Visions for
the Future of
Tokyo Century

I used to work at a financial institution. At financial institutions, we face restrictions when it comes to activities like equity investment. I thus found myself yearning to engage in projects that were free of such restrictions, and this is when I discovered Tokyo Century. When I joined the Company, it just happened to be in a period of aggressive M&A activities aimed at expanding its aviation business as well as its principal investment business, which was anticipated to become a new pillar of earnings, in the Specialty Financing segment. So, although I was still young, I was immediately able to take part in large investment projects and start making contributions, and this has really heightened my motivation at Tokyo Century.

Tokyo Century is relatively free of restrictions when compared with other companies in the financial industry. This was one factor that motivated me to join. Another major factor was the appeal I felt toward the people working at Tokyo Century. You see, I had the opportunity to take part in an internship at Tokyo Century when I was still in school. During the internship, a member of the leasing sales team let me sit in on a business negotiation. This gave me a glimpse of the process of advancing projects together with customers, and I was able to see how the Company’s personnel always had their feelers out, seeking hints for proposals they could make to satisfy customers in various industries. This fueled a strong desire in me to become a person who can do this type of job.

I think we all had similar reasons for joining. I too decided to join Tokyo Century due to the appeal of its unrestricted business and to the people who worked therein. At the job interview, I, of course, got asked the usual questions, you know, the ones about your motivation for applying or the vision for your career. However, I also feel that a lot of the questions I was asked were aimed at figuring out if I was the type of person they wanted to work with. The organization I am currently working in is tasked with creating new earnings pillars and value propositions. I think it is important for such organizations to be flat and to offer peace of mind. The atmosphere I sensed at the interview filled me with feelings of hope for working at Tokyo Century and for the possibility of pursuing ambitions at an organization with these qualities.

I believe that Tokyo Century is accepting of who people actually are, and where there is no need to embellish oneself. When I was still in school and looking for work, I had a lot of worries about how I could make use of my strengths at a company and whether a company would be accepting of me. When talking with the recruiter for Tokyo Century, I remember just how warm and friendly they were when approaching me. This was one reason why I joined the Company. I was also looking for a company where I could be involved in a global business, a desire I had felt based on my experience studying aboard. This made Tokyo Century, which was actively developing overseas operations, extra appealing to me.

Portfolio transformation always comes up in conversations at Tokyo Century, and I often find myself thinking about it in my everyday work. The Equipment Leasing segment is facing a challenging operating environment, and everyone is keenly aware of how we cannot hope to survive if all we do is provide financial functions. This awareness has led us to the shared understanding that portfolio transformation is not about just expanding our portfolio for the sake of growth. Rather, it is an approach toward heightening profitability. I have thus seen a rise in projects aimed at generating returns through means such as value-added proposals.

We are also mindful of emphasizing the profitability of projects in the International Business segment. Moreover, an understanding with regard to portfolio transformation is taking hold at the Tokyo head office. However, it is not so easy to promote this understanding among the employees working at overseas subsidiaries and affiliates. Such employees have the important mission of focusing on their sales activities to get their numbers up. We therefore need to strike a balance while transforming our existing businesses to improve profitability. So, I think it will take some time for the benefits of this approach to appear in the numbers.

I feel that we are making progress when it comes to human resource and organizational transformation. Tokyo Century offers an incredibly robust range of training and other human resource support systems. The range of this support really lets you know just how serious Tokyo Century is about improving the value of its people. As for digital transformation, I think it is important for everyone to visualize the ultimate goals to be achieved through digital transformation. By doing so, people should then discuss how they want to use digital technologies to address a specific issue. This would make it easier to clearly identify the steps needing to be taken to proceed.

I agree. In addition to digital transformation, Tokyo Century is promoting green transformation. I understand that both types of transformation are important to Tokyo Century’s growth. What we probably need to do next is to help everyone incorporate both digital and green transformation into their work and recognize them as familiar and close-at-hand concepts. If people often think about how these types of transformation can be applied to their specific work, they will come to understand just how they relate to them. This process will help these concepts to become entrenched on the front lines.

