Data Research Institute Inc. (DRI) centers its work on advancing data management and formulating organizational strategy, offering support that transforms the very “way of being” of an organization. Rather than stopping at tool implementation, the company places its proprietary “data modeling” technology at its core, supporting the DX advancement of Japan’s leading companies from the foundations of their organizations.
We interviewed Yoichi Ito, Director of DRI and a long-standing contributor to talent development. He shared in detail about the impact of “data modeling” that struck him during his engineer days, and the grand vision of “industry standardization” that he now aims to drive from the private sector.
Yoichi Ito
Has been in the IT industry since 2002, gaining experience across the full spectrum of information system planning, development, maintenance, and operations. Over approximately 20 years of supporting numerous projects, he came face to face with the reality that all organizations have fundamental challenges related to “data” — and that those challenges eventually ripple out to become social issues. Convinced that building “the ability to handle data = talent” within companies is indispensable for fundamentally resolving these challenges, he established a talent development school specializing in data management. Over the 40-year history of the company, he has systematized the practical knowledge accumulated and has been involved in the development of over 15,000 individuals through training, workshops, and OJT. Currently applying this experience to focus on organizational design and structure-building support for data governance and data management. Going beyond mere policy design, he supports the establishment of a sustainable data utilization culture as a bridge between the field and management.
What DRI Provides Is Support That Changes the Very “Way of Being” of an Organization
— Could you tell us about the specific current business and project structure?
Our core businesses are advancing data management support and formulating accompanying organizational strategy.
Through data-based process design and policy-building, we aim to transform the very “way of being” of corporate organizations. This kind of consulting accounts for approximately half of all our activities.
The central approach through which that transformation is achieved is “data modeling.”
Data modeling is the practice of organizing the relationships and meanings of data across the entire enterprise — drawing, in a sense, a “map of data.”
Starting from this map, we review the form that data should take for business processes and decision-making, and connect that into the redesign of organizations and processes from a business perspective. Where needed, we also support the development of data infrastructure based on that design.
We are also engaged in educational support to embed data utilization in the field. A distinctive feature is our approach to talent development through practical formats combining workshops and OJT — not just classroom-style training.
In these activities, we appropriately leverage advanced technologies such as AI where applicable, supporting the acquisition of skills grounded in actual practice.
— You handle a broad range. Are there any characteristics in the industries of the clients you support?
Our clients span a wide range — manufacturing, retail, financial institutions, public bodies, and more. In recent years there has been a marked increase in inquiries from divisions close to management, such as DX promotion and corporate planning. Our clients are primarily Japan’s leading companies and industry leaders, which makes the work very rewarding.
— Could you also tell us about the project structure and flow of support?
Including employees and partner companies, our total capacity is over 20 people, and the basic approach is three to four people per project. Project periods are centered around three to six months, during which we put the foundation for system-building and organizational transformation in place.
After that, as consulting support in the operational phase, many cases involve continuous follow-up over one to three years. Through this support, we underpin adoption and practice within the organization.
Furthermore, depending on the client, there are cases where we remain deeply involved in operations themselves and continue supporting over a span of ten years. This could be described as a form of “thin and long” accompanying support.
Going forward, based on the medium-term management plan, we are planning to significantly shift direction from primarily “system-building”-centered support to support that places greater emphasis on the “practice and execution phase” in the field.
— What kinds of departments and roles do your client counterparts tend to be in?
We most often face off with people from departments handling company-wide strategy — such as DX promotion and corporate planning — and in terms of role, division heads and department heads are the center.
As mentioned, our clients are often large organizations such as major enterprises and industry leaders, so we engage primarily with these departments, coordinating with IT system divisions and legal divisions as needed.
Because of the scale of these organizations, I feel that many cases involve challenges in achieving DX that is optimized for the whole rather than just department-level optimization.
— How about the working style?
We have adopted a working style centered on remote work rather than full-time on-site residence at client locations. To value connections among staff, we have set up an office attendance rotation, with employees coming in to the office roughly once every four days. At the start of projects, we visit client sites in person with the goal of building trust relationships, and place importance on face-to-face communication.
Structural Skills — A Lifelong Asset That Even Those Without Experience Can Develop
— I understand you also hire people without consulting experience. What kind of growth environment is available for those aiming to become consultants from zero?
We have internally developed educational content that we also provide to clients, so we invest heavily in education. A further strength is that we have members who are dedicated instructors. After the classroom component, the focus shifts to OJT in the field, learning alongside senior colleagues.
— What types of people thrive at your company?
This might apply to any company, but “autonomous” people tend to thrive most easily. Those who can think for themselves and move proactively. And not people who accept feedback blindly, but those who can engage in dialogue while holding their own views and respecting the other person. That kind of person seems to develop their capabilities quickly even without prior experience.
