for any
It has great power that cannot be ignored
Former Director and CFO of Zensho Holdings Co., Ltd.
Takemi Kaneko
Started on June 1, 2022, "any" is a Japanese future co-creation project in an era where 6.9 working people can support one young person. We asked Mr. Takemi Kaneko, an individual partner, about his reasons for participating in Project Any.
Takemi Kaneko
After graduating from Hitotsubashi University Faculty of Commerce in 1974, engaged in finance and accounting at Marubeni Corporation. After that, he served as CFO of Marubeni Europe Plc. After that, after working as a house maker, he joined as an individual partner in 2022.
Strongly resonates with the idea that 6.9 members of society support one young person
—— Please tell us why you joined any
I am thinking more about the declining birthrate and aging population than usual. Many of the baby-boom generation are now in the late-stage elderly, the population pyramid is distorted, and various social issues such as the pension burden problem are burdening the working generation. I'm over 70 years old, so I'm on the side of enjoying the benefits, but I'm worried about whether I'll be okay as it is. After the collapse of the bubble economy, if the income of society as a whole improves as it did in the past 30 years, it may be possible to increase the burden on the working generation. I've been thinking about it. I am very grateful for the supremacy of silver in today's Japan, but I think that if we don't do something now, it will surely burst somewhere, and I am very sympathetic to the concept of "6.9 people supporting one young person" by Project Any. decided to participate.
Change the organization from the bottom up, not from the top down
—— What is needed to solve the problems of the declining birthrate and aging society?
One way to break through this sense of stagnation in Japan is to improve management so that companies can steadily generate sales. However, in recent years, the manager's vessel has become smaller. Due to the excessive emphasis on securing short-term profits, personnel expenses are strongly pushed out, and salaries do not rise. Companies have to develop human resources, but there has been a rapid increase in dispatch and non-regular employees, which is convenient for companies. As a result, companies are rife with systems that do not allow them to take full advantage of their potential. Rather than downsizing management like this, companies should think more about increasing sales by turning the recorded profit into external investment and human resource investment.
Against this background, it seems that young people today are in a state of not having confidence in the future. Unable to imagine what the Japanese economy will look like in 10 years time, it seems that people have become closed-minded and have lost confidence in themselves. As I mentioned earlier, it would be nice if the top-down mindset could be changed and changed top-down, but that would be difficult. Although some large companies are trying to implement major management reforms, I think most of them are in a state of sideways scrutiny. We will not start by waiting for something to change from above.
While young employees are unable to envision their future prospects and dreams, through MENTOR WORKOUT*, employees in their 20s are encouraged to think, “This is what I want to do!” and “Let’s do what suits me!” If there is no environment in the company that can make it come true, you should quit. Awareness of proactively choosing among young people will spread, and a constructive flow of human resources will begin. By doing so, I hope that management will think about what is happening within their company, create a bottom-up flow that will make them more proactive in investing in human resources, and change the company. From now on, it will be important for each individual to live their own life, and it is necessary for young people to communicate this, rather than simply accepting employment relationships that are presented from above. I thought that there was "any" as an opportunity for that development, so I participated.
*MENTOR WORKOUTis an external interview service for cultivating autonomous human resources specializing in employees in their 20s developed as a service for companies
Any has great power that cannot be ignored
—— How was your experience with any life?
Compared to when I was a university student, my honest impression is that I think more about myself and make important decisions based on that. It is wonderful that you are already aware of the question of who you are, or that you are given such a task and are able to think about it. People who can say, "I am this kind of person," have increased endurance against various things. When you face something different from yourself, you can think for yourself and move on to the next path, and you will be less likely to waver.
I feel that as the “any” movement spreads and grows in society, it will become a powerful force that cannot be ignored. I feel that much power for the service "any".
—— At the “any MEETUP EVENT” held on November 30, 2022 (Wednesday), you had a discussion with students who are actually participating in any. was it there?
Meeting everyone who participated in any stimulated something inside me, and now that I am over 70 years old, I have resumed studying English. People around me questioned why I am still studying, but it was because I felt that I wanted to improve my own maturity once again by being exposed to any students.
any is a space where educational institutions can mutually enhance each other
—— Any plays a role that was once played by educational institutions. What do you think about its relationship with educational institutions?
In our time, it was difficult for students to feel the usefulness of how lectures that were almost anything, such as philosophy, were related to actual society, and their motivation to study hard was low. However, now everyone is looking for something like that, and if each person realizes that one clue is in any or such lectures, it will be very attractive. And I think that any should supplement the parts that educational institutions such as universities cannot handle. For example, feedback from people who have actually gone out into the world, discussions with other university students and global human resources. Universities can't do that much, so I think it would be good if we could work together with the university to create growth opportunities.
The best way to predict your future is to create it.
—— Finally, please give a message to any students and next-generation talent.
Samurai actively experienced martial arts training and other styles of competition in order to break out of their shells and to learn and develop their abilities. I hope that you will not be limited to the narrow world of the university, but will not hesitate to discuss with people who belong to completely different societies, learn about your own strengths and weaknesses, and break out of your shell.
The number of places for discussion where various opinions are exchanged decreases with age. When I go to the board of directors of a large company, there are only people who do not express dissenting opinions, which creates a sense of conjecture. When corporate scandals occur, they don't even put them on the agenda. I hope that you will send out the thoughts you believe in, not just assumptions.
And to that end, even if it's vague, draw your own dream and talk about it. That way, you can set your own direction and create it yourself. I look forward to your success.