When it comes to chasing our ambitions together with customers and partners, it is not enough for Tokyo Century to just provide funds. This is why I work with the customer or partner to try to identify and address the root cause of the management issues they face. As we also have different areas of expertise, communication and exhaustive discussion can help realize benefits greater than the sum of their parts. This can, in turn, contribute to earnings for Tokyo Century. I am currently being seconded to a private equity fund. There, I work together with investees on a daily basis to identify and resolve each of their issues with regard to their management systems and business models. My goal is to help them become companies capable of ongoing growth so that they can create economic benefits for their stakeholders. It is important to closely monitor the issues faced by the management and employees of investees and to constantly think of the solutions Tokyo Century can provide to address these issues while continuing to work to foster mutually beneficial win-win relationships.

My approach is similar to that of Mr. Kimizu. I devote my efforts to building trusting relationships with our customers. Just meeting with customers frequently does not suffice; we have to grasp customers’ needs at an early stage and propose solutions to them from a variety of angles. This approach can enable us to learn something new about one another or help flesh out discussions on the next step we should take. I like to focus on maintaining such relationships as they can lead to new possibilities. When we base our actions on Tokyo Century’s partnership strategy, we are able to make convincing proposals to customers that involve various teams, which can broaden the scope of our activities. This is a unique element of Tokyo Century’s competitive edge, and something I want to broadcast more.

When working with overseas subsidiaries and affiliates to partner with local companies, I try to propose strategies that are appealing to both sides. Sometimes, I will research industry trends to determine what local partners we can work with to grow the business of both the partner and also Tokyo Century. I may also formulate hypotheses about the issues or needs a prospective partner might have by reading their website or disclosed materials. These are some aspects of my approach toward collaborating with overseas subsidiaries and affiliates.

The Automobility segment develops a lot of businesses that are closely linked to end users. This is why I always try to go about my work while remaining cognizant of the principle of market-oriented thinking advocated by Senior Managing Executive Officer Masato Osugi, who is president of the Automobility Business Development Unit. Finding hints for new businesses requires that we look into what kinds of issues are faced in the market and think about what partner would be best to help us tackle these issues. Understanding market needs is paramount to our business and something I always try to be mindful of. I, of course, sometimes consider tackling new challenges together with partners. However, I try to never forget that the onus is mainly on us at Tokyo Century to tackle said challenges.

I really feel that I am making progress in the career path I had envisioned while tackling numerous challenges along the way. I want to use the platform that is Tokyo Century to continue to grow as a person, and I do not just mean by acquiring new skills or knowledge; I aspire to become someone with whom people enjoy working, someone who people regard as creative and innovative.

My goals are not that lofty; I just want to be involved in a business that helps address social issues, which will allow me to get the sense that Tokyo Century and I are helping make the world a better place. In my work, I hope to focus on making Tokyo Century a company that partners feel is beneficial to work with and on becoming someone deemed valuable by society. However, I still need to study a lot of specialized fields and increase my own skills and personal magnetism in order to accomplish my goals.

Rather than thinking about what I want to do, I adopt the perspective of how I can contribute to society. Specifically, I am motivated in my work by a desire to create a society in which driving or owning a car can make people’s lives happier and more fulfilling. Recently, younger people have been moving away from cars, and society has been changing in a way that makes purchasing and owning a car less appealing as an option. I therefore want to help Tokyo Century create products and services that make cars something more familiar to such people and which increase the levels of happiness and satisfaction they feel in their daily lives. I also hope to become someone who can lead efforts to create such products and services. For the time being, my goal is to contribute to the vision of becoming the top mobility service company in Japan laid out in Medium-Term Management Plan 2027.

My goal is similar to that of Mr. Koike; I want to develop my career in a manner that involves me in businesses that make people’s lives more fulfilling and the economy more enriched. The spread of QR code payments, for example, is changing society in a way that makes it possible to provide highly convenient services for people who previously could not get a bank account or credit card. I therefore see significant potential for Tokyo Century to use its strengths in financial services to develop businesses that create such value and to contribute to the resolution of social issues in this way. I am committed to working hard in my day-to-day tasks to ensure that I can shape my career in the manner I have described.