The 100 Most Influential People for Japan (1)

The October 29 issue of Nikkei Business carried a long feature on with the English title “The Most Influential

People for Japan” and a (more compelling) Japanese title-- 次代を創る100人--(“the one hundred people creating the next generation”).  The feature puts the 100 persons into categories—“revolutionist,” creator, hero, leader, thinker, newcomer, decider—and presents short bio sketches of each written not by the magazine’s staff, but by well-known figures in Japan or abroad who know the subjects and may have worked with them professionally.

In this and coming posts I will present some of these persons.  Whither Japan readers will be familiar with a few of them, but very likely will be learning of most for the first time.  I’ll keep with Nikkei Business’ categorization.  Since this is Forbes, I’ll overweight the entrepreneurs and business leaders.　For the English names, I’ll reverse the Japanese surname/given name order as is usually done in foreign publications.

Revolutionist:

Masayoshi Son (孫正義), CEO of Softbank (SFTBY:OTC US).  Son is a third generation ethnic Korean who, according to the bio sketch, grew up amid the stench of pig manure and bootlegged sake in a Korean village in Saga prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu.  At one time he took a Japanese name, Yasumoto Masayoshi, but reverted to his Korean name when he naturalized as a Japanese citizen.  Son is now one of the richest men in Japan.  He has built one its most famous and successful companies through relentless, aggressive growth-seeking risk-taking, while keeping to a vision of an internet-connected world.  His newest and boldest move is the US$ 20 billion acquisition of Sprint-Nextel in the U.S.

Hirokazu Nakaima (仲井眞弘多), governor of Okinawa prefecture.   In Japan the great psychological divide is pre- and post-WWII.  On the island of Okinawa, the site of the Futenma U.S. Marine base, as well as five other bases, occupying over 20% of the land area, a sense of post-WWII has yet to arrive.  Though conflicted, because of the economic benefits it showers on the island, most of Okinawa’s one million citizens hate and fear the U.S. military presence.  Nakaima has been a strong representative for his constituents, whether it on the question of relocation of Futenma, the deployment of the accident-prone Osprey aircraft, or repeated incidents of violent misconduct of American servicemen.

Shinichiro Ito (伊東信一郎), CEO of All Nippon Airways (ANA) (ALNPY: OTC US).  The writer of the sketch, W. James McNerney, Jr., chairman and CEO of Boeing, when he first met Ito was immediately attracted by the man’s sharp eyes.  Like Son, Ito grew up in Kyushu and is endowed with the strength and spirit that distinguishes its sons.  Ito is a powerful and visionary leader whose continuing success in the “war in skies” of the aviation industry has long distinguished ANA, not least from the now back from bankruptcy JAL.  Needless to say, McNerney is delighted that Ito’s vision for ANA continuing expansion includes a large fleet of Boeing’s Dreamliner 787 aircraft, the first of which was delivered to ANA in September 2011.

Creator:

Eiko Harada (原田泳幸), chairman and CEO, McDonald’s Japan.  Harada has emerged as one of the highest profile and influential executives in Japan.  In his current role since 2004, and as CEO of Apple Computer Japan before, Harada has proven a master of the fundamental Drucker management skills of marketing and innovation.   Decisiveness and quick action distinguish his leadership style.  At 63, Harada still runs marathons, keeping in touch with the tastes of the younger generation.

Daisuke Okada（岡田大介）, managing director, Marubeni Corporation (PINK: MARUY).  Japan’s general trading companies have traditionally shouldered the task of sourcing food and raw materials for its residents and industries, while finding overseas markets for Japan’s exports.  China, both as a source of resource imports, and, particularly, as a market requiring imports—not just from Japan, but from around the world--has been a strategic focus for the sogo shosha for the past twenty years.  As the leader of Marubeni’s food grain business, Okada years ago saw that China’s appetite for food grains and animal feed would explode as incomes rose and diets changed.  His strategic move to ensure that Marubeni is a major supplier was this year’s US$3.6 billion acquisition of the third largest U.S. grain trader Gavilon.

Hero:

Takeshi Niinami (新波剛史), CEO of Lawson (TSE: 2651).  Lawson one of Japan several major convenience stores chains, ubiquitous not only domestically, but increasingly in other Asian countries, particularly in Shanghai through a joint venture.  Niinami earns the hero designation through the innovations he has brought to convenience store operations, essentially creating a new business model, now including shops specializing in natural foods, produce and fixed price small items.

In future posts, more profiles of “The Most Influential People for Japan.”