During my research concerning the company GGI (ジージーアイ), I came across a fascinating article 1 (in my opinion, obviously) in the July 1995 issue of Coin Journal magazine (page 136).
The central theme of the article is the life of Chōshirō Suzuki (鈴木長四郎). At the time of the interview, Chōshirō was the president of Human (ヒューマン) (a home video game maker). But what interests us here is that he was part of GGI and his role appears to have been significant.
To be honest, only a small portion of the article is of interest for better understanding what GGI was. We mainly learn that GGI was an intense environment, perhaps chaotic, but formative.
The article is a biography that begins with Chōshirō Suzuki's childhood and thus describes the different stages of his life. Chōshirō Suzuki would of course face many difficulties and adventures throughout his existence. Despite his doubts, he never gave up and overcame the trials. The narrative takes us up to the creation of Human and the establishment of the first video game creator training school. To conclude, Chōshirō Suzuki shares with us some thoughts and his vision of life. It's therefore a classic biography that follows an expected framework. But this doesn't diminish its interest and it's very well written.
Moreover, the article once again illustrates how Space Invaders introduced protagonists from the most diverse and varied backgrounds into the arcade game sector.
The article should normally have stopped there, on what is ultimately quite a flattering portrait of the protagonist. But surprisingly, it continues with a second biography, that of his son Takeshi Suzuki (鈴木剛嗣). This second part reveals a less brilliant side of Chōshirō Suzuki. He sacrificed his family to succeed in his professional life. Entrepreneurship in Japan in the 1970s/80s had a human cost, and Chōshirō's family paid the price. Takeshi Suzuki takes a harsh view of his father, but this view evolves as he grows up and forges his own path.
Does this justify posting the entirety of the 8 translated pages here? Of course not.
Amusement is My Calling
"Work is life itself. Challenging new worlds means living many times over."
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| Chôshirô Suzuki, President and Representative Director of Human |
This series, which has focused on tracing the footsteps of founding entrepreneurs in the amusement industry—particularly why they came to consider this field their calling—has already been running for a year, and this month marks what could be called our first anniversary edition. This time, we feature Mr. Chôshirô Suzuki (鈴木長四郎), President and Representative Director of Human Corporation (ヒューマン).
When people in the industry hear "Human," many immediately think of "school." This is because Human Corporation established and operates the "Human Creative School," the game industry's first technical training institution.
Founding entrepreneur Chôshirô Suzuki acknowledges that "we are certainly often viewed through that lens."
However, while this is true, it's also somewhat different from the complete picture. The company currently consists of four divisions: the HE (Home Entertainment) Division, the TA (Theme Amusement) Division, the Education Division, and the Facilities Division. But the company started with HE—Home Entertainment—and in the previous fiscal year, that division accounted for 70% of the company's 7 billion yen in sales. Additionally, while the company currently employs 300 people, the majority work in development. It can be said that this is a company that started with and continues to grow through the development of software for home and commercial use. However, the distinctive feature of operating an industry-specific training school in this field is undeniably significant. Moreover, in that sense, they are true pioneers. Why did the company decide to establish a school under its Education Division? This naturally becomes a key point in understanding Chôshirô Suzuki.
From Mischievous Boy to "Tough Rebel": A Dramatically Changing Home Environment from Childhood
Chôshirô Suzuki was born on March 9, 1941, in Ogu, Arakawa Ward, Tôkyô. Since both his parents were also born in Tôkyô, he is a true Tokyoite from the downtown area. From his son's perspective, his father Saburô (三郎) was "full of curiosity and an interesting person. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was quite unconventional."
Indeed, just hearing a bit about Saburo's career reveals hints of this unconventional description. He ran a fish shop at the fish market, switched to a fruit shop—he was someone who would try "anything." Perhaps he also had strong spiritual sensitivity, and in that regard as well, there's no shortage of anecdotes.
