Impressions on the President Position Change at Sanrio - Taken Aback as Successor Falls Not Too Far from the Peach Tree

One morning, I learned that the president of Sanrio has been replaced as I watched the special feature on NEWS Morning Satellite. The new president was 31 years old at the time, and he is the grandson of the founder. This was the first change of leadership in Sanrio’s 60-year history. As a result, the company brought forth a new leader who is younger than half a century. This is surprising news!

Why is this amazing? First, let’s focus on this unbelievable 60 years of leadership. Usually, companies experience management upheavals in roughly 40-year cycles. Many companies go out of business due to lack of successors. There are also a number of companies that have merged and have disappeared. It is extremely difficult for a business to keep growing, let alone last for more than 40 years with the change of leadership being given to the younger generation. All I can say is it’s just amazing that Sanrio has overcome this obstacle and has now entered into the next generation after 60 years.

The excellent longevity and vitality of the founder, who has remained at the top until the age of 92, is yet another dream come true for the man. The average lifespan of Japanese men is a little over 80 years old. I would like to make it to over 85 somehow, hopefully maybe until 88. However, both my father and uncle passed away at the age of 75. Do men in the Nakajima family all die at 75? Mmmm, it is extremely difficult to fight against DNA. On the other hand, the founder of Sanrio has vigorously worked 17 years well past the age of 75. There is no time to just be surprised. Extending my healthy life expectancy is now my life’s dream.

What is even more amazing is that the 31-year-old grandson of the founder has become the young president of Sanrio. The corporate culture that has been built up so far is becoming a mere shell of the past, so he says that he will promote digitalization and reform of the company immediately. The ’Hello Kitty Revival’ is also interesting. It also looks like the founder is encouraging his grandson by telling him, “Don’t be awkward, do whatever you want!” The founder must be very fond of this young president because he is his grandson. Nevertheless, the rise of this grandfather-grandson pair is noteworthy because it is an entrepreneur’s dream come true - It is usually very difficult to even get one’s own children to take over a business, and it often does not go well. However, the founder of Sanrio even skipped one generation and left it to his grandson. He is so brave and strong-willed. Well done!

Now that I have witnessed this shift of leadership that I could only dream of, my honest feeling is that I am at a loss for words. At Sound House, we have been trying everything we can to promote DX and AI implementation, with the hope of entrusting more and more management roles to our younger generation of employees. However, perhaps this scenario just doesn’t fit into my DNA, but it has not been as easy keeping the company running smoothly on the tracks as I imagined it would be while observing where it goes. The train always breaks down while running so I have to go to add the coal, and then the train starts like a mining cart on the local train line. Is this the muddy path that a man must go down alone?

Ah... if I were to have grandchildren... But young people nowadays don’t want to get married, and many of them don’t even want children. So, if I have to wait until my unborn grandchild turns 31... Well, I would have to live to be 100 years old. Will I continue to be the chairman by then? I am at a loss for words. I just want to wake up from this bad dream.