Let us introduce Hiroshi Yoshida, our new manager in Sales Department, who joined Kyokuyo last March.

A genuine athlete, Hiroshi is very good at athletics, whether it be rugby, football, or track and field. As soon as he settled down at Shimonoseki, Hiroshi declared bicycle commute from his apartment in downtown, located more than 10km from our shipyard. It is the first case for Kyokuyo, according to our Administrative Department.

And Hiroshi's career path is no less uncommon than his commuting path. Tokyoite born and bred, he graduated from... National Defense Academy with a degree in Science and Engineering (so, he should be also good at "slow method of progression", I guess!), but chose to become an international businessman, rather than a marine officer, and started his career at a major trading house in Japan.

After having spent some years in domestic metal trading, Hiroshi was transferred to that company's Marine Department, to engage in new building ship business. From 1998 to 2001, the sportsman also worked in Taiwan, as manager of marine section there.

Katsuhiko Ochi, our Senior Managing Director, has regular business contact with Hiroshi since he was in marine business, and always highly values Hiroshi's communication ability and international business sense. So, when he left the trading house last year, Kyokuyo decided to roll out the red carpet for him, and Hiroshi, in his turn, decided to leave Tokyo, his hometown, for Shimonoseki.

Although 3 months have not yet passed since his joining Kyokuyo, Hiroshi is actively carrying out his tasks, including contract negotiation with foreign company and daily sales/marketing activities. All of us hope the graduate from Defense Academy will soon score a nice goal for us!

[2004/06/10 - on Hiroshi's 40th Birthday]