Takashi Miki: Past and Future

2023/10/23

I wonder why I was given such an opportunity, but several things happened recently: I started a golf tournament with seniors and juniors from my university club; while drinking that night, we all listened to the Keio University Cheerleading Team's fight songs on video; I happened to see the moment Keio beat Koryo at Koshien on TV and felt an indescribable sense of nostalgia and pride while listening to the "Juku-ka"; and after that, I listened to the "Juku-ka" and "Wakaki-chi" many times (keep it a secret that my daughter told me, "Dad, you didn't go to Keio for high school, did you?"). Taking advantage of this opportunity, I decided I wanted to reflect on myself since graduating from Keio and think about the future.

After graduating in 1990, I joined a certain company, and in '96, due to various circumstances, I somewhat naturally joined my father's company. I am what you call a second-generation successor. Our business focuses on the planning, proposal, production, and delivery of original shoppers (paper bags, plastic bags, boxes, etc.) used at storefronts by specialty stores for apparel, cosmetics, jewelry, food, and more. It is a very niche field. While the content of our proposals, including materials, changes over time in line with trends like current environmental issues and SDGs, we approach our work with the spirit that these are "one of the important tools for expressing each customer's branding." I like to think that some of you may have seen or held one of our shoppers at least once.

The first thing that surprised me when I joined the company was my father's complete one-man management style. I assumed the role of representative in 2007 for various reasons, but from there, more than a dozen years passed filled with problems outside of our core business: my father's reckless investment in new businesses as co-representative and the resulting deterioration of our finances, a scam my panicked father fell for, conflicts with my father, and friction with long-time directors and executives who couldn't speak up to him. In 2020, I finally brought internal closure by dismissing my father, but with our core business taking a major hit from COVID-19, I honestly think to myself that we are doing well just to have survived through all the chaos.

In the midst of all this, this year we achieved business restructuring by transferring the aforementioned other business, and our core business is showing signs of improvement from the hardships of COVID-19 thanks to the efforts of our employees. These days, I feel I want to take the time to seriously consider the future of the company, as well as the future for myself and my family.