I have recently been asked on many occasions to give lectures and have accepted many opportunities to talk about the experiences I have accumulated to date.
These requests have been coming for some time, but previously, I did not feel that I had enough to say, so I declined them.
One of the factors that changed for me and made me more inclined to give speeches was bidding farewell to a long-time teacher of mine.

I first started in business when I was a 20-year old college student.
Kenzo Tokunaga, a professor of mine at the time, was like a parent and taught me how to live as a human being.
Even after I graduated from college, he gave me advice and encouragement on many different occasions, including at times scolding me and acting like a father to me. Without his advice, I would not be who I am today.
This mentor passed away several years ago. A little while after that, my university asked me to give a lecture.
I had been turning down such requests, but this time was different because it felt like Professor Tokunaga was calling on me saying, "I want you to now be a mentor to young people."
Since then, I have accepted various requests to give talks.
These have become opportunities for me to systematically summarize the things that I continually tell my employees and the thoughts that I would like to pass on to future generations. I have chosen to name my ideas for business success the Issun Boshi strategy, representing the tenacity of the weak triumphing over the strong.

As I have started giving more regular lectures, certain words I once heard come back to me quite clearly.
In the period after immediately starting in business, I was too poor to afford even a bottle of beer for nearly six years. More than anything, I looked forward to visiting a small eatery where I would drink shochu, eat some small side dishes, and chat with Okan, the owner.
One day, a regular customer said to me, "I just got my bonus, so I'll treat you to a beer." I felt like it was too much to accept, so I refused, but Okan admonished me, "Manabu, he said that he would treat you, so you should be happy and take him up on it. When the time comes, it will be your turn to treat someone. What goes around comes around.
You'll find success someday and that will be the time to share generously with others."
Those were the encouraging words she had for me, just a new businessman chasing dreams at the time. I still remember now how good that beer tasted.

"What goes around comes around."

I know that I am here today thanks to the many encounters I have had with people, books, and life events.
Without the support of various people, I do not think that I would have been able to accomplish anything. This fills me with deep gratitude.

When I give a lecture, I feel, more than anything else, that it is an opportunity to repay society by communicating to young people what I have learned and experienced in my life.
I would be very happy if this is of some small use to others.