Never Give Up

If you keep trying, you'll be rewarded someday
If you hold on, your dreams will come true
That's just an illusion
Most of the time, effort doesn't pay off
Justice rarely wins
Dreams rarely come true
That's just how the real world works
But so what?
That's where you start
When you try something new, you're bound to fail, and it's infuriating
So you sacrifice sleep and meals, doing it over and over
Now, surpass the self of yesterday. Surpass the Honda of yesterday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PytY2k9k3ac

I absolutely love this Honda commercial.
When you take on a challenge, things might not go smoothly, and sometimes you might lose confidence. But I've always believed that what truly matters in business is that unyielding spirit, that determination to keep challenging yourself no matter how many times you fail.

Recently, as Group CFO, I participated in the Opening Bell Ceremony for OwlTing Group (OBOOK Holdings), a portfolio company of UNIVA・Oak Holdings, marking its listing on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. Founder Darren hails from a rural fishing village in Taiwan. Through sheer effort, he made his way to Taipei, earned an MBA from Harvard, worked in Silicon Valley, and then founded the OwlTing Group in Taiwan. He finally steered the company to a NASDAQ listing.

Getting to this point required extraordinary effort. While his unwavering conviction, as mentioned earlier, was crucial, it was also a fact that he had NAKAMA supporting him wholeheartedly. At the NASDAQ ceremony, all the OwlTing Group employees wore bright, joyful smiles.

Now, how about you?
Family time and personal time are, of course, important. So, I don't think there's any need to work "sacrificing sleep and meals." What matters is your mindset when facing work – essentially, that "I won't lose" spirit.

If you grow just 1% more than others each day, after one year, you'll have a 3.77 times greater skill gap. What happens when you combine this with the concept of NAKAMA, which the UNIVA Group cherishes?

I firmly believe that if executives and managers adopt the mindset described at the beginning, striving harder than anyone while cherishing their NAKAMA, and if employees also value this NAKAMA spirit of mutual respect, then the entire organization can unite as one to tackle work. This will create an organization capable of overwhelming competitors.

By 2025, the UNIVA Group had implemented management changes across various companies. Partly due to this, I feel that not only have more executives and managers adopted the mindset seen in Honda's commercial, but also that each employee within those companies shares this same spirit of NAKAMA, leading to significantly stronger unity.

But results are everything. Some companies still haven't escaped the red. For 2026, I hope as many of you as possible embrace the "We won't lose!" spirit and cherish your NAKAMA, so every company can turn a profit.

December is already upon us. I imagine this is the time when everyone reflects on this year and sets goals for the next. Whether you strive or not, each day passes equally for everyone. I'd be thrilled if even one more person thought "I refuse to lose" and set New Year's goals.

Naturally, I am the ultimate competitor. That's why I absolutely refuse to lose.

Yosuke Sakuta
CFO, UNIVA・Oak Holdings Group
President, UNIVA Rhizoma Corporation
Director, UNIVA Securities Co., Ltd.
Auditor, North Energy Co., Ltd.
Auditor, UNIVA Energy Co., Ltd.
Auditor, UNIVA FIT Co., Ltd.
Auditor, UNIVA Fusion Co., Ltd.
Auditor, F-Cube Co., Ltd.
Auditor, UNIVA RBL Co., Ltd.
Auditor, Karuizawa FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
Auditor, UNIVA Paycast Co., Ltd.
Accounting Advisor, Naturally Plus Co., Ltd.
Accounting Advisor, UNIVA Corporation Limited