Yasuki Onishi, President and COO of Imuraya Group Co., Ltd.

Always offering original products that are different from other companies

President and COO of Imuraya Group Co., Ltd.　Yasuki Onishi(Ohnishi Yasuki)

■ Profile
Born January 4, 1959. Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Kwansei Gakuin University in 1982, and joined the Imuraya Group in the same year. In 2008, he became Executive Officer and General Manager of Corporate Planning, in 2010 Senior Executive Officer and General Manager of Corporate Strategy, in 2011 Director and CEO/COO seconded to IMURAYA USA, INC., from 2014 to 2015 Managing Director, in 2016 Representative Director and President, and since 2019 Director and Representative Director and President of Imuraya Startup Running Co., Ltd. He has served as Representative Director, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Imuraya Group Co., Ltd. since April 1, 2011.

The Imuraya Group has a history of over 125 years since its founding. We spoke with President and COO Onishi Yasuki about the secret to their continued popularity and the values ​​they have held dear throughout their long history, offering well-known Japanese soul foods such as meat buns, bean buns, and mizu yokan.

During my university days, I took the necessary credits and did various part-time jobs, such as working in restaurants, as a hotel bellboy, and as a mover. Before I knew it, the time to start job hunting had come around. In my time, unlike today, we had to write application forms by hand. At the time, I had a strong image of a manufacturer as a company that has representative products that contribute to society, so I looked for a company from that perspective.

■Imuraya products that have been loved for a long time

Imuraya celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2021. Continuing to be loved by many, the company is currently expanding overseas to countries it has connections with, such as China, the United States, and Malaysia. When expanding its products overseas, it is important to pay attention to taste. Sometimes, it offers Japanese products as they are, while other times, it offers products adapted to the local market, and the product style changes depending on the country. Perceptions of taste are truly interesting, and the taste of "sweet" in particular varies quite a bit from country to country. Here's a funny story I heard in America: a Japanese person made a cake and gave it to an American, who asked, "Did you forget the sugar?" (laughs).
Our company policy is to create original products without imitating other companies or people. For example, our company deals in meat buns and bean-jam buns, but we were the first to develop a Japanese-style bean-jam bun, rather than the sesame bean-jam bun, which is a Chinese steamed bun. We were also the first to create commercially available mizu yokan, which can be stored for a long time. In this way, we are constantly developing products with the desire to take on new challenges.
We also manufacture our products with temperature ranges in mind: castella, mizu yokan, etc. are kept at room temperature, tofu is kept refrigerated, and ice cream, meat buns, and bean-jam buns are frozen. We still value the unique know-how and history of each product's temperature range when manufacturing.

■Using each individual's strengths in their work

I think everyone has some strengths, and I would like you to work in a way that makes the most of those strengths. Among them, the people I particularly think I want to work with when I talk to students are those who have devoted themselves to something. This is because I think that people who have worked hard at something have their own base and their own opinions about what they have devoted themselves to. Also, people who are considerate of others, because teamwork is important in a company.
I would like to work with people who are "dedicated to something" and "considerate of others."

■ Enjoy what you can do while you're a student

Once you enter the workforce, you will have less free time, so I hope you will continue to try things that you can only do while you are a student. It's okay even if you fail. There is value in trying, and it will be useful in the future. Please continue to try things that you can only do while you are a student.

Student newspaper July 28, 2023 Maho Wada, 4th year student at Nihon University