◆◇ AOTS E-Newsletter ◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

30 April 2026

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<Index>
1. Management Training in Japan (Subsidized program)
2. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies

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1. Management Training in Japan (Subsidized program)
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Applications for the following course are now open! Don't miss out on this great opportunity!.

1) Program for All Countries [Language: English]

(1)The Executive Program on Corporate Management [EPCM].
Widen your perspectives and upgrade your performance as an executive through high level discussions utilizing the Case Method.

Duration: From 2 September to 15 September 2026.
Place: AOTS Tokyo Kenshu Center (Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan).

How to apply: Applications will be accepted via AOTS Alumni Societies. Please contact the closest one.
https://www.aots.jp/en/alumni/about/

Please visit AOTS website for more info.
https://www.aots.jp/en/what-we-do/hrd/management/subsidized/list-of-courses/

FAQ for Management Programs.
https://www.aots.jp/en/what-we-do/hrd/management/subsidized/list-of-courses/faq/

Inquiry: AOTS Overseas Cooperation Group I
E-mail: shouhei-au@aots.jp
Tel: +81-(0)3-3888-8256

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2. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies
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Many of the training tours in Japan conducted by AOTS each year include visits to training facilities or memorial halls where participants can learn about the management philosophies left behind by Konosuke Matsushita and Kazuo Inamori and the backgrounds to them. In fact, both of these men wanted to pass on their personal management approaches to the next generation of successors and future young people intending to start their own businesses. The words and writings they left behind were taken up by later generations, leading to the situation we see today.

People's lives come to an end, but businesses can last forever if their foundations are strong. Business succession is not just about transferring management rights; passing on the management philosophy that is the core of a company's identity is the key factor that determines whether sustainable growth of the business will continue.

I believe there are various ways to keep passing on a company's management philosophy across many generations. One of those is to put the philosophy in writing and visualize it. However, this is of no use if it is merely a slogan. It is therefore essential to document the founder's vision underlying the philosophy and the historical context for it as well. Telling the story of "why this philosophy was created" will bring it to life.

At this point, I would like to mention the example of a Japanese SME called Hardlock Industry Co., Ltd.
The company's founder realized that ideas make people happy after seeing adults enjoying tools that he invented as a child based on his original ideas.

While some of his many subsequent inventions failed, through his experience of learning from those failures and continuing to work hard without giving up, he gave society the "world's strongest nut that never loosens." He was a person who wanted to keep providing "Safety & Peace of Mind" to various people who had problems because of screws coming loose. The management philosophy that he advocated was the "spirit of altruism."

The current president, who took over management of the business from the founder, decided to make a book of his life story and publish it. The purpose was to help all the company's employees gain a deeper understanding of his management philosophy by letting them vicariously experience his life. The publication of the biography was a success, and although the founder has now passed away, his philosophy remains deeply ingrained in all the employees, who uphold its principles. What's more, it has also moved people outside the company who read the book, laying the foundation for Hardlock Industry Co., Ltd. to be relied on as a world-leading enterprise with unique technology－even though it is only an SME.

Note: I previously talked about the founder of Hardlock Industry Co., Ltd. in this column from 2022 to 2024.

To be continued in the next edition.

Rikio Suma, Author

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