Abstract

Three years have passed since the passing of the extraordinary businessman Kazuo Inamori. Who was Inamori, whose followers still thrive today? We examine his life and philosophy by comparing it with that of Ninomiya Sontoku, the late Edo period agricultural policymaker whom Inamori himself regarded as his mentor.

Living and working with a sincere and altruistic heart is the only way to enhance the value of life. This belief is the origin of Inamori's philosophy. Famous sayings such as "Are your motives good?", "Little goodness resembles great evil," and "Pray in adversity" all stem from Inamori's life, where he cultivated his spirituality through sincere work. Inamori's thinking beautifully overlaps with that of Ninomiya Sontoku, who, despite extreme poverty and the separation of his family, toiled alone to regenerate farmland devastated by famine and floods.

In today's world, where we lack leaders who can be called thinkers and where efficiency is often the only pursuit, there is much to learn from the sincere lives of these two men. Ken Kusunoki explains the significance of the two men's ideas for modern business people.

Author’s Information

Journalist. Born in Tokyo in 1957. Graduated from the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences I at Waseda University in 1982 and joined the Nikkei Shimbun. After working in the Tokyo Social Affairs Department, the Matsumoto branch office in Nagano Prefecture, the Industry Department, and as a correspondent at the European Bureau (London), he became editor-in-chief of Nikkei Business in 2005. He subsequently held positions such as head of the Industry Department, Securities Department, and Radio Division, before becoming a director of BS Japan (now BS TV Tokyo) in charge of production in 2013. He has previously served as president and representative director of TV Tokyo Media Net and as an advisor to TV Tokyo. He has long covered Kazuo Inamori since his days as a newspaper reporter.