How can our Japanese culture inspire a modern digital legacy?

More than 240 years ago, Takeda's legacy began in a humble Japanese shop where our founder, Chobei I, sold traditional herbal medicines. Today, as science and technology rapidly converge, we have a unique opportunity to integrate these forces seamlessly and deliver exceptional treatments to patients worldwide. As we progress our digital transformation, we aim to create the best customer experience and an exceptional working environment, drawing inspiration from the Japanese design principles that define our global headquarters in Tokyo.

The physical space of our headquarters embodies Japanese aesthetics, with minimalist principles, natural elements, neutral colors...a focus on calm.

When I’m there, the weight of our long history and heritage is palpable. Traditional Japanese Kanji characters adorning the walls and carpets surround colleagues as they move from floor to floor and room to room. Each character has a distinct meaning, such as life (生), water (水), light (光), earth (土), trees (木), people (人), connections (絆), and future (未来). These characters tell the story of life's flow, from birth and growth to the relationships that shape our future.

Incorporating Japanese aesthetics into our digital legacy design offers a unique and inspiring approach. By embracing minimalism, natural materials, neutral colors, and calmness, we create a digital landscape that empowers our people and enhances patient experiences. By embracing the principles of minimalism - like simplicity, elegance, and lean design - and clean and uncluttered digital environments, we can create better experiences and intuitive and pleasing digital products that improve the way our people work and enhance interactions with patients and healthcare providers.

So, it’s no surprise that where our more than 240-year legacy began is also where we are first creating new spaces that empower our people to be digital leaders. With a goal to inspire curiosity, creativity, and innovation, we’ve introduced Experience Design (XD) Labs – newly designed spaces where collaborative experiences take precedence over traditional meetings. The XD Labs include a Tech Bar, Demo Zone, Collaboration Studio, Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR) immersion, and a multi-functional and interactive workshop space. Within the XD Labs, we use human-centered methodologies, including design thinking, and work cross-functionally, bringing together the best minds to uncover breakthroughs for patients. The design-driven physical environment, nurtured by service designers who often moderate team sessions, changes the way teams work together. We strive to amplify a culture of empathy, prototyping, and iterative testing. By offering a place where we can break down silos and strengthen connections between functions and teams, XD Labs creates a place where teams and groups of people come together to solve complex challenges in fun and innovative ways. The Labs are dedicated to?accelerating innovation and supporting our people and the environment plays a crucial role in how our teams connect – a place they will return to over and over. ?

We are dedicated to creating welcoming and organic spaces that foster innovation and encourage the generation of new ideas. By incorporating Japanese design principles and embracing our culture of curiosity, we empower our employees to unleash their creativity, make meaningful contributions to society, and maintain a sustainable business strategy. By adopting minimalist principles and drawing inspiration from Japanese design, we leverage our rich heritage to drive Takeda's continuous evolution in meeting the ever-changing global healthcare needs. And by harnessing the power of data and digital technologies, we strive to transform Takeda into one of the most trusted, science-driven, digital biopharmaceutical companies

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