When Chôshirô was still young—as was common for children playing outside in those days—if he developed a swollen hand or something similar, his father would ask, "You urinated in that spot over there, didn't you?" When Chôshirô thought about it, he did indeed recall doing so. He would be made to go there with a bucket and brush and wash the ground and stones. As for the swelling on his hand, whether due to divine blessing or simply the passage of time, it would heal completely.
Also, while traveling, if Saburô recognized a stone inhabited by a deity, he would transport it home by truck and enshrine it in the garden. It's said that there are quite a few Jizo statues in the Ikebukuro area that Saburô erected.
"It was troublesome for those around him," Suzuki recalls.
Eventually, Saburô entered the priesthood at Shimosa Nakayama Temple, a famous temple of the Nichiren sect Nakayama branch headquarters in Chiba Prefecture. However, he passed away while still in his forties, when Chôshirô was in his first year of junior high school.
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| At age one. Together with his mother Yoneko (よね子) and his sister Akiko (明子) |
Saburo and his wife were blessed with seven children—three girls and four boys. As his name suggests, Chôshirô was the fourth son and the youngest child. Regarding the children's education, the parents were completely laissez-faire, essentially leaving them alone. His mother, Yoneko, was often away from home helping with her husband's business. She also had a gentle and kind personality, and partly because of this, young Chôshirô, who admits he did whatever he pleased every day, was naturally mischievous—a gang leader, active and extremely energetic. As he grew,
"Well, I suppose you could call me a tough rebel."
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| In third year of junior high school. At the Tama River |
Looking at Chôshirô Suzuki's rugged features, one can indeed imagine he made quite a name for himself back in the day.
Due to his father's varied career path, the family environment was constantly changing. The economic situation also shifted dramatically.
"Sometimes I was a starving kid, sometimes a pampered young master."
His circumstances changed abruptly in this fashion. The same was true for where he lived and the schools he attended. After entering Daiichi Jishu Elementary School in Ikebukuro, he transferred six times during those six years. He graduated from Tomigaya Elementary School in Shibuya Ward.
Afterwards, he entered Yoyogi Junior High School, graduated from there, and enrolled in Hôsei Daiichi High School.
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| During his time at Hosei Daiichi High School. At Meiji Shrine. Chôshirô is in the center |
In high school, he belonged to the mountaineering club, as he had loved mountains since around that time.
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| At Oze. A commemorative photo with close friends from high school. Chôshirô is seated in front. He loved mountains and belonged to the mountaineering club |
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| Chôshirô during his mountaineering club days |
Also, partly because his father Saburô passed away as mentioned earlier, the continuous transfers came to an end.
Dropping Out of University, Joining an Advertising Agency: Skilled Hands Lead to Independence
In 1959, he entered the Faculty of Sociology at Hôsei University.
The following year, in December, he dropped out of the university.
Suzuki doesn't say much about this, but at the time, student movements were raging, making it impossible to lead a normal university life.
"I have absolutely no good memories of it."
In March 1961, he joined Nihon Kôkoku Tsûshin (日本広告通信), an advertising agency. However,
"It started with carrying the department head's bag and doing odd jobs."
That's how his work at the agency began.
His main work involved producing television commercials, and during this period, Suzuki developed an interest in creating things and appears to have accumulated knowledge that would later flourish.
Eventually, however, he transferred to a department handling exhibitions and trade shows. And it was in this department that he discovered an unexpected ability, which would open the door to his next step.
At that time, with Japan's economic growth, exhibitions and trade fairs were proliferating, and accordingly, the demand for display and decoration was increasing. One of the largest sources of demand was the automobile industry. When displaying cars, carpets had to be laid on the floor, but at the time, there was a severe shortage of craftsmen who could do this. It was not uncommon for a single craftsman to handle all the carpet laying for an entire exhibition venue.
If the carpets weren't laid, the exhibition booth couldn't be completed. It was already time-sensitive work. Just waiting for the few available craftsmen to come to their company's booths wouldn't get the work done. So Suzuki decided to try laying the carpets himself. When he tried it by watching and imitating, he proved to be quite skilled at it.
