Hello, everyone.

This is Enta.

In a recent news report,

Nobuyuki Idei, former chairman of Sony, spoke about Japan's technological capabilities

"We may be falling behind, but we're certainly not making any progress," he stated emphatically.

"It's best not to think about things like 'the amazingness of Japan's technological capabilities.'"

When I heard those words, I realized I had been feeling a bit conceited.

I know this might sound a little embarrassing, but I actually think our employees’ construction and management skills are quite high.

Everyone is always working hard and putting a lot of thought into their work.

Of course, there are always people more skilled than us, but our employees can freely ask these mentors for help when they're stuck.

I’m incredibly happy to have employees like that.

I guess I felt a bit conceited about the fact that I was satisfied with that.

It's no good for me to think this way.

More, more! To level up even more, I need to...It takes constant thought and a commitment to finding new ways to improve.That's right.

One of my responsibilities is to learn from people with a variety of skills and use that knowledge to move forward.

Overconfidence in Japan's Technological Capabilities

Fundamentally, aren't we Japanese a bit too confident in our own technology?

Things like, “Made in Japan is just better,” or “Products made by Japanese people never break,” or “safety,” or “environmental considerations.”

But, to be honest, I do realize that Japanese-made products are indeed good.

But I don't know much about things outside the country. (I do know about products made in China, though—they've really come a long way lately.)

You don't really see any technical information, do you? The language is different, too...

I know next to nothing about civil engineering, especially. It makes you wonder, “How do they handle slopes overseas??”

When you really think about it, it’s not that Japanese products are better—it’s just that since I only know Japanese products, my criteria for evaluation are based solely on them.

I don't rate it.

I suppose we should start paying more attention to things from overseas as well.

Don't just assume it's good because it's Japan—go furtherIf you aim for the world stage, your skill level will improve.I guess so.

I’d like to develop something new—a new technology—to further advance slope engineering.

As for me, I'm totally hooked on Splatoon 2 on a global scale...

See you later.