Hisae Morii has been named Starbucks Coffee Japan’s new CEO, effective April 1, 2025. She will succeed Takafumi Minaguchi, who has held the position since September 2014. As the company’s Chief Retail and Marketing Officer (CRMO), Morii will be the first female executive to oversee the company’s licensed operations in Japan.
“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 Hisae Morii, believing that passing the baton to a next-generation leader who can understand the current times will evolve Starbucks into an even more attractive brand in Japan,” departing CEO Takafumi Minaguchi said, according to Global Data.
Who Is Hisae Morii?
In August 2018, Hisae Morii began working for Starbucks Coffee Japan as the Chief Marketing Officer. In October 2023, she was promoted to her current position. Upon her appointment as CEO, Morii said, “I have a great deal of respect for the path that CEO Takafumi Minaguchi and previous Starbucks partners have taken, and I hope to take their ideas and work with our customers, partners, and the community to create a new future.”
Before joining Starbucks, she served as the brand manager, Vice President of Marketing for Unilever’s Thai business, and Marketing Director for the consumer-packaged goods giant’s Japan division. In August 1996, Starbucks made its first foray outside North America by opening its first location in Japan. After the United States, China, and South Korea, Japan is the company’s fourth-largest market in terms of stores. Starbucks Coffee Japan opened a new location in Tokyo’s Ginza neighbourhood in February 2025, bringing its total number of locations to 2,000.
Hisae Morii expressed her deep respect for her predecessor’s leadership and her excitement to work with the local community, staff, and customers to create a new Starbucks in Japan. She emphasised her commitment to supporting innovation while maintaining Starbucks’ close ties with Japanese customers. Morii is seen as a representative of the next generation of executives who will strengthen Starbucks’ brand presence in the country, with outgoing CEO Takafumi Minaguchi expressing confidence in her leadership.
To ensure that its locations are “deeply rooted in the communities they serve,” Starbucks Coffee Japan plans to open 100 new locations annually and is launching a store renovation programme in 2025. This latest development follows Starbucks’ announcement that 1,100 corporate and administrative staff would be laid off as part of its reorganisation plan.
Starbucks Japan is expected to continue growing under Hisae Morii’s leadership, with a focus on digital innovation, sustainability programmes, and regional store concepts. Under her direction, the company is likely to shift toward more customer-focused experiences and greater community involvement. Thanks to her extensive experience and strategic vision, Morii is well-positioned to lead the next stage of growth in one of Starbucks’ most significant overseas markets as the company expands its presence in Japan.
Starbucks Japan Unveils New Matcha
Meanwhile, Starbucks is launching its second cherry blossom frappuccino of the season, the Matcha and Sakura Warabi Mochi Frappuccino, which is expected to debut in Tokyo around March 21. With matcha powder added to the creamy base and sakura flavour incorporated into the jiggly pieces of warabi mochi (a jelly-like bracken starch confection), this vibrant pink-and-green beverage combines traditional Japanese flavours in a delightful mix.
Depending on how the ingredients are mixed, the classic components explode with flavours that can be fruity, floral, or green. The drink is topped with a mound of whipped cream and drizzled with sakura and strawberry sauce. While the latte captures the freshness of cherry blossoms with its milky tea-pink hues, the Frappuccino highlights the striking contrast between pink and green, said to allow drinkers to savour “the afterglow of sakura.”