"I was naturally dexterous," and he was also the type who becomes absorbed and enthusiastic about things. Soon,
"I became so good that people could leave the carpet laying to me."
One day, at an exhibition venue busy with decoration just before opening, a painter who saw Suzuki's work was amazed.
"You don't seem like an amateur at all. Shall I introduce you to a good company?"
Indeed, skills may help one succeed. Suzuki's carpet-laying ability, far beyond that of an amateur, had been recognized. And this would determine Suzuki's subsequent fate, prompting him to become independent and walk a new path that he would forge himself.
Establishing an Interior Company, But Bankruptcy Due to the Oil Shock
The painter introduced him to Nissô Construction (ニッソー建設), which was located in Kôenji at the time. When he visited, the company said they could start him working from the next day. At that time, skilled "craftsmen" were valuable everywhere.
Suzuki decided to work as a contractor for the company. He had transformed from a salaried employee at an advertising agency to a "carpet layer," and this marked the first step in building his own castle. It was September 1964.
The following year, in 1965, he established Suzuki Interior Corporation (鈴木インテリア), and his activities as an "interior contractor" began in earnest. And business flourished quite well. It coincided with Japan's period of high economic growth, and as mentioned earlier, demand for interiors increased—from exhibitions and trade shows to corporate and residential interiors.
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| Around the time he started as a carpet layer. This was the period when he became independent and began walking his own path |
However, the oil shock stood in the way of the smoothly progressing path of Suzuki Interior Corporation. Economic panic struck not only Japan but the entire world. At the time, the company had an office in Ochiai, Shinjuku Ward, and employed about thirty craftsmen. Severely affected by the second oil shock, the company faced bankruptcy in 19772.
Additionally, he suffered the misfortune of divorce, which was a double blow for Suzuki. He doesn't speak much about this either.
However, his two children have grown up admirably. His eldest son, Takeshi (剛嗣), currently serves as president of Human International Corporation (ヒューマン・インターナショナル), a local subsidiary the company established in Hong Kong, while his second son, Takatoshi (貴俊), works at a bank.
A Recharging Period Secluded in the Oze Mountains: Encountering Space Invaders
What Suzuki did next was quite unique.
"I secluded myself in the Oze mountains for almost a year."
Although he had always loved mountains, he lived alone in a lodge deep in the mountains owned by an Indian businessman he had met through his interior work.
"It was an enjoyable period when I often indulged in meditation."
However, life in a mountain lodge is actually quite busy. Just taking care of one's own affairs generates one task after another. But conversely, Suzuki began to find this insufficient. Perhaps it's typical of founding entrepreneurs, but he was a natural activist and also a hard worker.
The lodge was spacious, and it seemed too wasteful to have just one person living there while leaving the rest unused. The owner said there was no need to do anything, that he could stay as long as he liked, but perhaps also to better satisfy himself, Suzuki decided to bring guests to the lodge. He decided to become a "mountain lodge keeper." As it happened, the lodge was located near the Hotaka Olympia Ski Resort. If he could attract skiers, it should be profitable enough.
In fact, he reached out to university ski clubs and others, and the mountain lodge keeper got off to a smooth start. Also, because the basement of the lodge was spacious, he purchased a jukebox and turned it into a disco. At that time, discos themselves were still rare, and moreover, the all-you-can-drink-and-eat system for 2,000 yen was popular, resulting in full crowds on Saturdays and Sundays. The amateur-run mountain lodge was a huge hit.
This anecdote reveals a glimpse of Suzuki's foresight, but what caught his discerning eye was Space Invaders, which, since its release in 1978, had triggered a huge boom and rapidly accelerated the social recognition of video games. Taito Corporation had brought two machines to the lodge.
It was Suzuki's first experience "touching a game machine." And every day, he witnessed guests and local children playing Space Invaders with gleaming eyes.
Thinking About Future Business and Finding Employment: Learning About Amusement in a Concentrated World
In May, after the ski season ended, he closed the lodge and returned to Tôkyô. The life in the Oze mountain lodge had been a good recharging period, but "reintegrating into society" in the city proved quite difficult.