Altruistic people also thrive. Those who can express their own views while building a relationship where everyone can cheerfully push each other toward goals are very active at our company. I feel that such people become leaders and lead the organization here.
— What skills and experiences do you think working at your company provides?
In a single phrase: “structuring skills.” That is, the ability to interpret the complex phenomena of the world in your own way, assign meaning to them, and organize them.
In the era of AI proliferation, the ability to take a “bird’s-eye view” — rather than dealing with things in a piecemeal way — and think about overall optimization is very highly valued. The ability to develop this kind of broad-view thinking is also a characteristic of our company. This should become a lifelong skill that works not just at DRI, but across every business context.
From Engineer to the Path of Data Management — The Deciding Factor Was “Being Moved”
— Could you tell us about your career background so far?
I worked as a systems engineer for about six or seven years and joined the company in 2008. From my student days I had a strong interest in data analysis — I was researching “weather merchandising,” which analyzes the impact of weather data combined with retail data on sales. So after graduating I wanted to be involved in retail merchandising, and started my career in an engineering role. But once I was actually working as an engineer, a completely different world unfolded — from financial accounting to system maintenance, operations, and development — not the field I had envisioned.
It was at that point that through a certain consultant, I encountered a technology called “conceptual data model” — a technology preserved by a group of engineers that had spun off from the parent company of our firm. It is the most important technology in database design, and I was genuinely moved watching it radically organize complex systems. I became convinced that this technology is the key to changing the architecture of an entire company, and decided to make the move.
— You joined as a consultant. Were there any anxieties about making the transition from engineer to consultant?
It was a challenge in my late twenties, and yes, there were walls. A mindset change was needed — from the “contractor-style thinking” of an engineer to the “consultant-style movement” of proactively leading clients. Particularly since logical dialogue capability and structuring skills are demanded, I worked intensively to catch up by attending a business school and similar activities.
After joining, I began full-scale activities to spread data management from around 2015. From 2020 onward, domestic demand exploded in the context of DX, and I have a strong sense of having walked alongside the changing of the times.
— I understand you have also published a book. Are you actively engaged in outreach and awareness activities?
Yes. Thinking about spreading data management concepts, I have been actively engaged in blogs and free seminars. During the COVID period I was sharing content through YouTube, and through that a publisher approached me — resulting in the publication of a book on data management. In December 2025 I also published an introductory book on “conceptual data modeling.”
The Vision for “Industry Standardization” — Driven from the Private Sector
— Finally, could you tell us about your vision and goals going forward?
My major personal goal is the realization of “data standardization” across Japan’s individual industries. In particular, when supporting manufacturing field operations, I feel that the challenge of skilled worker knowledge transfer, factory-by-factory variation in design standards, and non-standardized supplier data are generating significant economic disadvantages. I very much want to be involved in improving these situations.
— So the current state of the clients you support is just the tip of the iceberg — it is an industry-wide challenge.
Yes. Rather than each company utilizing data based on its own proprietary data formats, common elements across each industry — manufacturing data, equipment data, civil engineering data, and so on — should be standardized beyond the competitor boundaries, to promote the circulation and utilization of data. In the railway industry, for example, if there were a “facility database” that could be shared across companies, organizations would be able to focus on more creative work. Like the “co-creation platforms” that electrical manufacturers are leading the way in building — where competitors coexist — I want to make that kind of competitor-yet-coexistent relationship possible in the data domain as well.
Rather than leaving this to the government, throwing this first stone from the private sector — that is a challenge I want to advance together with new colleagues who join us.
【Post-Interview Note】
In this interview I spoke with DRI Director Ito. Having started on the engineering path with the thought of “gaining a marketable skill” during the employment ice age, Director Ito went through the struggles of the field before opening his eyes to the importance of data modeling. He now serves as a committee member for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and IPA, and is a leading figure in Japan’s data management landscape.
What struck me particularly was the emphasis not merely on technical skill acquisition, but on “structuring skills” — the ability to organize complex phenomena. I was also deeply moved by the passionate vision of not passing negative legacies to the next generation, but instead passing on a prosperous society through data standardization across entire industries that goes beyond individual company boundaries. The company’s stance of seeking colleagues who are autonomous, mutually respectful, and who can push each other forward conveyed to me a powerful sense of the strength needed to support Japan’s companies going forward.
ConsulNext Senior Consultant
Masahito Tsukada
Data Research Institute Inc. — Company Information
| Address | Ningyocho First Building 5F, 3-3-6 Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0013 |
| Representative | Representative Director & President: Koji Ogawa |
| Founded | October 3, 1985 |
| Capital | ¥90,000,000 |
| Business Activities | ・Consulting services related to corporate information systems, from IT strategy planning and RFP drafting through requirements definition, system development, and system operations and maintenance ・Development and provision of design techniques, methodologies, and tools related to the above consulting ・Development and provision of educational courses for IT talent development ・Organization of solution introduction seminars ・Book publishing |
