[No. 209] Shuji Oida

I am grateful for the opportunity to write for this Keio University Alumni Relay Column.

After graduating from the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, I went on to the master's program. After completing my studies, I pursued a career as a securities analyst and economist, but I am now the President and Representative Director of Justin Co., Ltd., a manufacturing company in Shikokuchuo City, Ehime Prefecture.

Looking back, my days at Keio University were the very essence of my youth, and it is no exaggeration to say that almost everything that has shaped who I am today can be found in that time. I would like to write below, with a sense of gratitude, about how I studied at Keio, moved to Ehime, and became a company president.

My last name, written as "種田," is pronounced "Oida," which is very rare. My father is from Ogaki City in Gifu Prefecture, but I was born after he moved to Yokohama, so I am a true "Hamakko," born and raised in Yokohama. When it came time to take junior high school entrance exams, I aimed for Keio Futsubu School (Boys Junior High School). However, for some reason, it was not meant to be, and I failed. I tried again for the university entrance exams, but I didn't pass on my first attempt and had to take them a second time.

Because of this, the feeling I had when I finally passed through the gates of the school as a Keio student was truly special. Getting off at Hiyoshi Station, the ginkgo-lined avenue, Raiosha, the library, the Student Union Building, and the road from there to Yagami... When I close my eyes, I can still vividly recall the scenery from that time. The colorful landscapes that I remember from each season show just how fulfilling and varied my student life was.

My experience at Keio, which began in Class 2 of School 2 (now School C) of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, has made me who I am today, and I feel it is still a companion on my life's journey.

I am now married and have moved to Shikokuchuo City, Ehime Prefecture, to take over my wife's family business, where I serve as the president of Justin Co., Ltd. I moved in April 2011, right after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Until then, I had been building my career as an economist specializing in the Chinese economy at Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd., which included an assignment in Beijing. Justin Co., Ltd., the company I moved to, is a manufacturing company that produces "packings and gaskets" in its own factory. These are parts used to prevent leaks by being placed between pipe joints. They are used as parts for plants such as paper mills, as well as for ships, cranes, and agricultural machinery, and we sell them to customers throughout Japan, mainly in Shikoku. In addition, we were the first in the world to sell cemented carbide die-cut rolls used for cutting non-woven fabrics, which are materials for disposable diapers and masks. We also sell the "HAW System," which holds a high domestic market share as a web guiding system used in the processing of these materials. We are a company that contributes to improving the efficiency of various manufacturing processes with a wide range of products, not just sealing materials.

In college, I took on three challenges: judo, scuba diving, and mathematics. I was in the astronomy club in junior high and high school, but I wanted to start some kind of sport in college. Since I had average grades in judo in my physical education class, I decided to knock on the door of the Faculty of Science and Technology Athletic Association Judo Club. Diving, which I had started in high school, was another thing I planned to get serious about after entering university. On weekdays, it was judo and my part-time job; on weekends, the sea. That was my life before I became completely immersed in mathematics.

And the last of the three was mathematics. In high school mathematics, I felt a sense of frustration, as if I could never say I truly understood it, no matter how much I studied. I pursued mathematics with the sole desire to see the world that lay one step beyond simply training in how to solve problems. However, the mathematics I properly confronted after entering university was so immense and completely different from the mathematics I had known. It constantly made me think about how to face and engage with mathematics as an academic discipline. In particular, in the "General Education Seminar: 'Mathematical Research Methods'" that I took in my first year, I feel that I was given the opportunity to truly think about mathematics for the first time.

I finally advanced to the Department of Mathematics, and while I felt joy in being able to engage with mathematics every day, I also enjoyed campus life like a typical undergraduate, dedicating myself to club activities and my part-time job. A turning point came in my life: choosing a research laboratory. The process of reconsidering my interests in mathematics was very similar to reflecting on my life up to that point, and I believe I spent a very good, introspective time. I was also fortunate to learn that a professor named Masato Kurihara was transferring from another university, and that his research was in "number theory," a field I admired. I remember like it was yesterday visiting Professor Kurihara, who was still at the other university, with friends from the Department of Mathematics who also admired number theory. And so, with the reassuring friendship of Kato-san and Masuda-san, the first generation of the Kurihara Laboratory at Keio University began.

Was mathematics the only thing I learned from Professor Kurihara? No, I feel that through mathematics, he taught me about life—how one should be as a person and how to set goals and live one's life. Studying for the weekly seminars was by no means a smooth path; it was a constant struggle, full of trial and error, groping in the dark, and feeling completely lost. But as I tackled it earnestly, he was always by my side, guiding me as both a leader and a supporter. Looking back, the kind of company president I aspire to be has much in common with Professor Kurihara. Although I ended up leaving the field of mathematics, the passion I had for it under Professor Kurihara's guidance, the perspectives and horizons I gained by confronting it, and above all, the dialogues with him that fostered my personal growth have given me the strength to turn all subsequent hardships into nourishment.

On a side note, my wife was a classmate of mine at the time, studying probability theory in the laboratory of Professor Makoto Maejima (now Professor Emeritus). As I mentioned earlier, I am who I am today thanks to my encounter with Professor Kurihara. I was able to meet my wife thanks to Professor Makoto Maejima. My present life was guided by the fortunate connection of Keio University. I am grateful for what the Juku has given me, and with pride as one of the Keio University alumni, I intend to continue to devote myself as a practitioner of jitsugaku (science), supporting Japanese manufacturing from a regional area.