JAcom [Zen-noh 50 Years in Interviews] Vol.2 Susumu Ozaki Former Managing Director of Zen-noh NY Terrorism Avoided by Relocating August 20, 2021 Through Rice Import Sources

Student days in the rowing club

-I heard that you belonged to the rowing club when you were a student.

Susumu Ozaki

I was born in Sano Village, Wakayama Prefecture (currently Sano, Shingu City), and both my father and mother were teachers. I studied at Tohoku University, but I was absorbed in the rowing club while neglecting my studies. There is a training camp for Tohoku University at the Toda boat dock in Saitama Prefecture, and after practice, my seniors would give me something delicious as a "preferential treatment", which I have fond memories of.

Blessed with good friends through the rowing club, such as Mr. Hiroyuki Abe, who later became the president of Tohoku University, I spent a happy student life. Also, when I was a student, I traveled around the country by bicycle, from Sapporo to Kagoshima, loaded with a set of repair tools. The scenery of each place at that time still remains in my head.

Interested in Marketing

――When you entered the Zenhanren, your first assignment was the sales section of the gardening department. In 1972, following the merger of Zenkyoren and Zenhanren, he was transferred to the Fertilizer and Agricultural Chemicals Department of Zenkyoren. What were your thoughts at that time?

I chose Zenhanren as a place of employment because I was born and raised in a farming village and believed that sales and marketing were important to increase the income of farmers and make them richer. Farmers could grow produce, but they didn't have the skills to sell it. Therefore, I joined Zenhanren, and traveled around the country providing guidance and advice on how to sell agricultural products through each prefecture's economic federations.

At that time, the Pacific Five-Country Conference (Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, and South Korea) was held in Hawaii for the exchange of marketing information on agricultural and livestock products, and I was accompanied by the Managing Director in charge of the event, carrying a bag. In Hawaii, I was nervous when I shared a room with the managing director, but after the meeting was over, I was told that I should go to the United States to study because it was a great opportunity. After that, I traveled to more than 30 countries in my work for Zen-Noh, and this was the first step.

――In the United States, you were assigned to Florida as the president of ZEN-NOH Phosphate.

At that time, Zen-noh was eager to expand overseas in search of fertilizer and feed. I was in Florida for about two years, and I worked hard on marketing, sometimes setting up tents and staying overnight. I am proud that I was the one who did the real marketing activities for agricultural cooperatives overseas. It was recognized, and I was transferred to the president of the New York Headquarters of Zen-Noh Cooperative Trading Co., Ltd.

I worked in New York for four years, during which time I also spoke at Harvard University on agricultural markets. She originally likes socializing, and during that time, she has interacted with many people through her work, which has become a valuable asset. I still get letters from my American secretary at the time asking for news.

From the suburbs, go to Midtown, transfer to the subway at Midtown, and go up to the 88th floor for about 30 minutes. I thought it would be a waste of time, so I decided to move to Midtown, which is convenient for commuting.

――A few years later, the 9/11 terrorist attack occurred. I was told that I had a foresight, but if I hadn't moved at that time, the staff who were assigned later would surely have been sacrificed. It can be said that Mr. Ozaki's decision saved the staff.

Downtown was great for sightseeing, but not for work. I don't like being unreasonable.

――What do you think is important in your work, Mr. Ozaki?

The important thing is to always take the initiative and create an advantageous situation. You have no chance of winning if your attitude and explanations are fluctuating. If you think like this, try it, and if it doesn't work, you should withdraw. And don't cut corners in taking care of people. The feeling of wiping someone's buttocks is important.

Blessed with good friends

――You were the responsible officer of ZEN-NOH in 1995 (Heisei 7) when rice was imported under the minimum access system, even though you said that you would not allow even one grain of rice to be imported.

Unfortunately, we allowed the import of rice due to lack of power, but at that time, we were called many times by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and asked for an explanation, but we were told that we should not entrust the lives of Japanese people to other countries. , I approached with an uncompromising feeling. That's why I created an "enemy", but I think the real enemy is someone you can talk to on an equal footing and raise yourself up. In that sense, I was blessed with many good friends and had an enjoyable life with no regrets.

[After the interview]

The interview is OK at home, but I can't go to the city center by train, and I'm in a wheelchair. My son-in-law picked me up at Katsutadai Station in Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture. 2 family house. The first floor is Mr. and Mrs. Ozaki, and the second floor is a young household. We interviewed Mr. Ozaki in the reception room on the first floor overlooking the Japanese garden, which is his hobby.

One of Mr. Ozaki's achievements is the decision and execution of the relocation of the Zen-noh New York office. There are moving tasks and complicated contracts written in English, but I had a hard time persuading Zen-noh Honjo to move. The 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, which occurred 15 years after the move, blew up the World Trade Center building where the Zen-noh office was located, killing about 3,000 people. It can be said that he had the foresight to save the life of a junior expatriate and local employee in New York. (Masamichi Sakata)