"I was a jack-of-all-trades, so I couldn't find work."
Moreover, Suzuki had received a powerful impression when thinking about future business. It was the world of amusement that Space Invaders had conveyed to him. He thought that this field might hold the most potential in the coming era.
Then, someone happened to introduce him, and he ended up joining GGI Corporation. Although the company no longer exists, many talented people who were there are still active in the industry today. For Suzuki, it was a company where he would learn about amusement from scratch.
"In both good and bad senses, it was a concentrated world, and I learned everything I could learn. There were difficult times, but looking back now, I think it was good."
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| During his game industry days. The training that would lead to his present began |
He also says it was a period when he gained various experiences and became stronger. When he arrived at Madrid Airport in Spain, it was right after the collapse of the Franco regime, and he had the experience of being removed from the plane at gunpoint. But by that time, Suzuki's nerves were sufficiently steeled, and he apparently remained calm.3
His overseas stays, including in Germany, were long.
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| One night during his stay in Germany. At a beer hall |
Furthermore, after leaving the company, he also had a position at Orca (オルカ) Corporation, which was the largest board manufacturer at the time. He belonged to the overseas business division and was particularly in charge of business with Korea.
At that time, the industry was certainly continuing rapid growth, spurred by the explosive growth of video games, but there was not yet a single publicly listed company, and it could not be said that social recognition was very high. It was also an industry marked by dramatic changes.
When that company went bankrupt, Suzuki decided to become independent and start walking a new path.
Establishing a Software Development Company: Aiming for Growth in the Consumer World
In December 1984, he established TRY Corporation (ティーアールワイ), set up an office in Gotanda, Tôkyô, and began operations. Yoshihiro Nakamura (仲村良廣), who had served as factory manager at his previous company, joined him. Nakamura currently serves as Managing Director and Head of the Home Entertainment Business Division at Human Corporation.
However, what they aimed for was not the arcade game field where he had accumulated experience, but rather the development of home game software.
"I disliked the game industry at that time, so I wanted to pioneer new territory. That's why I targeted the consumer world."
Certainly, it would have been easier to start with the familiar arcade games, but the game industry at that time, while beginning to attract public attention with its rapid growth, still retained many unknowable aspects.
The previous year, Nintendo had released its first Famicom. This completely new home gaming system felt promising as home entertainment, and Suzuki's challenging spirit of always wanting to tackle new fields further stirred his motivation.
Later, when amusement became established as a noteworthy new business—moreover, as one of the most rapidly growing businesses of the modern era—he also entered the arcade game field, which for Suzuki meant returning to the field where he had first learned.
The aforementioned TA Division is the department handling arcade game machines, while the Facilities Division is the department promoting the planning and development of amusement spaces.
Initially, his judgment to undertake home entertainment software development was certainly accurate. While growing the company he had established, he also participated in the management of Communicate Corporation (コミュニケート), which was struggling with stagnant performance, to provide leverage. He bought out the stock and eventually assumed the position of president and representative director.
Communicate had been contracting work for Nippon Columbia (日本コロンビア) and then Bandai (バンダイ), but when it had built up enough capability to develop original products, he changed the company name to the current Human Corporation. TRY Corporation, which is also the holding company, changed its corporate name to Field Corporation (フィールド) and continues to this day.
Slowing Sales Growth and Shortage of Engineers Lead to Decision to Establish a School
There is neither space here to describe in detail the subsequent development of the Human Group, nor is it the main purpose of this series.
However, what must absolutely be mentioned is the "school."
The Human Creative School was founded and opened in April 1990. Initially, it was a one-year Computer Game course, but coinciding with the completion of the new school building in 1992, it became a two-year program, and a one-year New Media Production & CG course was added. The following year, it was unified as a two-year Computer Game course, and currently, the number of students studying at the school reaches 550. Additionally, this April, a new Multimedia 3D Graphics course was added.
Although it seems to have followed a smooth path of development, Suzuki says,
"It was difficult until we were recognized."
