[Feature: Corporate Sociality in the SDGs Era] Rika Yajima: Japanese Tradition is the Essence of SDGs—Thinking About Management from Its Origins

2022/06/06

I founded aeru Inc. in 2011 during my fourth year of university with the desire to "pass on Japanese traditions to the next generation." Living and managing a business alongside Japanese traditions and the wisdom of our ancestors, I feel that the hints for the SDGs, which society as a whole is now beginning to think about, lie within Japanese tradition.

For example, Japan has a restoration technique called "Kintsugi." There is a culture of repairing and continuing to use precious vessels for a long time rather than throwing them away when they break. This is something Japanese people have naturally continued with a spirit of "Mottainai" (waste not, want not) since long before the term SDGs was born. Originally, Japan was an SDGs leader. However, many children today do not know that vessels can be fixed if they break. When I give lectures at junior high and high schools and ask, "What do you do if a vessel breaks?" more than 90% of the children say, "Throw it away." When I ask why, they say, "Because my parents do." In other words, children do not have the option of repairing. Rather, the adults raising the children have already become a generation that does not have that option.

When I introduce Kintsugi repairs by artisans to these children, many say, "If I had the option of repairing it, I would have wanted to fix it and use it."

So why have we come to have only the option of throwing things away? Behind this, I believe there lies the existence of companies that prioritized excessive economic activity. I would like to touch upon this point later.

I represented Japan in a business contest called the "APEC BEST AWARD" and won two awards: the Grand Prize and the Best Social Impact Award. Something a judge said to me at that time still remains in my heart: "Your business is a hint and a role model for solving global issues." Indeed, Japanese tradition contains many elements that are attracting attention from the world today. First, isn't it important for us Japanese people to once again inherit our own country's culture, traditions, and wisdom? Based on that thought, aeru has conducted various businesses.

In the "aeru onaoshi" business, we provide services such as Kintsugi and lacquer re-coating so that precious items can be used for a long time. Kintsugi, in particular, is attracting attention from overseas, to the point where the word "Kintsugi" is understood internationally. From a corporate management perspective, profit margins are higher if customers purchase new items rather than having them repaired. If one finds meaning only in making money, the management decision would be not to do a repair business. However, I have doubts about the common sense that a company must always grow in a right-leaning upward curve.

In the first place, I did not start a business to make money. As a journalist, I wanted to pass on Japanese traditions to the next generation, and in order to realize that desire, I eventually arrived at the method of starting a business. For aeru to responsibly pass on Japanese traditions to the next generation, the minimum a company must do is continue through economic activity. In other words, while revenue is necessary to sustain the business, my thinking is that as long as we do not go into the red, we should do businesses that are important for connecting Japanese traditions. In that sense, I view the repair business as an extremely important business for conveying the Japanese spirit. It is necessary to find a reason for a company's existence that cannot be measured by economic indicators alone.

Aspiring to be a journalist, I entered the Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Law at Keio University in 2007 through the FIT entrance exam. In the FIT exam, you are asked why you want to study in the Department of Political Science. There, I realized that entering was not the goal, but rather a means to an end. I began activities immediately after entering, looked back on my own life, and encountered my self that is interested in Japanese tradition.

After entering, I brought in proposals as a freelance writer and had the opportunity to interview artisans of Japanese traditional industries for three years during university for a series in a JTB newsletter. Many of the artisans I interviewed faced their craftsmanship with a sense of gratitude toward nature, believing that "humans do not dominate nature, but are allowed to live within the natural world." Many of the industrial products around us are in their best condition at the time of purchase and deteriorate as they are used. However, after hearing from artisans that "traditional industrial products are not at their best when bought, but are things you grow while using them," I wanted to actually try using them rather than just looking at them. At that time, an artisan gave me a pair of lacquer chopsticks, and when I ate with them, my daily meals somehow felt more delicious. Lacquer chopsticks are practical items but also works of art. Just by using an item that an artisan has put their heart into, created from the blessings of nature, one's daily life becomes more beautiful. Then, one's sensibilities are nurtured, and their aesthetic sense is naturally refined.

I happened to encounter the charm of living with such Japanese traditions, but I felt that most people do not know about it. Therefore, as a journalist, I wanted to create opportunities for many people to encounter Japanese traditions and convey them so they could be added to their life choices.

The Millennial and Z generations, who will lead Japan in the future, find value in the act of continuing to use things carefully rather than the value of owning material objects. Interest in invisible spirituality is rising more than in material things. I also feel that the concept of consumption itself is transforming. At aeru, we call "consumers" (shohisha) "kurashite" (livers). This is because customers are not targets to be made to consume in order to grow the economy. When we return to the origin of "humans living richly," those who live richly are the "kurashite."

I would like to think once more about why the concept of "consumer" was born. A major factor is likely that companies, in order to increase profits, encouraged customers to buy things—that is, to consume. In other words, thinking only from an economic perspective, it is more convenient to have people buy new things than to have them repair and use things. Thus, a culture where buying new things rather than repairing them is a virtue may have been fostered.

