If you think this is the way, go for it without hesitation. It's your life, after all.

—You are currently an active graduate student. Do you feel a significant difference in learning again after graduating and working in the professional world for decades?

"Yes, I suppose it's a slightly different feeling, as graduate school is naturally focused on studying. During my university days, I placed more weight on socializing with friends. I wasn't exactly a model Keio student, you know. I was always playing mahjong (laughs). When I was preparing for the graduate school entrance exams, I studied Marx and Keynes for the first time and thought it would have been much more interesting if I had studied them back then. Also, as I listen to various stories from my professors, I feel I've developed a habit of mulling things over in my mind with a different set of values. I try to arrive at my own answers by rereading books or rethinking what the professors say."

—Both the teaching faculty and the students must be positively influenced when someone with professional experience joins them.

"I hope to be the kind of student who can have such a positive impact."

—Would you say that after entering the workforce, you became keenly aware of the importance of economics?

"Yes, that's right. During my student years, I think I focused mainly on accounting, bookkeeping, and commerce-related subjects. But after joining the company, when I was assigned to the human resources department in my younger days, I had to think about many things. I was put in charge of reforming the salary system, and that forced me to consider everything from 'What does a salary mean to a salaried worker?' 'What is the fundamental meaning of a salary system?' and 'What is labor management?' all the way to 'What is a company for?' Whenever a question arose, I had to read related books, and my work sparked a wide range of interests."

—What are your thoughts on balancing the management required for a company to survive in a competitive environment with its social mission?

"A company exists for the good of society. I believe that if a company can no longer contribute to society in some way through its business, it has no reason to exist. If we were only concerned with making a profit, our company might be more profitable if we quit the non-life insurance business and lived off asset management alone (laughs). But I think that would be unacceptable."

—It's true that recently, we've seen quite a few companies where it's unclear what their core business is or where their revenue comes from. And there are many scandals.

"We've also had foreign consulting firms come in, and they all say the same thing: 'We are hired to increase the company's corporate value.' When I ask them, 'What is corporate value?' they answer, 'It's the stock price, the market capitalization.' I've also associated with various emerging companies and heard them talk about their market cap reaching so many trillion one day and another number the next. I think to myself, 'This isn't a tofu shop...' (laughs). We have absolutely no intention of running our business in a way that gets caught up in such fluctuations. It doesn't align with our management philosophy or principles, so I felt we didn't need that kind of consulting."

—In principles of economics and the like, it is taught that companies are profit-seeking entities. In a sense, economics might be a discipline that is easily misunderstood.

"I believe that the pursuit of profit is fundamentally right. It's just a matter of how you do it."

—During the bubble era a decade or so ago, corporate mécénat and social contribution became something of a trend, but they decreased significantly during the subsequent recession. Now that the economy as a whole is picking up again, the question is what companies should prioritize most at such a time.

"It seems there are people in the business world who, if you scratch the surface, believe that as long as you make a profit, anything goes. But I believe that if a company only pursues profit, it has no reason to continue existing. When I emphasize this in this day and age, I'm sometimes told I'm old-fashioned, but it's not a matter of the times. It has been said since ancient times that the difference between a person of virtue and a person of low character is whether they lose their composure in times of hardship. Today, many people lose their composure. They may not even realize they have."

—What message would you like to share with those who are about to enter university or the workforce?

"First, think for yourself. And when you think, I want you to listen to and absorb various opinions so that you don't develop a narrow perspective. At that point, I think what you've learned at school will be very useful. Of course, there are things you will learn in the real world, and as the scope of your studies expands, you will be able to think in many different ways.

And while you should think flexibly, I also want you to have a certain stubbornness. When I was young, I sometimes defied my seniors at the company because I didn't want to compromise my beliefs. But in the end, I wasn't treated unfairly and eventually became president. The point is, if you believe this is the right way, you should go for it without hesitation. If the result is bad, so be it. It's your life, after all. If you do what others say and it doesn't work out, you'll have even more regrets. I want everyone to live a life with no regrets.

"I remember a colleague from the Juku saying that life at a company is like a marathon. You just keep running, looking forward, without taking detours or shortcuts. Before you know it, one person who was running with you disappears, then another, and in the end, if you're lucky enough not to fall or get injured, you find yourself running alone. Perhaps that's how it is."

After graduating from the Faculty of Economics, Mr. Higuchi has had a successful career and is still full of a desire to learn. While his face lit up as he said, "I am blessed with an environment for learning," he answered the interview questions with a dignified posture. His demeanor seems to embody his message: "Listen to the opinions of others, think flexibly, and stay true to your beliefs."