Incumbent Takafumi Minaguchi is stepping down in April 2025 after more than a decade in the post and will pass the baton to ‘next generation leader’ Hisae Morii
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Hisae Morii (pictured) joined Starbucks Coffee Japan as Chief Marketing Officer in August 2018 | Photo credit: Starbucks Coffee Japan
Starbucks Coffee Japan has promoted its Chief Retail and Marketing Officer, Hisae Morii, to CEO, effective 1 April 2025.
The appointment marks the first time a female CEO has led Starbucks’ licensed business in Japan, with Morii succeeding
incumbent Takafumi Minaguchi, who has held the position since September 2014.
“With the milestone of 2,000 stores now in sight, and the 30th anniversary of our founding coming up next year, we have decided to entrust the next CEO to CRMO Morii, with the belief that passing the baton to a next generation leader who can feel the current times will evolve Starbucks into an even more attractive brand in Japan,” Mizuguchi wrote in a company statement.
Morii joined Starbucks Coffee Japan as Chief Marketing Officer in August 2018 before being promoted to her current position in October 2023. She previously held senior marketing roles at consumer-packaged goods giant Unilever, including Brand Manager, Vice President of Marketing for its Thai business and Marketing Director of the group’s Japan division.
“I deeply respect the journey that CEO Mizuguchi and past Starbucks partners have made, and I hope to inherit their thoughts and build a new future together with our customers, partners, and the local community,” she added.
Starbucks opened its first store outside of North America in Japan in August 1996 and today the East Asian country is its fourth largest market by outlets after the US, China and South Korea.
In February 2025, Starbucks Coffee Japan reached 2,000 stores with an outlet in the upmarket Ginza district of Tokyo.
Starbucks is the largest operator in Japan’s branded coffee shop market ahead of Doutor Coffee Shop and Komeda’s Coffee, which operate approximately 1,000 stores each. Starbucks Coffee Japan is seeking to open 100 net new outlets annually and will undertake a store renovation programme this year to ensure sites are ‘deeply rooted in the communities they serve’.