Atsushi Sawa, Representative Director and CEO, Bike King & Company, Inc.

2026.09.26

Bringing motorcycles closer to you. Enjoying them for longer.　

■ Profile
He joined IK Corporation (now Bike King & Company) in September 1998. In July 1999, he was appointed Sales Manager. Subsequently, he held positions such as Head of Corporate Planning Office, Head of Corporate Management Office, Head of President's Office, Head of Planning Division, and Head of Marketing Strategy Department. In 2017, he became Executive Officer in charge of the Bike Life Planning Division, in 2021, Director and Executive Officer in charge of the Bike Life Planning Division, and in 2024, Representative Director and CEO.

Bike King & Company, Inc. is a company that operates a wide range of businesses, from buying, servicing, selling, and renting used mobility vehicles, primarily motorcycles. As I delved into the appeal of Bike King and its future prospects with CEO Sawa, I felt his passionate desire to "help people continue riding motorcycles for a long time through this business."

■I entered this industry because I wanted to make the motorcycle industry a better place.

My family and relatives all ride motorcycles, and I myself have always loved riding them. Unlike cars, motorcycles allow you to directly experience the rain, wind, and the scents of the seasons. I think that being able to experience these sensations is a major appeal of motorcycles.
After graduating from high school, I worked in the hotel industry for about a year. At that time, the motorcycle industry was a very attractive place for regular customers and those who were knowledgeable about motorcycles, but I think it could also feel a little intimidating for people who had just gotten their licenses or were visiting a shop for the first time.
As someone who loves motorcycles, I felt that "we could make the industry more accessible and enjoyable for more people." I thought that if I could contribute even a little to making the motorcycle industry better by entering it, I could find great value in it. That's what led me to enter the motorcycle industry.
During that time, I interviewed for a position at a company run by Yoshihiro Kato, one of our company's founders, and I found that his ideas and mine resonated very strongly with mine. That was a major reason why I decided to join the company. That company is now Bike King & Company.

■ Mission after joining the company

When I first joined the company, my biggest mission was to expand our stores throughout Japan. I traveled all over the country, visiting places like Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and in the Kanto region, Kawasaki and Hachioji. There were days when I couldn't go home, but that's how much effort I put into expanding our stores.
Furthermore, the founder at the time had a major goal: to take the company public. While the company was putting a lot of effort into its sales department, its administrative departments, such as accounting, finance, human resources, and general affairs, were not yet fully established.
Therefore, in order to achieve the goal of listing on the stock exchange, I moved from sales to business planning. What both store expansion and IPO preparations had in common was the goal of making the company one that would be recognized to a certain extent by the public.
Of course, the process of going public required us to re-examine our traditional ways of thinking and systems. There were times of confusion and conflict during the transformation process, and it was by no means an easy road.
Nevertheless, I believe these reforms were necessary to improve the company and the motorcycle industry as a whole. That's why we've been able to push forward until now.

■ We operate a business centered around motorcycles, from purchasing to selling and renting.

Our company focuses on mobility, particularly motorcycles. Specifically, we handle a wide range of services, from purchasing motorcycles from customers to servicing, selling, and renting the motorcycles we acquire.
In the motorcycle industry, it's common for motorcycle shops to acquire motorcycles by bidding on them at auctions. However, at Bike King, we can acquire motorcycles directly from customers through our buyback program. This is one of our major strengths.
By acquiring vehicles directly from customers, we can more easily understand their condition and background. This allows us to offer vehicles that we can recommend with greater confidence.
One of the reasons why customers choose Bike King as their buyer is that we have taken on all the tasks that customers might find troublesome.
Buying something is often a joyous event. On the other hand, selling something can sometimes feel like a hassle due to the procedures involved. That's why we've created our value by taking on the burdensome procedures and inconveniences for our customers, including through services like on-site purchases.
Furthermore, we want to build long-term relationships with our customers, not just a one-time purchase or sale, but one that includes after-sales service. This stems from my own desire for our customers to continue riding their motorcycles for a long time.
In "Tokuteko," our online store for specific small mopeds, which we launched in July of this year, we are working to compensate for the concerns about support systems, which are a weakness of mobility e-commerce, by providing high-quality after-sales service, so that our customers can use our services with peace of mind for a long time.

■The future of the motorcycle industry

While the motorcycle industry is affected by population decline and aging, we believe it's not a uniformly shrinking market. Certainly, there's a declining trend in practical demand, particularly for 50cc and above motorcycles. However, according to statistics from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the number of motorcycles owned (51cc and above) is increasing. Furthermore, interest in touring and recreational motorcycle lifestyles remains strong.
Furthermore, there are segments of the population—younger people, women, returning riders, and those who don't yet own a motorcycle—that can be targeted to create new demand depending on how we connect with them. In other words, I believe the motorcycle market is not a market to be pessimistic about, but rather a market where we can still deliver value to many people.
There are many people who have never ridden a motorcycle before, those who want to ride again after a long break, and those who may become interested in the future. That's why, in order to make further progress, the motorcycle industry itself needs to have a higher level of hospitality and be more attentive to its users.
I believe that by doing so, we can guide the entire motorcycle industry in a better direction.
Furthermore, collaboration across the entire industry is crucial for market growth. To improve the quality of our services, we believe it's necessary to support our customers by cooperating with each other rather than trying to undermine each other.
We are considering expanding our business not only domestically but also internationally. There are regions overseas where the motorcycle market is growing in a different way than in Japan. We are currently exploring how Bike King can provide value to these markets.

■Message to students

I would like to encourage all students to gradually visualize what they truly want to do. This could also be thought of as "what kind of adult do I want to become?"
It is important to think about what you should do to get closer to what you want to do and the person you want to become, and then decide on your career path.
To visualize things, it's important not to give up thinking. The experience of confronting yourself and continuing to think will likely lead to increased motivation when you enter the workforce.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on January 26, 2026 by Kyohei Nakazawa, a second-year student at Waseda University