UNI-SIGHT 100
Charting the Future of the UNIVA CAPITAL Group (Part I)

It has been eight years since the first issue of UNI-SIGHT was published in January 2014. April 2022 is the 100th UNI-SIGHT. Reviewing three previous total renewals, we note that those who appeared in its pages have included professionals active in many fields and individuals who worked for partner companies, as well as our NAKAMA. A record of rare and valuable experiences, UNI-SIGHT has twice been the winner of Japan’s prestigious In-House Magazine Award. Looking back over these eight years, from issue 1 to issue 99, we feel boundless gratitude when we realize that none of our NAKAMA is unaware of UNI-SIGHT’s existence.

We have received many messages, offering congratulations on the publication of UNI-SIGHT 100. Inspired by the warmth of these messages, we will continue to do everything in our power to bring all of our readers an even better publication.

During these eight years, the UNIVA CAPITAL Group has undergone a variety of changes and confronted numerous challenges. Our NAKAMA have grown in number. We now see scenes unimaginable when we published our first issue. We wonder what tomorrow’s UNIVA CAPITAL Group will show us.

In June 2021, Chairman Inaba was appointed president and CEO of Oak Capital Co., Ltd. (hereafter Oak), which is listed in the upper section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. How will the UNIVA CAPITAL Group and Oak work together to co-create value? There must be many NAKAMA who have doubts or feel uneasy about this new relationship. In this and the next issue of UNI-SIGHT, we will share Chairman Inaba’s thoughts about this relationship and his vision for the future of the UNIVA CAPITAL Group. In this issue we discuss these topics with Chairman Inaba. In the next issue we will discuss these topics with other leaders of the project to forge our relationship with Oak.

As president of a listed company, I can bring us closer to our ideal “a company for everyone.”

Juan：The theme of this 100th anniversary issue of UNI-SIGHT is our vision for the future of the UNIVA CAPITAL Group. But last June, Chairman Inaba became president and CEO of Oak. Can you share with us details of how you became the president of a company listed in the upper section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange?

Inaba：My connection with Oak goes back to August 2015, when we transferred shares in MADREX, which plans, produces and sells cosmetics and nutritional supplements, and Zyva Studio to PATH Corporation, a company in which Oak invested. Then, in October 2015, we partnered with Oak to start our resort business in Hawaii. As part of that joint project, the UNIVA CAPITAL Group acquired shares in Oak and became its second largest shareholder. That led to my being sounded out in 2020 by Oak’s largest shareholder and then president (now Oak chairman) Takei about our adding to our shares in Oak and my becoming Oak president.

Juan：What was your No. 1 reason for accepting Chairman Takei’s offer?

Inaba：At that time, Oak had been in the red for three consecutive periods; that was the situation. I thought something had to be done to improve Oak’s performance. Together, Oak, a listed company, and the UNIVA CAPITAL Group could create new value and realize our dream of becoming a business entity that co-creates unprecedented value. That is the way I was thinking.

Until then, the UNIVA CAPITAL Group had raised our “UNITE THE VALUES” banner and become a group that can take advantage of in-group synergies to produce value that none of our companies could produce by itself, becoming an example of “Capitalism based on co-creation.” That was a truly outstanding achievement, to which the individual efforts of all of our NAKAMA working together contributed. But there was still one missing piece.

Juan：Could that missing piece have been ordinary shareholders?

Inaba：Precisely! The UNIVA CAPITAL Group under the leadership of Shuji Inaba, has, to put it bluntly, been a dictatorship. Until now that may have been OK. But if we consider the long term, dictators never last forever. I have always wanted our NAKAMA to include shareholders. I had been thinking of a future in which employees of Group companies would own shares in their companies, and the Group would have its own exchange on which those shares could be traded, but it would be unforgivable to think that could be done simply, given out current financial situation. If, however, we could work together with a listed company, we could co-create something close to that ideal. It was with that thought in mind that in June 2021, I became president and CEO of Oak Capital. Later, we bought more shares in Oak, making the UNIVA CAPITAL Group, Oak’s largest shareholder.

