Japan as Only 1

  Today, during a conversation with someone, I was told, "What I thought was serious effort was actually not enough." I consider myself an ordinary person without any remarkable abilities. However, crucial turning points in my life, such as deciding to take over the company and studying intensely in America, have made me firmly believe that most things can be managed with true dedication. Since returning to the company, every time I've seriously thought, "I need to handle this!!", I've managed to do so, at least for the time being. Having a lax attitude, thinking things will work out eventually, doesn't lead to improvement. This is because most desires are merely faint hopes of 'wouldn't it be nice if it happened.' Have you ever literally given everything, made sacrifices, and reached a point where you couldn't do more? I have had at least one such experience. That one time, perhaps the only time, when I committed myself wholeheartedly,...

  Japanese people are often said to use 'honne' (true feelings) and 'tatemae' (public facade). It's true that a great difference between honne and tatemae can lead to dishonesty, and when you want something to be changed or fixed, it's necessary to communicate your true feelings rather than just the facade. However, I believe that tatemae also has its value. The main reasons are: It softens statements that might hurt others if expressed too directly. It makes complex or vague things clearer. Especially nowadays, I think the second reason is very important. Not everything, in business or elsewhere, can be expressed in numbers or made completely clear. So, even if it's not the main goal, we make things clearer by translating them into numbers or more specific events. For example, our company's aim is to transform into a global company. That's quite vague, so we make it clearer by setting specific goals like increasing the proportion of our global sta...

  The year 2024 has begun. This year started with challenges right from New Year's Day, including the Hokuriku earthquake and the Haneda accident, making for a distressing start. We, as a company and as individuals, want to do what we can. In life, we meet various people. There are encounters that lead to the best of relationships, expected to last forever. There are also encounters that feel like betrayals or are incredibly painful. And then, there are many encounters that seem neither here nor there, ones we might think of as 'insignificant.' Both good and bad encounters leave a deep imprint in our memories and experiences. However, it's often the numerous neutral encounters that might one day turn into significant opportunities or triggers. This is a chance that cannot be gained if you live your life based only on short-term profit and loss. If you communicate with the people around you sincerely, carefully, and fairly, there's a possibility of re-encountering th...

  Hello everyone, Happy New Year! Did you have a relaxing break? This Year of the Dragon is the "year when the efforts you've made so far will take a leap"—at least, that's my interpretation, seemingly perfectly fit to me! However, in the world, there's no such thing as good things happening without any effort. The key is "the efforts made so far will take a leap," and for that, you need an attitude of "doing more than what you receive." Sometimes, people say, "I'll do things up to what I receive," but in life, that's a big loss. You're sealing off your potential, growth, and even your benefits. Of course, there might be people who are not interested in growth or benefits, but I wish they had more ambition. Regarding salary, there are people whose way of working makes you think, "This person should be paid more." Such people are rare to find in a year, but over a few years, their salary should surely be increasin...