Now, if you advertise as a game school, people gather, and social recognition is established, but at that time, social recognition of the field of games was still low. Therefore, initially, they put computers in the foreground, promoting the aspect of being a vocational school that trains computer technicians.
"Now, parents will send money even for game schools, but back then it was impossible."
In other words, the most difficult thing was providing material to persuade parents. While they were able to gather the target number of students from the first class,
"There was also the handicap of being an unaccredited school."
Now, game schools have become commonplace. However, there isn't a single one within the game industry itself, and he believes that later-established schools will have a hard time continuing.
"The teacher problem is significant. Unless you have your own development team."
And,
"In my case, necessity was the mother of invention—that's how the school was born."
At that time, the company's sales had reached 3 billion yen, but their growth was slowing. And for a company that started with software development, what determined its fate was excellent engineers, yet there was a critical shortage of the very engineers they needed.
Even when recruiting, it was difficult to gather people. Even when they finally secured personnel and trained them, once they learned the work after about a year, they often quit. In-company education is the same as school education. In that case, wouldn't it be better to simply make it a school organization for education?
"Since we're receiving tuition, after graduation, whether they join our company or go elsewhere doesn't matter."
Moreover, this should also lead to powering up the entire industry.
"I consulted with various people, but everyone said it was impossible. In that case, I'll do it myself."
However, that determination was difficult, he says. Naturally, it was a business that the industry's pioneers and major figures unanimously said was impossible. But engineers were absolutely necessary for the company to grow. The spirit of challenging new fields that he had also demonstrated at other times was Suzuki's forte, and perhaps it was the bloodline inherited from his father Saburo.
Japan's first game school has become the signboard of both the company and Chôshirô Suzuki, and has also become an important point in terms of credibility.
A Steady Management Philosophy and the Spirit of Taking on New Challenges
Although it's now completely established, the company was also the first in the industry to attach royalties to the software they developed. Naturally, there was significant resistance at first. However, it is also true that attaching royalties to software, which is a product of technical skill and ideas, brings benefits to both manufacturers and software development companies.
At the Human Creative School, they implement a student work commercialization project, working to commercialize outstanding works every year. They also hold the "Human Computer Entertainment Contest," putting effort into making it a gateway for computer entertainment.
While constantly challenging new things, the company's policy is also extremely steady and methodical.
Suzuki says,
"Rather than aiming for a large score with a single home run, I want to go with an accumulation of hits."
The hit product the company has developed so far is "Fire Pro Wrestling," which has currently been released up to Version V.
However, based on steady management, continuing to explore new directions is also Suzuki's basic stance and life philosophy. Because,
"Work is life itself. I want to challenge new things."
By challenging new things one after another, he can live his life many times over.
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| In the Philippines. Second from the right, holding a bag, is Chôshirô. The faces of Video System Corporation (ビデオシステム) President Kôji Furukawa (古川晃司) and System Service Corporation (システムサービス) President Hayao Satô (佐藤隼夫) can also be seen |
By the way, Suzuki's hobby is said to be glassblowing. It goes beyond the realm of mere hobby, and together with his wife Chizuko, whom he married ten years ago, and their daughter Hiroko, they have a workshop at their villa in Kiyosato. It's a full-scale setup with a gallery on the first floor, the workshop on the second floor, and living quarters on the third floor. Located in front of the Kitazawa Museum of Art, it's called the "Kiyosato Glass Workshop."
At first glance, it might seem like an unexpected hobby, but Suzuki is originally the type who is interested in making things, is dexterous, and is filled with creative desire to constantly challenge new things. Thinking about it that way, it seems like a completely fitting hobby for a founding entrepreneur in the amusement industry.
Speaking About My Father
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| Takeshi Suzuki |
As a child I resented him, but now I respect him—he's the greatest rival I must catch up to and surpass
A childhood of being completely neglected: "To be honest, I resented him"
As mentioned earlier, his eldest son Takeshi4, who currently serves as president of the company's Hong Kong subsidiary, says he had almost no interaction with his father Chôshirô during childhood. Even so, he retains memories from early childhood of driving with his car-loving father to the Tama River and Okutama areas with his younger brother Takatoshi, who is two years his junior.
