Yuji Morishita, President and CEO of Morishita Jintan Co., Ltd.

2025.03.14

130 years of history built on judgement and trust

■Profile
After graduating from the Faculty of Business Administration at Konan University in 1995, he joined Sanwa Bank (now Mitsubishi UFJ Bank), where he worked in corporate sales at branches, business secondments, and headquarters operations, before joining Morishita Jintan Co., Ltd. in 2007.
He was in charge of promoting new businesses and overseas businesses, and served as General Manager of Corporate Planning, Healthcare Business Division, and Capsule Business Division before assuming his current position in 2019. He will also serve as Representative Director and President of MJ Shiga Co., Ltd. from December 2023.

Morishita Jintan Co., Ltd. boasts a history of 130 years. In addition to traditional products, the company continues to take on new challenges. We interviewed President and CEO Yuji Morishita. We asked him about his vision for the future and his passionate message to students.

■ Friends and passion built during student days

Because I received a continuous education from Konan Gakuen from kindergarten to university, I felt like my circle of friends grew like a snowball as I went on to higher education, with friends from elementary school, junior high school, and university. During my student days, my routine was to chat with my seniors and classmates in the school cafeteria or at hangouts between classes, and then work hard at my part-time job after returning home.
I also devoted myself to skiing, which I had been doing since I was little. I joined the ski club after being invited by a classmate, and in the summer I worked part-time as a pool lifeguard and trained to buy good ski equipment, and in the winter I worked part-time at a ski resort and practiced skiing.
I thought I was studying hard in my studies, but I learned a lot more after I entered the workforce. Looking back, I think there were many things I could have done better, but I still had a fulfilling student life.

■ Learning through rigor

During my job search, I wanted to work in something I loved, so I applied to sports, food, and beverage manufacturers, but I ended up working at a bank.
My 12 years as a banker were an extremely tough environment, but they have become the foundation and source of my current life.
Many people who work for family-run businesses like mine study at advertising agencies or other manufacturers in the same industry. However, I learned about finance and economics at a bank, experienced two mergers over the course of 12 years, and was seconded to work in positions other than sales. I believe that working at a bank gave me a very rich experience in working in an organization as a salaried employee.
After that, at the age of 34, I joined Morishita Jintan as a sales manager. I wasn't given any special treatment just because I was a member of the Morishita family, so I thought that if I couldn't do my job, the company wouldn't recognize me. For that reason, I always tried to work hard at the tasks I was given. I remember working in a company with a history of nearly 110 years, looking for what I could do, and feeling positive and happy, thinking, "It's great to work in a job that helps people."
Later, when I was appointed president, I once again felt the weight of responsibility. I had always understood that the president was the one who made the final decisions, but when you actually take on that position, you are required to make everything from small decisions to big decisions every day.
For example, if there is a discussion about "Which should we choose, A or B?" and A is clearly the better option, then A has already been decided upon before the person even comes to me for advice. However, if A has issues and B has both good points and issues, then the final decision must be made by me before we can move forward. Now that I'm in the position of president, I've realized once again that I need to make decisions based on my own experience and take the future into consideration.

■The criteria for selection are not just "profit and loss" but also "purpose"

As 2023 marks the 130th anniversary of our founding, we have also formulated a new company purpose, which is as follows:
"With compassion, exciting technology and products, we will be there for each individual, with our thoughts turning to the entire planet, and carefully weaving together the next wave of health and prosperity."
As a business company, improving business performance and profits is an important factor when making choices and decisions. However, if we become too focused on that, we may end up going against the company's history, policies, and philosophy.
So we try to think about whether something is something we should do from a purpose perspective.
Personally, I also often think about how the founder, previous presidents, and past presidents would have made decisions. Of course, the historical context is different, so the same decisions may not necessarily be appropriate. However, I always try to remember to think about what our company should do, based on my past experiences.
I became particularly aware of the importance of accumulating these experiences after assuming my position as president. The COVID-1 pandemic began one year after I became president, and extremely difficult circumstances continued for the next few years. No one wants to experience a major disaster or social event. However, I believe that the experiences I gained during those times served as a source of nourishment for me and also contributed to the drive of our employees. I am truly grateful that all our employees cooperated and took action to overcome these difficult circumstances.

■ Trust is built one step at a time

"Trust" means being recognized by customers. It takes a long time for customers to think, "This company's products are good," or "I might buy this again." Even when we release a product that we believe to be "good," it is not uncommon for it to fail to take root in the market due to various reasons, such as fierce competition or high prices. Even in such circumstances, there are many customers who purchase our products because "because it's Morinaga Jintan, I can use it with confidence." Betraying that trust would be a shame for our predecessors who have been protecting our products up until now. For this reason, safety, which is the most important element of any manufacturer, is always our top priority.

■Message to university students

Once people enter the workforce or reach a certain age, I often hear people say, "I wish I had done more of this when I was a student." I had a lot of fun as a student, so I hope you all enjoy your student life too. It's often said that "When you're a student, you have time but no money. When you enter the workforce, you have money but no time." It may be wishful thinking, but I hope you enjoy and challenge yourself to do things that you can only do as a student. In the process, I hope you will find something that you can continue doing.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on July 27, 2024 by Yurie Watanabe, second-year student at Josai International University

Suzuki Junki, 4th year student at Nihon University, Koshiyama Rinno, 2nd year student at Toyo University, and Watanabe Yurie, 1st year student at Josai International University