The fourth class on the “Conversation with the Leader” was held on Monday, July 4, in Room J11 on the Hiyoshi Campus.

Our guest this time is Mr. Genichi Tamatsuka, President and Representative Director of Lotte Holdings.
After playing on the rugby team in college and winning second place in the national tournament, Mr. Tamatsuka joined Asahi Glass (now AGC), where he later served as President of Fast Retailing and Chairman of Lawson.
Through these experiences, Mr. Tamatsuka spoke about the ideas that he values in his life.

Professor Tamura and the students asked many questions that delved deeper into Mr. Tamatsuka’s thoughts and they listened attentively.
For example, when asked about how he could take the “risk of taking on challenges” rather than the “risk of not taking on challenges,” he spoke about his own experience and how he was conscious of “thinking” rather than “worrying,” which was a very thought-provoking talk.

It was also very impressive that he talked about how one can make the right decision by asking others immediately to clear up questions, rather than leaving things that one does not understand.

In closing, Professor Tamura commented that Mr. Tamatsuka is one of the great leaders in Japan who is practicing the “adaptive” leadership and “authentic” leadership taught at Harvard, which many students strongly agreed with.

【Student’s Voice】
There were two things that impressed me: the importance of listening and the importance of continuing to challenge oneself.
I learned that one of the leading executives in Japan listens carefully in their work, and I could see firsthand how important it is to listen to others to build an organization and produce results.

Also, the importance of keeping challenging.

I was greatly inspired by Mr. Tamatsuka’s willingness to take action to become the person he wants to be, despite the risk of failure.

Whenever I am unsure whether or not to take a step forward, I will remember today’s lecture and continue to take on challenges that will lead to my personal growth.
（Fourth-year student, Department of Law, Faculty of Law）