Tokyo, Japan)

Academic visiting positions

Bold Italic indicates ongoing positions

2017.5-2019.3 / 2021.9- Visiting Researcher, National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) (Tokyo, Japan)
2019.4-2025.3 Visiting Researcher, Institute for Future Initiatives, the University of Tokyo (Japan)
2020.7-2021.3 Visiting Associate Professor, Institute of Advanced Science, Yokohama National University (Kanagawa, Japan)
2025.4- Visiting Associate Professor, Institute of Multidisciplinary Science, Yokohama National University (Kanagawa, Japan)
2025.4- Visiting Associate Researcher, National Diet Library (Tokyo, Japan)
2025.10.15 - 2025.12.23 University Guest (Academic) in the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, the University of Melbourne (Melbourne, Australia)

Education

2005: B.A., Faculty of Law, Osaka University (Japan)
2007: L.L.M, Graduate School of Law, Osaka University (Japan)
2015: Doctor of Engineering, Department of Technology Management for Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo (Japan)
- Supervisor: Prof. Toshiya Watanabe

Service

2025.6- Auditor, Intellectual Property Association of Japan
2025.10- Councilor, Academic Association for Organizational Science (Japan)
2024.10 - 2025.9 Secretary, International Committee, Academic Association for Organizational Science (Japan)
2019.4- Editor, Hitotsubashi Business Review
2017.10- Editor, Japan Society for Research Policy and Innovation Management
2016.10 - 2021.9 General Secretary, Japan Society for Research Policy and Innovation Management

Teaching (in English)

Case Study (Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy)
- Department of Technology Management for Innovation & Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo
- Co-lecturer
- 2017-2019 Autumn & Winter
- Group exercise of evidence-making in science, technology, and innovation policy
- For graduate students
International Intellectual Property Management
- Department of Technology Management for Innovation, The University of Tokyo
- Guest lecturer
- 2013 & 2014 Autumn & Winter (introduction of IP management study), 2016-2021 Autumn & Winter (industrial design & trademark protection)
- Lecture in intellectual property management
- For graduate students

Selected Teaching Experience (in Japanese)

Innovation Management
- Faculty of Commerce, Hitotsubashi University
- For undergraduates
- 2019- Spring & Summer
- Systematic lecture on the innovation process and its management
Seminar (Intensive Reading)
- Faculty of Commerce, Hitotsubashi University
- For undergraduates
- 2019-2024
- Intensive discussion on innovator management and design management
Knowledge Management
- Exercise of social network analysis
- Dept. of Technology Management for Innovation, The University of Tokyo
- For graduate students
- 2018 Spring & Summer
Quantitative Research for Innovation Management Research
- Exercise in econometrics
- Waseda Business School
- For graduate students
- 2018 Summer, 2019 Autumn, 2020- Summer

Contributions to the academic society

Editor, The Journal of Science Policy and Research Management (Japan Society for Research Policy and Innovation Management) (2016.4.-)
Secretary General, Japan Society for Research Policy and Innovation Management. (2016.11.-2021.9.)
Reviewer: Research Policy, Technology in Society, Trends in Food and Society, British Food Journal

Languages and skills

Native: Japanese
Fluent: Stata
Good: English, R, VBA
Beginner: Mandarin, French, Python

*Italic indicates a computer language

Fun facts

Long-time Apple funboy
- Color Classic II (1995) -> Power Macintosh 6400 (1997) -> G4 Cube (2001) -> Macbook Pro (2009) -> Macbook Air (2013) -> Macbook Air (2015) -> Macbook Air (2019) -> Macbook Pro (2021) -> Macbook Pro (2025)
Visited six major regions in the world (except Antarctica)
A participant in the International Youth Village 2002 in Yoyogi and Fuji (alumni, please contact me!)

Work-in-progress papers

[Innovation Policy] Policy transfer and tradeoff between learning and strategic differentiation
- Work-in-progress
[Science Policy] Job satisfaction of PhD graduates from Japanese universities
- Published discussion paper
- Preparing for submission
[Science Policy] Academic outputs of industry experienced PhD graduates (w/Prof. Shibayama)
- Published discussion paper
- Presented at APIC 2022
- Preparing for submission
[Technology Transfer | Science Policy | Higher Education] Public perceptions of university-industry collaborations
- Presented at T2S conference
- Preparing for submission
[Technology Management] Industrial designers' invention
- Further interview survey for revision
[Marketing | Innovation] Design convergence and technology innovation (w/Mr. Kataoka, Prof. Akiike)
- Presented at 4D conference
- Preparing for submission
[Higher Education | Science Policy] Adoption of research administrators in universities (w/Prof. Takahashi)
- Doing an interview survey
[Technology Management | Business Strategy] Standard essential patents and bargaining power (w/Prof. Shiu, Prof. Yasumoto)
- Presented at SMS Conference
- Further theoretical & empirical analysis are needed
[Technology Management] Contracts and technological knowledge absorption (w/Prof. Yasumoto)
- Preparing for a research

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