AEON Overseas Internship Training Report Session Held - Practical Learning Experience in Japan and Malaysia

On Saturday, September 6th, the "AEON Overseas Internship Training Report Session (2025)" was held on our campus.

This program is an overseas internship implemented based on an agreement between Soka University, AEON Co., Ltd., and AEON Financial Services Co., Ltd. With the cooperation of both companies, students have a valuable opportunity to deepen their practical learning in a global business setting.

A major feature of this program is that students will collaborate with students from other universities, such as Sophia University, Chiba University, Tsuda University, Meiji University, and Ritsumeikan University, through group work to tackle problems. In addition to their domestic internship in Japan, participating students will also experience an overseas internship in Malaysia.

At this presentation session, a total of nine students from our university took to the stage, including six who had participated in an internship at AEON Co., Ltd. and three who had participated in an internship at AEON Financial Services Co., Ltd. They reflected on their experiences both in Japan and abroad and presented their findings.

During the internship in Japan, students worked on understanding the AEON Group's business, visiting stores, experiencing the financial business, and conducting market analysis. During the internship overseas, students took on the challenge of solving practical problems through discussions with local employees, customer interviews, market research, and presentations in English.

The program at AEON Co., Ltd. focused on the theme of "Measures to attract young customers in the Malaysian market," and involved researching local lifestyles and the purchasing behavior of Generation Z. The team worked together to develop a wide range of plans tailored to local needs, including utilizing social media, improving the in-store experience, and introducing a botanical picnic space.

In the AEON Financial Services program, participants worked on the themes of "Acquiring new credit card members" and "Utilizing digital financial services." They experienced creating marketing strategies and profit and loss plans using customer data, and gained an in-depth understanding of how financial services work and how digital technology can be used.

The program also received warm comments from the Soka University Frontier Association, a graduate organization involved in career support. Through this experience, many of the participating students were able to increase their motivation to pursue long-term study abroad and global careers.

■ Comments from students who participated in the internship at AEON Co., Ltd.

• While considering measures to attract young people in Malaysia to our stores, I realized the importance of understanding differences in culture and values. The employees carefully explained to me about local consumer trends and issues, which helped me improve the quality of my proposals.
• While thinking up proposals that combined social media and digital experiences, I realized how much fun it was to exchange ideas with students from other universities and put together a plan. I'm also truly grateful for the support of the local employees.
• Through customer interviews, I was able to learn about consumer behavior and psychology, which cannot be understood through numbers alone. Employees were very proactive in sharing their opinions from the field, which led to a great learning experience.

■ Comments from students who participated in the internship at AEON Financial Services

• When planning a plan to acquire new credit card members, I collaborated with students from other universities and was able to make a proposal that incorporated a different perspective. Thanks to the advice of the employees, I was able to learn more about profit and loss planning and data utilization.
• I learned about the potential of digital financial services and experienced the excitement of thinking up new services from the customer's perspective. Working in groups with students from other universities broadened my horizons and I feel I was able to put together proposals from a new perspective.
• The employees carefully explained the financial system and industry trends, and I was able to learn the depth of financial services. Another great benefit was that I was able to develop an attitude of accepting diverse values through collaboration with students from other universities.

Our university's Career Center will continue to collaborate with external institutions to provide students with opportunities to develop an international perspective and deepen their practical learning.