In this FocusCore Podcast episode, host David Sweet interviews Yasuhiro Tokunaga, Representative Director and CEO of HomeServe. Yauhiro explains how he moved from structuring multi-billion dollar public-private infrastructure projects across the Middle East and Asia at Mitsubishi Corporation to building a subscription-based home repair platform that protects Japan's aging households. He describes HomeServe's rapid growth from 70,000 to over 400,000 contracts, and the alliances he built with nine electric utilities, Japan Post, and local governments by learning to speak each partner's language and interests. Tokunaga-san shares how trust, transparency, and long-term thinking replace one-shot negotiation tactics, how AI and customer data are shaping HomeServe's next stage, and his advice to foreign companies for building lasting partnerships in Japan.
The 2026 FocusCore Salary Guide is here: I2026 Salary Guide
In this episode you will hear:
- Why Yasuhiro left multi-billion dollar global infrastructure deals to build a subscription home-repair business
- How HomeServe grew from 70,000 to over 400,000 contracts through utility and government partnerships
- The key to winning trust with conservative, bureaucratic Japanese institutions
- The biggest misconceptions foreign companies have about doing business in Japan
- How AI and customer data will shape HomeServe's next stage of growth
- Lessons on transparency, trust, and long-term thinking from negotiating a $1.2B project in Qatar
About Yasuhiro:
Yasuhiro Tokunaga has built his career around a single aspiration: protecting people's everyday lives through social infrastructure. With extensive experience across Japan, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia, he has spent his career developing solutions to some of society's most fundamental challenges.
He currently serves as Representative Director and CEO of HomeServe, where he is focused on bringing greater peace of mind to households across Japan. Before joining HomeServe, Yasuhiro worked at Mitsubishi Corporation, leading public–private partnership projects in water infrastructure with a total portfolio of approximately ¥200 billion (around US$2 billion). His experience includes leading landmark projects in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka, as well as working with governments and international organizations including the World Bank, IFC, Asian Development Bank, and African Development Bank.
At HomeServe, Yasuhiro has applied this experience in large-scale infrastructure to a different kind of everyday challenge. He has helped grow the company's home repair subscription business from 70,000 to hundreds of thousands of contracts, while building partnerships with electric-power companies, Japan Post Holdings, and local governments. His work is driven by the belief that trust, collaboration, and social innovation can help solve the hidden challenges of everyday life and create greater security for households across Japan.
Yasuhiro holds an LL.B. from Kyoto University, an LL.M. from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.
Connect with Yasuhiro Tokunaga:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasuhiro-tokunaga-774495b/
HomeServe Website: https://www.homeserve.co.jp/
Connect with David Sweet:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp
Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/
Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/
This podcast was proudly produced by Lisa Yasuda.
“Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.
