How is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) understood and managed in Japanese business and how is it part of ‘good’ corporate governance? The discussion on CSR has grown rapidly and internationally over the last two decades in both business and academic communities, and during the past decade the debate has also spread to and throughout Japan. The current CSR movement has been developed in European and Anglo-American contexts, based on principles of market, industrial, business and social structures. However, CSR also has taken root in other countries and regions, including Japan, and the development of CSR is at different stages throughout these territories.This special issue of the Journal of Corporate Citizenship discusses how Japanese corporations respond to the CSR movement, the extent to which they embed CSR in management processes, and how they diffuse CSR policy throughout their overseas subsidiaries. It also analyzes the challenges corporations are facing in ensuring CSR systems function within their organizations and in contributing to global sustainable development. This special issue intends to shine a light on the current CSR situation of Japanese companies, as well as identify some of the key challenges faced in the processes of embedding CSR into management processes and of operating CSR practices in international contexts.