Kamakura Shinsho Co., Ltd. Chairman and CEO Yutaka Shimizu

Continue to provide useful information as a "media" to a super-aging society

Chairman and CEO of Kamakura Shinsho Co., Ltd.　Yutaka Shimizu(Shimizu Hirotaka)

■ Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1963. After graduating from Keio University, he worked at a securities company before joining Kamakura Shinsho Co., Ltd., run by his father. He transformed the company from a publisher of Buddhist books to one catering to the funeral and gravestone industries. He then defined the "publishing industry" as an "information processing industry" and shifted the business to seminars, consulting, and internet services. He currently operates a portal site related to end-of-life planning, providing services aimed at resolving issues facing the elderly.

Chairman Shimizu Yutaka joined a securities company as a new graduate. He then inherited Kamakura Shinsho and its vision, which was entrusted to him by his father. As the manager of Kamakura Shinsho, he has supported "end-of-life planning" by providing useful information to a super-aging society, giving back to society. We spoke to him about his thoughts on this, and the mindset he values ​​on a daily basis.

■I learned the horror of reality during my university days

At university, I joined a club that handled planning and business, and acted like a student entrepreneur. The activities themselves were a lot of fun, but during my time there, an incident occurred. One of my friends was deceived by a refined older man who frequented the club. This incident made me realize how frightening the world can be, and made me realize that I needed to study more and broaden my knowledge.

■How I ended up joining Kamakura Shinsho

As I was in the Faculty of Commerce at university, I started working at a securities company right after graduating. Securities companies require sales skills, so I made around 200 sales calls every day using a list of high-income earners. Even if I made 100 calls, I would only get two or three contracts. To increase my knowledge, I read all kinds of newspapers and magazines, including the Nikkei Shimbun, The Economist, and Diamond Weekly. I think I was consciously gathering information to get a sense of the world, even in areas that had little to do with me.
At the time, we were in the midst of the bubble economy, and business performance and salaries were both excellent. Therefore, there was absolutely no need for me to quit my job, but one day my father told me that Kamakura Shinsho was on the verge of bankruptcy, so I decided to take over. However, I may have had some ulterior motives, such as wanting to visit an overseas golf course run by someone I met at the securities company while I was leaving the company and re-employing at Kamakura Shinsho (laughs).

■ Role: "Providing useful information about end-of-life planning"

Kamakura Shinsho is a company that contributes to helping the elderly live bright and positive lives in a super-aging society.
As the name "Kamakura Shinsho" suggests, the company started out as a publishing company, but now its main business is providing information via the internet. The reason we still use the name Kamakura Shinsho is because we believe that we are a media outlet, delivering useful information to those who seek it. For example, there are many media outlets whose business models have changed dramatically from the past, such as publishing companies that buy and sell manga rights to create television anime.
Initially, the area of ​​information provided was limited to "memorial services" such as funerals and graves, but gradually we began to help people solve the issues they first encounter before and after death, in other words, issues in the area known as "end-of-life planning." We support people in taking all the necessary steps to make the most of their one and only life. We believe that providing useful information in a super-aging society is an important social responsibility for Kamakura Shinsho.

■Giving back to society should be prioritized over profits

　I believe the true essence of all companies is to give back to society and revitalize it. In order to give back to society, they cannot survive without making a profit. Just as you cannot get to your destination in a car without gasoline, in order to give back to society, employees' salaries must be maintained. A major premise of any noble philosophy is that they cannot survive without sales.
However, making money should not take priority over giving back to society. I realized this when, as a young person, I attended a lecture by Kyocera founder Kazuo Inamori. I attended to learn how to make money, but what he told me was, "In addition to cherishing your parents, you should also respect the gods and Buddhas." At the time, I thought, "I guess successful people don't teach the truth after all," but looking back now, I realize he was right. I feel that since we are born, we each have a role to play and can contribute to society. I believe that success can be achieved not just by benefiting yourself, but by having a positive influence on those around you.

■It is a by-product of earning and growing

When I was young, I didn't have much money, so I lived with the goal of earning money. However, after reading various books and listening to lectures, I realized in my 40s that earning money is a by-product of learning and growing. I hope that the people I work with will also come to understand this and understand it to their heart's content. As an aside, I try to go to a shrine every day. I'm not particularly religious. It's true that at first I would pray to a god who I thought was on the other side, asking, "May the company not go bankrupt?" However, after doing this for many years, I've come to realize that it's not a god on the other side, but myself, the one praying.
I believe that wishes come true not because God is listening, but because your brain remembers the wish and your subconscious works to gather the information necessary to make it come true. It's not scientific, so I can't prove it, but I think it's useful as an experience. And, although I don't know why, I think there is meaning in things that have been around for a long time. I think that any custom or tradition will fall into disuse and disappear if it doesn't have some positive effect on it. Rather than ridiculing religious-like things as "religion," I think it's good to try to utilize them to unleash their potential power.

■Message to university students

I believe that learning accelerates once you enter society. And I think that learning up to university is what solidifies that foundation. Unlike when you were a student, once you enter the workforce, you will need long-term learning, so you need to maintain the mindset of seriously studying over the medium to long term. And as you get older, your scope of responsibility expands. When you're young, it's for yourself. Once you're married, it's for your children and family. As you get older, your scope of responsibility expands, such as for the community or society. I think that by gaining a variety of experiences, you will be challenged to see how far you can expand your scope of responsibility.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on June 16, 2022 by Tsuda University 4th year student, Ayako Miyata