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YAMATO DENSHI / WORLD EDITION
English
← All storiesBehind the decision / 10

From saving a family business to opening doors to education.
How Asako Hirooka brought people and capital together.

Published Publisher 大和伝志Editorial principles

The insurance company was built by more than one person.

Daido Life was established in 1902 through the merger of Asahi Life, Gokoku Life, and Hokkai Life. Asahi Life is a different company from the current Asahi Life. The company history also records the efforts of Kojuro Nakagawa, Atsushi Hashimoto, and others who mediated the merger.[3]

Exterior of Daido Life Osaka Head Office Building
Daido Life Osaka Head Office Building (Photographed in 2020). The later construction of the headquarters of the company that Asako Hirooka was involved in founding.
Chainwit. / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Asako was involved in the insurance business with Kyuemon, but the first president of Daido Life was Hirooka Kyuemon Masaaki.[3] Replacing Asako's title in an attempt to magnify her accomplishments actually obscures what role she actually played.

To bring together multiple companies, it is not enough to have a common philosophy. It is necessary to continue the contracts and operations that will be handed over and create a situation in which people can trust the new organization. This is not an imaginary supplement to the content of the negotiations at the time, but rather a perspective from which to consider the responsibility that comes with the decision to merge.

When only the founder's name remains in the history, it is difficult to see the work of the people who coordinate it. Connecting people with different interests and assembling people who can carry out practical work is a different ability than making all the decisions yourself. When reading about Asako's business, it is meaningful to keep the names of those around her.

And after a company is born, promises to its subscribers follow. We look at not only the circumstances on Kajimaya's side, such as whether it was helpful in rebuilding the business, but also what was undertaken by the users. If we expand the character's actions from the success of his family to his relationship with society, we can see the gravity of his decisions in dealing with financial business.

Interpreting YAMATO DENSHI

Understanding each person’s role reveals the work of collaboration.

Separate who is the representative, who supports the funds, and who coordinates. By leaving a structure of cooperation in place rather than concentrating on one person's accomplishments, it will be easier to consider the necessary roles for the next project. A person's charm can be conveyed without making a big deal of the facts.

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