Koichi Shiraishi, President and Representative Director of Otsuka Foods Co., Ltd.

We will continue to focus on "deliciousness + alpha" and contribute to the happiness and joy that comes after health.

■ Profile

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1968. Joined Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 1990. In 2005, he became Director of Marketing (seconded) at Korea Dong-A Otsuka Co., Ltd. In 2014, he became Branch Manager of the Hiroshima Branch of the Nutraceuticals Division of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. In 2017, he became General Manager of the Product Department of the same division. In March 2020, he became Representative Director and President of Otsuka Foods Co., Ltd.

Otsuka Foods has always brought innovation to the food industry, with products such as the world's first ready-to-eat pouch food "Bon Curry" and "Zero Meat" made with soy meat. Their continued pursuit of "deliciousness + alpha," including health and the environment, is admirable, and we spoke to President Shiraishi about his vision for taking this even further.

　During my student days, I was a member of the sports club and spent all my time playing baseball. I had aspired to become a professional, but ultimately I didn't have the skills to do so, so I started thinking about finding a job in my third year of university. I only applied to manufacturing companies because I thought I could quickly turn my ideas into reality. At the same time, I also wanted to become a veterinarian. I went to the library and studied animal behavior on my own. The lessons I learned there are still useful to me today. In fact, the reasons for human and animal behavior are almost the same.
　I still vividly remember the books I read when I wanted to become a veterinarian. I was interested in a variety of things and worked hard at them. By broadening my horizons, my knowledge deepened and I had more to talk about. I dig deep into things that interest me with curiosity until I find the basis for them. If I can take in more than just superficial information in this way, I will naturally be able to output more.

■ Be positive about unreasonableness and dig deep into failure

　I joined Otsuka Pharmaceutical in 1990. Otsuka is a company with many products around us, so it makes me very happy when I see people carrying one of their products on the street. People are made happy through our products. I felt a great sense of satisfaction being involved in that.
　After joining the company, I devoted myself to sales, but the experience that has had the greatest influence on my way of thinking today is my experience working on a secondment to Korea. Fellow humans worked together despite differences in language and culture. There were many different forms of communication. Because we couldn't communicate in words, I had no choice but to read the other person's feelings through their facial expressions and gestures, which was difficult. Since then, I have become able to sense more than just words when talking to people. At the same time, I have once again come to strongly recognize that "it's people that are important." After all, an organization is made up of people.
　It was after these experiences that I came to Otsuka Foods. There were many hardships, but I always thought positively and, even when things seemed unfair, I tried to remember that it was just a game. When I failed, I didn't blame those around me, but instead assumed that it was my own fault and dug deep to find out the reason. By doing so, I was able to use failure as a source of growth.

■Products that are needed for "deliciousness + α"

　As a food company, it goes without saying that we make delicious food. What's important is what other benefits our products have besides deliciousness, and we create products that allow us to explain those benefits based on solid evidence.
　You can see the list of ingredients on the back of our products, but we try to avoid using additives as much as possible. Also, while most retort pouch foods use pre-processed frozen vegetables, Bon Curry is different. We use fresh domestically grown vegetables, peeling and removing sprouts by hand. This is because we manufacture our products with the concept of a mother's homemade taste, and we are committed to creating products that are even more health-conscious.
　And our commitment extends beyond health. For example, do you know why the cap on our mineral water brand Crystal Geyser is so thin? It's because making it thinner drastically reduces the amount of plastic used. Compared to bottles and cans, plastic has a greater environmental impact. In the future, we are also working to switch to recycled resin for the PET bottles themselves. As a food company, deliciousness is a given. But more than that, we are always thinking about what additional contributions we can make.
　We want to be of service to all of you, the consumers. We want people to say that our products are indispensable and that they are essential. Currently, we are mainly based in Japan, but in the future we would like to expand our activities to Asia and then the world. We would like to contribute to the health of people around the world through this brand. And we want all our employees to be happy.

■ I want to work with people who have interpersonal skills.

　The first thing I want to work with is someone who loves Otsuka Foods. I personally love Otsuka products and eat and drink them every day, and it's through this interaction with the products that I can see areas for improvement. That's why the most important thing is to love the company. At the same time, I want someone who has good communication skills and a positive way of thinking. I think that kind of person is attractive to everyone.

■Message

　I want you to dig deep into anything that interests you until you find the basis for it. I want you to be curious about everything, not just your studies, and put your all into it so that you don't end up regretting it. When you're a student, you have the time and the environment to do that. Music, reading, watching sports, anything is fine, so get in touch with a variety of things and dig deep into anything that interests you. Think from the perspective of "why?" and pursue the questions. I think that such experiences and knowledge will broaden your horizons and lead to human strength.

Student Newspaper April 2021 Edition Keio University First-Year Student Miyata Shunsuke