When Takeshi was in first grade of elementary school, his parents divorced, and the brothers came to be raised by Akiko (明子), Chôshirô elder sister directly above him, and their grandmother Yoneko (よね子), who lived with them. This was a period when Chôshirô, after his recharging period, had found a new path to independence and was working even more busily than before. The two brothers grew up in an environment without their parents. Because of this, especially Takeshi became attached to his grandmother Yoneko and was literally
"Grandma's boy."
He would even carry his grandmother, whose body was gradually failing her, and help her into the bath. She was a kind grandmother. When Yoneko passed away, Chôshirô finally returned from his business trip on the evening of the wake.
Also, when Takeshi was forced into a three-month hospital stay due to a serious illness, his father Chôshirô was staying in Germany and did not return to Japan. The children were completely neglected. Takeshi says,
"To be honest, I resented him. Because he wasn't fulfilling his duties as a father."
After the death of Yoneko, who had doted on him and been his emotional support, Takeshi became rebellious about everything. Even without such circumstances, he was at the age of rebellion. But,
"If I'm being truthful, maybe I wanted to be pampered by my father back then."
His desire to be pampered was not satisfied. After commercial high school, he was supposed to become a working member of society, but the path Takeshi took when he left home was that of a truck driver. Although he had always liked cars and driving, he continued that job, which he kept secret from his father, for about a year. The lively and vital Takeshi seems to have enjoyed his work quite a bit during that period.
"I got into quite a few fights too."
However, eventually his father found out, and he was forced to return home. That said, with the resentment from childhood still remaining, there was no way he could obediently listen to what his father said, and he was rebellious about everything. In the midst of various exchanges, when an angered Chôshirô tried to hit his son, Takeshi instinctively grabbed his father's arm and twisted it back. Takeshi had continued judo until he dislocated and injured his shoulder, and is a sportsman who loves surfing.
At that moment, with his arm restrained, Chôshirô quietly said,
"Ah, I'm no match for you anymore."
The feelings of a father contained in those words suddenly touched his son's heart. It was also the first moment when father and son's feelings connected.
Wishing to work in Asia, training abroad, and finally becoming president of the Hong Kong subsidiary
Takeshi, who wished to work on the Asian stage, was placed with his father's friend's confectionery factory. It was, so to speak, the beginning of his training. However, the destination he went to would likely have a major influence on Takeshi's subsequent way of life. It was Cebu Island in the Philippines. It was right when the Marcos regime had collapsed, and it was also an island with active guerrilla activity.
"There was gunfire every night, but I got used to it eventually."
The factory made candy. Takeshi himself worked in that operation, but his father's friend was the manager of that corporate group and a wealthy overseas Chinese businessman. Takeshi's personality was such that he felt closer kinship and affinity with the workers there, and being treated as the same privileged class as the management apparently didn't sit well with him.
Afterwards, he crossed over to the mainland for the work of establishing a new confectionery factory in Shenzhen. The region was undergoing rapid development as China's special economic zone, but at that time it was still just a wasteland spread out like a burnt field, a place with virtually nothing. He became friends with the local public security police officers and went out to various places with them.
However, the work that started from nothing was quite difficult, and he "became thin like a skeleton." This was when Takeshi, born on September 16, 1967, was still around 20 years old.
Then afterwards, he went to Hawaii and studied English at the ESL program at the University of Hawaii. It was 1989. For Takeshi, who originally loved the ocean, it was an enjoyable period. He became friends with a teacher he had once clashed with during class, and greatly enjoyed his stay in Hawaii.
After finishing his stay in Hawaii, he returned to Japan and worked as a salesman at Human Corporation. However, he was soon transferred to HAL Laboratory (ＨＡＬ研究所) in Oregon, USA. Oregon is also a state famous for its beautiful nature. There, he was doted on by the laboratory's owner and was often taken on outdoor leisure activities.
