While the mayor of Izumo, Japan, Tetsundo Iwakuni, a former investment banker for Merrill Lynch, was named the most popular mayor in Japan. Living abroad (England, France and the U.S.) as an investment banker, Iwakuni left his corporate career to pursue public service. After a productive stint as mayor of Izumo, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Tokyo. This case describes his personal life and career, and ends with his election to the Japanese Diet (parliament) from the Tokyo area. The case provides students the opportunity to explore leadership style, career management and international frameworks for the Japanese point of view. Education information is available only to registered faculty, along with video interviews with Testundo Iwakuni to improve learning. "Hide
by James G. Clawson, Maki DePalo Source: Darden School of Business 21 pages. Publication Date: April 1, 1997. Prod. #: UV3135-PDF-ENG