Lecturer: Mr. Keita Suzuki
Profile: Mr. Keita Suzuki Business Analyst, Amazon Logistics, Amazon Japan G.K.
Mr. Suzuki first learned programming during his graduation research in 2018. After completing the Urban Planning Course at The University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering and studying abroad in the U.S. in 2019, he joined IBM Japan in 2021. There, he worked in the AI & Analytics consulting division, specializing in data analysis and model construction. In 2024, he joined Amazon Japan, where he currently serves as a Business Analyst for Amazon Logistics.
【Speech and Q&A】
At this forum, we welcomed Mr. Keita Suzuki, a KIP alumnus employed at Amazon.co.jp, as our speaker. Since joining Amazon, Mr. Suzuki has worked in the logistics division, specifically in the department responsible for last-mile demand planning. Following a recent transfer, he now oversees technical support for all last-mile teams. He noted that Amazon has recently shifted toward handling as much delivery as possible in-house, making logistics a rapidly growing field within Amazon Japan.
At Mr. Suzuki’s request, the presentation followed Amazon’s unique meeting format. Six pages of A4-sized materials were distributed to all participants. After an initial period devoted to silently reading the materials, a Q&A session followed. According to the materials, Amazon has consistently adhered to its core principles of “Customer Obsession,” “Passion for Invention,” and “Long-Term Thinking.” It has sustained its growth through a corporate culture and talent strategy that fosters innovation in support of these principles, significantly transforming people’s shopping habits. However, it was also highlighted that as its market dominance expands, social impacts—such as its relationships with suppliers and competitors—are emerging as challenges.
The Q&A session focused primarily on logistics topics. Discussions touched on the contradiction between the labor shortage and excessive workloads plaguing Japan’s logistics industry today, versus Amazon’s strategy of shortening delivery times based on its customer-first principle. This reaffirmed that balancing efficiency and sustainability remains a critical challenge.
【Floor discussion】
During the group discussion, participants took turns sharing their thoughts after listening to the presentation. Mr. Suzuki then posed questions based on these comments, sparking further discussion. It was pointed out that while Amazon has expanded its market by consistently offering competitive low prices under its customer-first philosophy, the burden of achieving this has been concentrated on sellers. Particularly problematic is the structure forcing sellers into price wars to rank higher in search results, which squeezes their profit margins.
Furthermore, the impact of this low-price competition on offline retail, centered around physical stores, was also discussed. It was noted that stores forced to raise prices and delivery standards to compete with e-commerce face diminishing profits, potentially leading to the disappearance of local bookstores and independent shops. The discussion on logistics also touched on Amazon’s pursuit of automation and autonomous delivery. While these technologies are seen as promising solutions for improving delivery efficiency and addressing labor shortages, concerns were raised that they could ultimately lead to job losses for drivers, warehouse workers, and others in the future.
【Personal Opinion】
This forum proceeded in a format unlike any I’ve experienced before, making it exceptionally interesting. I felt I gained insight into the corporate culture and mindset that drives innovation at Amazon, a company emblematic of the modern era. Particularly, the meeting format requiring participants to thoroughly read the materials at the start of the meeting and discuss based on that understanding seemed to symbolize Amazon’s emphasis on rationality and substance.
Having previously learned about logistics at the April forum, I viewed the logistics-related topics in this forum as particularly challenging and crucial issues. Accelerating delivery times, or so-called “lead-time reduction,” is now an irreversible change. We are currently in an extremely difficult transitional phase where we must address challenges like labor shortages and overwork while protecting employment, all while simultaneously meeting the speed demanded by customers. At the same time, it made me think that the entities capable of proposing solutions to these conflicting challenges are precisely platform companies like Amazon, which pursue continuous innovation. This forum provided a valuable opportunity to reconsider the role companies can play in addressing societal challenges, including logistics.
Shigesato Katsuki, University of Tokyo, College of Arts and Sciences, first year
