Ichiro Yonezu, President and CEO of AEON PET Co., Ltd.

2025.07.30

Becoming a "president" was the beginning of setbacks and challenges

President and CEO of AEON PET Co., Ltd.　Ichiro Yonezu(Yonezu Ichiro)

■ Profile
Representative Director and President of AEON Pet Co., Ltd., a company that operates a wide range of businesses to support total pet care. Born in November 1968 in Tokyo, he was appointed as an executive officer at AEON Pet in 2015. He has held positions including head of the grooming and hotel business team, grooming and hotel business group leader, and chief sales officer, before assuming his current position in 2020.

President Yonezu Ichiro says he didn't have a clear dream since his student days, and spent his time on hobbies and part-time jobs. He entered society in the midst of the bubble economy, but has grown through various experiences, including finding work, quitting his job, and changing jobs. Currently, as president of Aeon Pet, he leads veterinary care, retail, pet salons, and conservation activities, and is committed to realizing a society where animals and humans can coexist in harmony, based on the philosophy that "pets are family." We spoke to President Yonezu about this.

■My student days were filled with frustration. What I realized only after entering society

To be honest, I spent a lot of time playing around during my student days. I was riding the wave of the bubble economy. I didn't have a clear goal in mind when I was a student, so I spent my days working part-time jobs.
During my job hunting period, it was a seller's market, so I decided to work for a confectionery manufacturer that offered me the first job. I'm originally from Tokyo, so I was assigned to the Kobe branch. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant at first. But once I started working, I met a lot of different people, and I began to think that work was surprisingly interesting. It was during this time that I began to dream of running my own company.
I had been working in sales for a long time, but I wanted to move into a planning position and ended up working as a brand manager at the head office. However, I had no knowledge of marketing or how to read an income statement. Seeing this, the company sent me to business school. I discussed case studies over email at night and worked during the day. Those were the years I truly learned the most in my life, and I felt I had grown a lot.

■Jumping into a venture company and becoming president. Now, after quitting my job and changing jobs, I've arrived at this position

After leaving the confectionery manufacturer, I gained experience as a consultant for just one year. This was because I thought that if I wanted to become a manager, I needed to look at companies from a new perspective. After that, I moved to an entertainment company, where I worked for five years. Then, wanting to take on a new challenge in a new world, I jumped into the venture world.
After that, I worked as president at two venture companies. However, I ended up quitting one of them after a year and a half. After that, I spent four months looking for a new job. To be honest, job hunting at the age of 49 was tough. It was so tough that I almost gave up on my long-held dream of becoming a president.
It was at this time that my current company, Aeon Pet, approached me. I initially joined the company as an executive officer. I had never intended to become president, as I had not been able to achieve the results I had hoped for in my previous role as president. My predecessor, the president, was someone I truly respected, and I began to want to learn from him. I learned from every single one of his actions, and I began to understand why I had not been able to do as well as I had hoped in my previous role as president. A few months later, I was really surprised when I was told, "You're the next president," but I made up my mind and accepted the role.

■Towards a society where pets and humans can coexist. Aeon Pet values "kindness and sincerity"

Aeon Pet's strength is that it is staffed by people who love pets. I think this is a really big factor. Our employees are highly specialized, with over 200 veterinarians on staff, as well as many other specialists such as nurses and groomers. It's not just a job; we're staffed by people who want to protect the lives of pets and make them happy.
For example, in our veterinary hospital business, we provide a wide range of services, from prevention to medical treatment. Furthermore, I think there are very few veterinary hospital chains that provide emergency care at night and advanced medical care. Recently, we have also opened a large veterinary medical center in Sagamihara.
In our grooming business, we are also committed to providing dog-friendly treatments. We do not place a burden on dogs, and instead provide a style of treatment that is completed carefully and quickly to ensure that each dog is as comfortable as possible. We also have a comprehensive in-house training system, and AEON Pet has a system in place that allows new employees to make their grooming debut in as little as two months.
We are also focusing on adopting rescued animals, working in cooperation with local governments and stakeholders. In the future, we hope to create a system that allows families to adopt pets with peace of mind.
Furthermore, in the retail sector, we utilize the scale advantages of the AEON Group to operate stores with a diverse product lineup. From apparel and food to care products, everything is developed with the pet lifestyle in mind. There are very few companies in Japan that can provide a comprehensive range of services, from veterinary care to daily necessities, salons, and adoption activities.
"Pets are family." This is a value that our company has always held dear. It's not just about sales or numbers, but how sincerely we care about their lives. I feel that this is the core of what sets us apart.

■Message to students

There is one thing I always look for during job interviews. That is, "Can the person bring out the best in others?" I believe that the leaders we need in the future are not the type who only wants to stand out, but people who respect others and can make the most of their abilities.
What I want to say to all students is, "Just go ahead and do what you want to do." Nowadays, seniority-based systems and lifetime employment have collapsed, and human resources are becoming more mobile. Therefore, even if you fail, you can start over as many times as you like.
If you're feeling frustrated and unsure of what to do, first try putting all your effort into the task at hand. As you get deeper into it, I'm sure something will become clear to you. Reading books and talking to people are all materials that will help you create your next self. I myself didn't have a clear vision for the future when I was a student. But that's why I can say this: you can change your life at any time, and there is potential in any path. It's not too late to start something, starting right now.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on May 29, 2025 by Saeki Sakurayu, a fourth-year student at Hosei University