After returning to Japan, after serving one year as section chief of the Sound Section in the company's New Media Research Laboratory, a discussion arose about transferring to an affiliated company in San Francisco, but Takeshi expressed his desire saying, "If so, I want to go to Hong Kong." This was because Asia would be important from now on, and his desire to work on the Asian stage had grown stronger.
Now I respect my father—he's the greatest rival I must surpass
A year has passed since then. Takeshi, who says his business achievements are still yet to come, says of his father Chôshirô,
"Now I respect him. I respect him very much."
Since starting to work at his father's company, he has had many opportunities to meet various people. Naturally, they are people who know his father well. And,
"They're devoted to my father and cooperate with him wholeheartedly."
He witnesses this every day. Also, his father Chôshirô associates with people by believing in them to the very end. That conviction and those relationships of trust are one of the reasons he has come to respect him as a son.
Once, Chôshirô said,
"Even if there are 100 employees, those for whom I must bear managerial responsibility are not just those 100 people."
Married employees naturally have wives and children as well. Takeshi says of those words,
"I kind of fell for him there."
At the same time, he imagined that his father might be starving for "family gatherings." He also wondered if his father might be thinking of making up for the past period when he was too busy and neglected his children.
However, his father Chôshirô is shy and inarticulate—"there's a gentle side to him," but he's the type who cannot express that in words or actions.
Takeshi says he has no intention of returning to Japan to work for the foreseeable future, or perhaps ever. Indeed, even from knowing just a glimpse of Takeshi's qualities and vitality, one feels that he could never be contained in Japan as it heads toward a mature society. And when considering the future prospects of business, Asia should occupy an important position going forward. As a founding entrepreneur, there's no way Chôshirô doesn't see what his son intends. However, when Takeshi conveyed his determination to his father, Chôshirô response was just one word:
"I see." And he seemed somewhat lonely.
"Now I just have to do it. I'll definitely make it big," Takeshi continues. The greatest rival he must catch up to and surpass is,
"After all, my father."
Messages between father and son
Recently, they say they don't meet face-to-face very often again. In fact, the interview with Takeshi was conducted in Hong Kong. So, perhaps as a digression or perhaps as unnecessary concern, I would like to mediate messages from son to father and from father to son.
Recently, when Takeshi occasionally meets his father face-to-face, he sometimes feels "he's gotten old." Behind that thought is probably the wish that "I want him to take care of his health soon." Also, perhaps because of the advantage of being able to observe from a distance,
"Even regarding management, there are aspects that work because he's the founder. But aren't there many elements that need to be improved and reformed going forward?"
As is clear from the description thus far, Takeshi seems to have a personality that makes him beloved by his elders. Chôshirô also has much experience maintaining long relationships with those older than himself. In that sense, father and son possess common qualities.
Even in Hong Kong, Takeshi says he associates with older businessmen who have been in the area for a long time as if they were brothers, and receives their help both publicly and privately. This must be a great strength even in business that started completely from zero. In his conversation, phrases like these come out one after another:
"I hate lies. I say everything clearly. I want to do things properly. I value my seniors."
Perhaps this is one of the reasons he is beloved by his elders. However,
"Because I speak my mind clearly, I'm often called impudent."
His father Chôshirô says,
"Value people who give you opinions that are hard to hear. From now on, you'll be deceived by people and you'll experience failures. I hope you'll use those experiences to grow."
That is his greatest wish and expectation for his son, whom he sent to Hong Kong and who is working hard there.
1. Thanks to CRV, from the GDRI website for introducing me to this article. ↑
2. Small inconsistency in the text. The second oil shock occurred in 1979, not 1977. ↑
3. General Franco died in 1975. The transition to democracy took place without violence. However, nostalgic supporters of the Franco regime attempted a coup d'état on February 23-24, 1981. These may be the events to which Chōshirō Suzuki is alluding. ↑
4. The given name 剛嗣 can be read in different ways. Without certainty, I chose the most probable reading, namely Takeshi. ↑
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