I want to wish all of you a very happy New Year. I hope that you have enjoyed a restful and peaceful New Year’s holiday.
Throughout last year, we saw gradual changes to our daily lives, which have been constricted for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our company also saw an increase in the number of people travelling abroad or coming to visit Japan, and it feels as if things are returning, albeit gradually, to how they were before the pandemic.
Due to the pandemic, work-from-home systems and staggered working hours have become commonplace. Using the web to participate in online meetings and the like has become dramatically more prevalent. At our company, we would like to continue these kinds of positive changes to our working style. I believe these changes will also have great value as efforts for diversity in the future. In the past, efforts for diversity often emphasized “women’s active engagement,” but policies are now shifting towards creating a world where it is easy for “all people” to work, without boundaries of gender, age and the like. I believe that promoting the acquisition of parental leave for men is part of that. The requisition rate of parental leave for men at our company is already over 30%, and there are also many cases of employees using staggered or shortened working hours. We will continue to further promote efforts this year, in order to become a company where everyone wants to work regardless of their gender, age, nationality, and individual characteristics.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has also made us think deeply about “peace” this past year. I believe that, at the core, “peace” requires “consideration for others.” While it may be something small, I believe that if each and every person holds that feeling, it can spread to those around us and lead to world peace. I myself hope to stay firmly aware of “consideration for others.”
Many young people with futures have lost their lives in the invasion of Ukraine, in the tragedy in Itaewon, South Korea, and in other events throughout the world. Queen Elizabeth, who was beloved throughout the world for a long time, also passed away. In Japan, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who held the record for longest administration, was killed in a shooting. There were also other people who made numerous accomplishments both in Japan and overseas that passed away this year. This includes Antonio Inoki, who inspired people around the world for many years, Kazuo Inamori, who gave many lessons to future generations both as a manager and a person, and Hanae Mori, who trail blazer for Japanese designers to work overseas. It was a year that makes us consider “what it means to live,” and “how we should live.”
Also, the Qatar World Cup is fresh in our memories. After an extremely close match, the Japanese team failed to advance to the quarterfinals. However, they accomplished the outstanding feat of defeating Germany and Spain to advance from the so-called “Group of Death” in 1st place, and gave us hope and inspiration. The current Japanese team has many players who play for the top overseas teams, and I believe each individual has fantastic technique. However, it was their manager, Hajime Moriyasu, who brought those individuals together to make a “team,” listened to the players, kept their motivation up, and used an outstanding strategy to grab victory. I believe we can say he is truly an image of the ideal modern-day leader.
For our company, this year marks the start of a new mid-term management plan, and I expect that it will bring significant changes to us as we aim for further growth. I also hope for us to put young people in charge of various projects as much as possible in order to achieve growth for the company as a whole. Last year, we reorganized our overseas locations and acquired their shares, and as a result, we rejuvenated our overseas subsidiaries. We also initiated a job posting system using in-house applications to decide postings to overseas subsidiaries from applications. Through this and more, I firmly believe that Team OMORI has become more robust.
While the flow of time is growing ever faster, I hope that our company can remain one that, based on the “Unwavering OMORI Spirits (Founder’s Soul),” is unafraid of change and responds flexibly in order to constantly contribute to the development of each individual. I thank you for your continued guidance and encouragement.
Lastly, I wish you all much happiness and development in the New Year.
I look forward to working together in the New Year as well.
CEO and President
Toshio Omori
