Akira Morishita Founder / CEO
Born in 1988 in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from Tokyo University of Science, Faculty of Science and Technology.
Joined Macromill, Inc.
Later worked in advertising agencies and mobile game development companies, focusing on app marketing.In 2018, joined Bushiroad Inc., where he contributed to establishing the in-house app marketing department.
After serving as Deputy Director of Public Relations, he moved to Singapore in September 2021.
Appointed Head of Mobile at Bushiroad International Pte. Ltd.
Presented at CEDEC, AdTech Tokyo, Abema Prime, and others. Earned an MBA from Bond University.In December 2021, published "The Easiest App Marketing Textbook" from Impress Publishing, which reached No.1 in its category on Amazon.
In May 2024, founded HARS Global Pte. Ltd. in Singapore to offer app marketing consulting and agency services.
He continues to write marketing-related articles and deliver lectures.
On February 12, 2026, the “Appliv Best App Award 2025” ceremony was held.
Organized by the app review media “Appliv,” this award evaluates and selects smartphone apps released or updated between December 2024 and November 2025 based on multifaceted criteria including buzzworthiness, innovation, problem-solving capability, user experience, and potential for growth.
This year, a total of 43 apps won awards, including those in category divisions and the startup division.
At the venue, the Grand Prize and Excellence Award winners for each category were announced. Alongside speeches by the winning companies, products symbolizing the 2025 app market were celebrated.
This Appliv award is Japan’s only award recognizing the most representative apps of the year. Appliv is Japan’s largest smartphone app discovery service, operated by Nile Inc., with over 10 million monthly users.
HARS GLOBAL Founder & CEO Akira Morishita participated as a judge for this award.
He also took the stage at the ceremony venue on the day of the awards and was involved in selecting the winning apps.
For this judging, evaluations were conducted based on perspectives such as:
・Product completeness
・Relationship design with users
・Growth potential from a global perspective
・Alignment with marketing strategy
Below are excerpts from the award ceremony.
“Receiving an award ‘as an app’—distinct from corporate recognition—brings exceptional joy. We’re truly delighted that our love for users and awareness of their lives, qualities beyond mere numbers, were acknowledged.”
They expressed a strong determination to “create the next social phenomenon,” drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience.
“We are deeply honored to receive our first award as an app in our eighth year.
We feel this recognizes the evolution of our service, built together with our installation partners,” they stated, highlighting the presence of their infrastructure-type app bridging the real and digital worlds.
“We surpassed 400 million monthly active users last August.
Japan is one of the countries where usage is particularly strong, giving rise to unique trends and popular creators.”
This statement underscored the positive momentum in the Japanese market.
■ Representative Akira Morishita’s Comments (Following the Awards Ceremony)
First and foremost, I must say that the level of completion achieved by each of the award-winning apps this time was truly remarkable. The meticulous attention to UI/UX design and the depth of user understanding demonstrated are, I believe, truly world-class.
That said, and this is purely my personal perspective, I also felt that not all that many products were designed with global expansion in mind. Precisely because the products themselves are so strong, I see this as an area with significant room for growth.
What struck me most in the acceptance speeches was how many speakers emphasized their “commitment to users.” That mindset is truly admirable. However, I believe we are now entering a phase where the question is how to scale that commitment globally, not just within Japan, which faces a declining population.
Especially apps that integrate with offline experiences are becoming increasingly essential to daily life. Adding data strategy and an overseas expansion perspective could significantly boost corporate value.
This awards ceremony not only highlighted the maturity of Japan’s app market but also signaled we’re standing at the threshold of the next stage. It reaffirmed my desire to support these challenges, however modestly.
HARS GLOBAL is an app-specialized consulting firm that provides domestic and international app operators with:
Global marketing strategy development, overseas expansion support, and data-driven growth support.
We will continue to support the sustainable growth and global expansion of apps originating from Japan.
https://harsglobal.com/news_en/1260
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