[No. 127] Yutaka Honzawa

"It's a wonder you managed to graduate! Good luck out there in the working world!" The words of encouragement (and relief) I received from my classmates and respected teachers about 30 years ago are still vivid in my mind. Thirty years later, I have surprisingly received a request to write for "Jukuin Raio" (Keio University Alumni Connections). I am sure this is an expectation for me to convey my student life as it was, and how it connects to my present. Below, I would like to reflect on my student life (all eight years of it!) and my journey to the present day.

I was absorbed in rugby, which I had started in high school. I belonged to the Faculty of Science and Technology Athletic Association Rugby Club. The head of the rugby club at the time was Professor Kuno, who was serving as the President of the university. Fourteen years my senior was Professor Anzai, who would later become President. In the year I entered Keio University, Professor Anzai was a dazzlingly smart senior who had returned to the Juku after finishing his postdoctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University. I was a student full of energy on the field in the evenings and at parties at night, but on the other hand, I couldn't open my eyes until noon. The turning point for me was studying abroad in the United States. After finishing my second year with grades that barely saved me from repeating a year, I started my third year at Oregon State University. This was in March 1980. I immediately joined the rugby team. I played alongside clumsy giants who were former American football players. A pass that was ordinary in Japan was considered a skillful pass in the US. I was showered with praise, being called "Magic Yutaka." I experienced the American magnanimity of readily acknowledging good things. I also realized how narrow my own worldview was. It was a time when President Reagan was advocating for a strong America and was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States. While living as a student in the US, I couldn't help but become strongly aware of Japan's place in the world, Japan-US relations, and other such issues. My curiosity for everything was awakened. After returning to Japan, I re-enrolled as a third-year student and was appointed captain of the rugby team. Although I returned to a life centered on rugby as before, the big difference was my curiosity. I turned my curiosity not only to the field and parties but to everything. The curriculum of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering was full of ways to satisfy my curiosity (something I finally realized in my fourth year of university). The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering website has the following description: "Industrial and Systems Engineering emphasizes a perspective on people and society. Its scope ranges from the pursuit of corporate production efficiency to urban and transportation problems, and even global economic and environmental issues. It identifies the essence of problems within complex real-world situations involving humans and conducts research." How perfect for a student with a wide range of curiosities!

Driven solely by the desire to satisfy my curiosity, I went on to graduate school without hesitation. My academic advisor, Professor Kichinosuke Takahashi (specializing in business administration and accounting), accepted me, a subpar student, without the slightest sign of displeasure. During my graduate school years, my curiosity extended beyond the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering to subjects at the Mita campus. Economics, constitutional law, international law, diplomatic history, French... it took me three years to finish graduate school.

I joined Sony (already 26 years old!). My curiosity knew no bounds. I wanted to know the world. And so, I was assigned to the Information Systems Overseas Sales Division. I was assigned to the Latin America department. I studied the history and economic situation of Latin America intensely. I proposed establishing the Latin American headquarters in Miami and was assigned there myself (at age 31). I worked tirelessly to launch the new company. What proved useful at that time was the systematic knowledge from Industrial and Systems Engineering, which gave me the foundation to "identify the essence of problems within complex real-world situations involving humans."

Five years later, I was transferred to New York to work in the US business strategy section. I keenly felt the need for systematic financial knowledge. What saved me then were the books from my time in the research lab. After returning to Japan, I was assigned to the corporate accounting department at the head office (at age 38). I felt that the broad, horizontal experience and knowledge I had accumulated up to that point were suddenly being deepened vertically. In my 40s, I further broadened my experience working in Europe. Then, in my early 50s, I was given the opportunity to play an active role in head office management and as a representative of Japan on the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board). Around this time, I had the pleasure of being in the company of Professor Anzai on several occasions at Sony's Board of Directors meetings, where he was serving as an outside director. I'm not sure if he thought I had grown up a little.

I truly feel that the foundation for everything lies in the systematic knowledge and curiosity that Industrial and Systems Engineering gave me, the basis to "identify the essence of problems within complex real-world situations involving humans."

I am currently the CFO of the North American electronics business (a position I took up in January of last year). My responsibilities extend to engaging with society beyond the scope of my work (which I'm not good at, but I can't afford to say that). Soon after taking up my post, I found there were events I had to attend regularly, such as a social gathering with professional skateboarder Tony Hawk and an exchange of views with California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. Here too, my broad and deep experience and knowledge, as well as my curiosity, have been useful.

Go abroad. Look at Japan objectively from overseas. Enjoy the detours. Detours expand your range of experiences and are necessary in the long run. With a sense of purpose and curiosity, take a look around at the things you can encounter (and learn) at Keio University and in Industrial and Systems Engineering. It is full of ways to satisfy your curiosity. I am filled with gratitude for Keio University and for Industrial and Systems Engineering, which laid the foundation for the richness in my life. The fact that even a subpar student like me can feel this is a testament to the great depth and generosity of Keio University. My deepest thanks.