Fifty-two years under the founder, and an undisclosed succession plan (2025)

The ending of a founder’s reign, still unwritten

A governance structure in which the presidency has not changed hands once in fifty-two years is, turned around, an expression of the fact that Wasami’s own judgement and drive have directly propelled the company’s growth. The distinctive field of retail-dedicated 3PL that he opened up, and the management style of repeatedly directing his personal wealth toward employees, are inseparable from the founder’s own history. The “hundred Momotaro” ideal set out in the integrated report can be read as one answer to the question of how that personal strength might be converted into the strength of an organisation.

His remarks in 2025, however, went no further than hinting at a future shape. The phrasing about staying alongside a new president as chairman for “some years” specified neither a period nor a name. His reference to being seventy-nine and to the proprieties expected of a listed company suggests that Wasami himself has begun to think about when to step aside, but to whom and when the handover will actually be entrusted remains, at the time of writing, undrawn. How to design the ending of fifty-two years of founder rule is a question the company has left unresolved.