Steps to Co-creation of Value

Juan：You have been Oak’s president for nine months. What are you working on now?

Inaba：Oak has been in the red for three consecutive terms. Some of Oak’s 20,000 shareholders are discouraged; others are angry. Working with a new management team as the foundation, I am communicating to shareholders that Oak will now be positioned as a company that co-creates value, and that now is a great opportunity, inviting them to join me in making this an exciting enterprise.

Juan：You have launched Koh-EN TV and created a bulletin board on your home page, using both to communicate your thinking and latest news.

Inaba：There is a tendency for companies listed in the upper section of the stock exchange to avoid communication with shareholders. That way of thinking is something I want to change! Having twenty thousand shareholders means twenty thousand different types of people. But one thing they all share is wanting the company to improve. That is why my first step was a bulletin board on which shareholders can post their frank opinions. Next came Koh-EN TV, a way for me to speak directly to shareholders about the kind of company Oak should become and how it will be managed from now on. Hearing from me directly should attract shareholders who don’t have a good understanding of the company’s business.

Juan：You must be incredibly busy. How do you allocate your time and energy between Oak and the UNIVA CAPITAL Group?

Inaba：From the time I became Oak’s president through the end of the year, I poured time and energy into creating a new Oak. Even now, I may seem to give more weight to Oak, but the boundary is gradually blurring. In other words, the story of Oak and UNIVA becoming united is continuing, just the way I wanted it to be.

Juan：You have announced that UNIVA Paycast and UNIVA Gyro-n will become wholly owned subsidiaries of Oak. Could you share more details about this decision?

Inaba：The UNIVA CAPITAL Group lacks the knowledge needed by Group companies that want to implement IPOs and become listed on the stock exchanges. Oak, a listed company that has investment banks and brokerages under its umbrella, has that know-how. Since UNIVA Paycast and UNIVA Gyro-n are preparing for IPOs in 2025, I decided that they should be Oak subsidiaries.

Juan：The goal of their becoming Oak subsidiaries is to accelerate preparations for their IPOs. Through co-creation with Oak, the UNIVA CAPITAL Group will take advantage of Oak’s listing experience. In addition, the Group will now include two new listed companies.

Inaba：That’s right. The first step is to change the status of UNIVA Paycast and UNIVA Gyro-n. The real purpose is to raise the value of the Group as a whole through co-creation with our operating companies. Close ties are essential for this purpose: ties between investors and companies, consumers and companies, companies and companies. Planning for co-creation between diverse fields including beauty, health, regenerative medicine, and restaurants is already underway.

Chairman Inaba’s Vision

Juan：How does Chairman Inaba see the future of our Group. What is your vision?

Inaba：The ultimate goal is what we have always said, to contribute to world peace. That commitment is unshakable. At the current moment, however, we are only halfway. Seeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I wonder how long war between humans will continue, making talk of peace sound like sophistry. So long, however, as the UNIVA CAPITAL Group makes it possible for more and more people to build win-win-win relationships worldwide, we continue on our path to a peaceful world.

Juan：For the sake of that purpose, what has to be done now?

Inaba：We need to create and connect a much larger number of stakeholders. Tie-ups with listed companies make that possible. Our tie-up with Oak has already added five thousand NAKAMA in Japan, together with ties to 20,000 shareholders. The Naturally Plus network, which now includes 124 countries and regions is our biggest weapon. NAKAMA consciousness creates ties worldwide, connecting us through empathy with each other’s needs. Our nations, religions, and values may differ, but we can still share the UNIVA CAPITAL Group worldview. As our NAKAMA increase in number, we create a UNIVA (Unite the Values) community.

Juan：Chairman Inaba, thank you so much.

*In Part II we will interview Toshiaki Muneyuki, who is both a senior managing director at Oak Capital Co., Ltd. and an advisor to UNIVA Corporation, UNIVA Paycast president Shuhei Nakao, and UNIVA Gyro-n president Hisaatsu Shimazu. These interviews will be published in the next issue of UNI-SIGHT. Chairman Inaba’s appearance on Koh-EN TV, mentioned earlier in this interview, can be seen at：https://www.oakcapital.jp/koh-en-tv/