General Manager Interview

The role and function of the Group Human Resources Strategy Department

I became a member of the Group Human Resources Strategy Department in 2019 and was appointed General Manager in December, 2022. I am involved in setting the human resources strategy for Yoshinoya Holdings and its domestic operating companies. The Department’s mission is to maximize the performance of our people and our organization, and to form a group of talented personnel who can lead the future and current Yoshinoya Holdings. We aim to achieve sustainable corporate growth and give back to the broader society by creating an environment, culture, and organizational framework that enables our employees and our organizations to grow together. We also seek to provide fair growth opportunities that give all employees the chance to become a next-generation leader who can anticipate future change, and we encourage all our employees to play an active role in a wide range of fields by doing everything we can to ensure they remain in good health and are satisfied and enthused by the jobs they are doing.

I work with the Group’s senior managers to determine the priority of the Group Human Resources Strategy Department’s four key functions, namely human resource development, organizational development, system development, and appointing the right person for the right job. I propose measures and manage the overall systems together with the Group Management Division and individual Group companies.

Nurturing talent according to our For the People business philosophy

Our ultimate aim is to create a sustainable pool of human resources who can manage the future of the Yoshinoya Group based on our For the People business philosophy. That means considering diversity and inclusion from the hiring stage, supporting diverse employee career-building, and building an environment that enables all personnel to acquire the skills they need and to fully demonstrate their capabilities.

The Yoshinoya Group views all employees as potential executive candidates and provides them with equal training opportunities. We invest in necessary growth and learning activities and build the appropriate environments by offering employees with the opportunity to take on challenges and further enhance their personal growth, providing the necessary training for highly specialized positions, and actively reassigning employees to maximize their potential. Our company is unique in terms of its determination to keep its doors open to everyone.

Our strategic human resources concept and relevant initiatives

In FY2021, we established the Human Resources Council with Yoshinoya Holdings’ management from the executive officer level upwards serving as members. In order to identify and train next-generation management teams, the Council recommends and deliberately reassigns candidates to set them on an executive career path and actively promotes younger employees. Council members share information about the human resources in their respective departments, discuss development priorities within the Group, and consider and decide the appointment of the right person to the right job.

The Council also confirms the operation of quota systems and fixed-term appointment systems at operating companies and departments and discusses how systems should be operated based on our strategic human resources concept.

The Group Human Resources Strategy Department profiles all Group employees and strives to achieve a high degree of accuracy when proposing the right person for the right job based on their professional experience.

What we expect from our Group employees

The skills and expertise that our employees acquire through our Group business, such as the operation and management of outlets or area management, can be applied to a wide range of positions in the restaurant industry, so our employees boast a high market value in terms of human resources. I hope that everyone who works in the Yoshinoya Group understands that fact and strives to develop as Yoshinoya Group-trained personnel who are capable of looking beyond the boundaries of their own company and playing an active role in the world.

I believe that enhancing and utilizing the value of our human resources in this way will help implement our For the People business philosophy. I also believe that the role of the Group Human Resources Strategy Department is to create a corporate culture that helps our employees understand and apply that philosophy in their everyday work.

Human resources strategy roadmap