Of course, I don't think it's quite that simple, but I believe such aspects cannot be denied. I think some people became economically wealthy through mass production and mass consumption. If you only look at economic activity, it might have seemed correct at first glance. However, from the perspective of the planet, it was a way of thinking that overlooked important things. From that reflection, the concept of SDGs was likely born in this era. What should we learn from the merits and demerits of the 20th century, and what should we pass on to the next generation?

When we return to the origins of a company and think about why it exists, wasn't it to enrich people rather than for economic activity? In that sense, don't you think that stopping corporate activities that needlessly create "consumers" and instead engaging in corporate activities that nurture "kurashite" allows us to live and work more richly as human beings?

I view the 20th century as the era of things and the 21st century as the era of spirituality. The SDGs were raised at the turning point of that era. The SDGs might be the "visualization" of specific actions for the transition from the era of things to the era of spirituality.

I would like to touch upon one more thing that reflects this trend of the times: the concept of "Zebra companies." Zebra companies are those that emphasize sustainability and balance "corporate profit" and "social contribution"—two things that tend to conflict in the modern business world. I feel this is an important concept for companies to practice essential SDGs rather than superficial ones. Unless all companies naturally reconstruct business models that balance "corporate profit" and "social contribution," the SDGs can only be superficial stopgap measures.

Gratefully, aeru was introduced in the pages of the Nikkei and Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun as a representative Zebra company. I never once managed with the conscious intention of becoming a Zebra company, but I felt that a third party had reaffirmed that the management policy of "Sanpo-yoshi or more," which I have cherished since our founding, has thoroughly permeated the business. Sanpo-yoshi means good for the seller, good for the buyer, and good for society. If these three sides are good, the business will continue. Simply put, it is something like this. Since our founding, I have managed relying solely on these words. Why was I, a fourth-year university student who had never studied employment or management, able to overcome the 3, 5, and 10-year hurdles of venture company survival and continue for 11 years? I am certain it is because I have always followed the "Sanpo-yoshi" way of thinking when making decisions as a manager. And in today's era with many stakeholders, I value "Sanpo-yoshi or more" even more. Here again, Japanese wisdom exactly overlaps with global trends, showing that Japanese people already knew the importance of this.

When I founded aeru, I decided to retire as president in 20 years. By deciding my own term of office, I was conscious of managing with foresight and not missing the timing for business succession. Now entering the 11th year, I am exactly at the halfway point. As something I should do as a founder, I am consciously focusing more and more on nurturing the "philosophy" that is the foundation of the company. Among these, I decided to embark on a business that embodies the corporate philosophy and takes time, and last year, I started the "aeru satoyama" business. In Gojome Town, Akita Prefecture, we have begun nurturing a satoyama (woodland) while collaborating with local people.

Last year, as a start, we planted lacquer seedlings. Eventually, I want to establish a system where we can internally supply the raw materials needed by artisans in traditional industries. As a result of pursuing "What is Japanese tradition?" I realized that the natural climate and landscape of Japan are the traditions unique to Japan, and if the satoyama that constitute them disappear, Japanese tradition will disappear. However, no major solutions have been shown for the degradation of mountains, which is currently an issue across Japan. At aeru, we want to create a business model that turns worthless mountains into mountains of treasure while simultaneously solving regional issues, and we have begun to move. The "aeru satoyama" business may not produce a large impact during my term, but I want to entrust it to the second and third presidents of aeru.

Another thing is that within a few years, I want to establish a wellness facility that embodies aeru's philosophy. Since the founding, I have wanted to create a place where people from overseas can feel the Japanese spirit, in order to show Japan's presence to the world. "People, goods, and money" can be moved, but even as technology develops, it should be difficult to move a "place." Therefore, rather than aeru going overseas, I want to create a place to welcome people within Japan and nurture a business with a presence that can be cited as one of the reasons customers from all over the world want to visit Japan. This business is named "aeru time," and as a wellness facility that enhances "wild sensibilities" through Japanese tradition, I want guests to acquire the invisible spirituality hidden within by experiencing the use and comfort of Japanese traditional crafts during their stay. It is an image of blending a "dojo" and a "retreat."

At aeru, we have set "passing on tradition to the next generation" as our mission. However, the true goal is the realization of a "beautiful society" beyond that. A beautiful society is one with many kind people. I have managed the business thinking that the Japanese traditions I have described so far can be utilized as a specific means to realize that. I view Japanese tradition not as an object to be protected, but as an effective means to increase the number of people living with well-being—that is, living cheerfully.

Cheerful people can be kind to others and kind to themselves. I like the word "awai" (the space between). I think this is also a wonderful concept created by the Japanese. However, because "awai" is disappearing now, society is becoming prickly. Because people cannot be kind to themselves, they cannot be kind to others. Kindness requires a margin (yohaku). I believe that if the number of "people who can live kindly toward themselves and society" increases, a beautiful society will naturally arrive. As a result of aeru continuing its efforts toward the realization of that society, I have become convinced that "Japanese tradition has the power to make people kind." That is why I want to continue corporate activities while carefully nurturing the spirituality of Japanese tradition.