Chairman’s Message
- Chairman of the Board
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Oji Holdings Corporation - MASATOSHI KAKU
Our company was established by advocacy of Mr. Eiichi Shibusawa in 1873 as Japan's first stock company. Its name was Shoshi Kaisha. In those days, Japan was in the midst of transition from a feudal society to a capitalist society, with the rapid Westernization of lifestyles, including clothing, food, buildings, newspapers and magazines. While demand for paper was also growing rapidly, we constructed a paper mill in Oji, Tokyo, and began to produce paper from rags in 1875 to promote the shift from imported paper to domestically produced paper. The company was renamed Oji Paper Co., Ltd. in 1893. It later went through a series of splits and mergers until it became the current Oji Holdings Corporation.
We been able to grow and develop sustainably over the 150 years it has existed. I believe this is due to the abilities of employees, who led the Group's business expansion and transformed its structure in response to changes in society and the requirements of the era. This is the “power of human resources”. In 1904, our predecessors went to Hokkaido, looking at the future and looking for a new sphere of activity thinking about the 100-year plan for the next era. These thoughts have supported our company as the Chitose Hydroelectric Power Plant, which is still active with no changes to its original form, and as the Tomakomai Mill, where we produce 30% of all of the newsprint in Japan.
And now, as demand for paper decreases in Japan, we are looking for new spheres of activity. While contributing to the growth of booming markets of China, Southeast Asia, and other regions, we continue forays into new businesses and the expansion for our own growth.
This is exactly how Japan grew and developed 150 years ago, while accepting Western culture and customs, and in other words, it overlaps with the thoughts of Oji's predecessors who came to Hokkaido in search of a new land at that time.
In an era of rapid changes in society's values, we will seek the value of the Oji Group's existence through the creation of sustainable, innovative value, and pave the way for growth and development.
