1APR 2014

VOL.39
Japan

Ceremony Unique Only to Japan Welcomes 194 New Staff

Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., President, Representative Director, and CEO, Mr. Tatsuo Higuchi welcomes 424 new employees to the group companies at the orientation held at the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory Inc., in Tokushima

Otsuka Group welcomed 424 new employees at the annual New Staff Ceremony that was held on April 1st, 2014. Among them, 194 were accepted into Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., thirty more new employees compared to last year.

In his welcoming speech to the new hires, Dr. Taro Iwamoto, president & representative director, Otsuka Pharmaceutical said, "Otsuka is a challenger that grows through creativity. For that, we need leadership, innovation and diversity."

Each year on April 1st, many college graduates start a new chapter in their lives as a new employee in Japanese companies.

At Otsuka, the annual orientation for the new staff is held at the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory Inc. in Tokushima (an hour and half flight south of Tokyo). That's where Otsuka Pharmaceutical was founded nearly 50 years ago.

Mr. Tatsuo Higuchi, president & representative director, and CEO of Otsuka Holdings began the ceremony by saying,

""Truth through sweat" means that knowledge alone is not enough, that it is only through our own exertions that we learn the true nature of things.

"Proof through Execution" refers to achieving self-realization and arriving at the truth through one's own accomplishments. "Creativity" is the pursuit of creating that which only Otsuka can, imitating no one. These together are the foundation of the Otsuka Group's business - guiding us all, without straying or losing our way, on a path that is straight and true."

Dr. Taro Iwamoto, president & representative director, Otsuka Pharmaceutical asked the confident, bright and young new staff what leadership meant to them.

"Otsuka is a challenger that grows through creativity. For that, we need leadership, innovation and diversity," said Dr. Iwamoto.

He also cautioned them not to be scared of failures, "Without failing, you cannot succeed. I want you to be challengers and go out into the world to learn from your failures and succeed!"

Of the 194 new employees coming to Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 10 of them are mid-career hires while the rest are new graduates from universities. The best and the brightest are recruited from Japan and overseas to join the Otsuka family.

View of Otsuka through the eyes of a new recruit

New hire representative gives a speech on behalf of the 424 new employees joining Otsuka this year

Ryo Watanabe is one of Otsuka Pharmaceutical's new hires. While still in graduate school, he had come across an article about Otsuka.

"When I read in the article that Otsuka continued research for one drug for several decades, until it was able to create something unique, useful and successful, I knew that I wanted to be part of a company that won't give up easily."

In his speech to all the company heads at the new staff ceremony, he said that Otsuka has a lot of attractive products. The reason for that is because Otsuka utilizes the talents of diverse group of individuals. And through discussions as well as clashes, new ideas are born that lead to unique products. With that in mind, he said he and his peers look forward to their work at Otsuka enthusiastically.