Voices of Entrepreneurs and Executives Who've Flourished From KCGI

Through his father's work, Mr. Amatake established his own Italian stucco import and installation company while he was a student.After a period of parallel employment as a salaried worker, he now specializes in his own business and has greatly expanded the family business by incorporating IT-related operations one after another, taking advantage of the knowledge and technology he gained at KCGI.He is pursuing new business opportunities, and is making great strides in the world of business.

His father has been a plasterer for many years.The one day, one of our clients, a company importing Italian stucco approached me about transferring their business to me, and although I was still a student, I accepted the offer and became the representative director of Stucco Co.At the same time, after graduating from KCGI, I joined Sumisho Information Systems (currently SCSK) and worked as an SAP consultant, working in parallel as the representative director of Stucco Co.Since 2017, Stucco Co. has expanded its stucco-related architectural services to include web-based design proposals, and has also started SAP consulting, web services, and system development.As for the web services, we are developing a portal site to collect subscription services with support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.I feel that all the knowledge and skills I learned at KCGI have been put to good use.Especially if it's related to SAP, there are times I unpack the lecture materials I from when I was a KCGI student.

I majored in Philosophy at university, but it was more that I had to choose something.After graduation, I tried to get a job, but it didn't work out the way I wanted. Feeling that I wanted to learn a useful skill for my future, I decided to study computer-related knowledge and technology, something I had always been interested in and liked.After researching several graduate schools related to IT, I leaned more towards KCGI because of its ERP-related courses and its well-rounded business curriculum, and decided to enroll.While studying at KCGI, I made it my top priority to get certified as an SAP consultant.

'Pragmatism over academicism'This is the first thing I realized at KCGI.Unlike a research graduate school, all lectures are usually focused on 'business' and 'how it can be useful to society'.Professors with real practical experience, will speak passionately to students about information and ways of dealing with the real world.Every day was very exciting and my interests kept expending into new territories. At the same time, as part of the "Leadership Theory" lectures, I was involved in setting up a bar; a place for communication between professors and students. The idea of setting up a bar in a graduate school and the atmosphere it brought, was surprisingly comfortable, and I will never forget this experience.(Talk)

Joined At Izumi Co., Ltd., which plans and proposes web applications, which was launched by the first students of KCGI while attending KCG.After graduating from KCGI, worked for Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. for 10 years, before assuming the current position in 2018.As a manager of a company engaged in the power semiconductor business, he started both sales and marketing departments from scratch, and also oversees the PR and technical support departments.

After graduating from high school in China, I first enrolled in Kyoto Computer Gakuin (KCG) because I wanted to learn IT and programming.While attending school, a good friend of mine asked, "Why don't we join At Izumi together?I joined the company from one word, and I was able to be involved in many projects, and I felt "thank you for connecting me."Konosuke Matsushita, the top expert in management, said, "In the connection between people, there is a deep power of ties that goes beyond personal intentions," and I can sympathize with this very much.I still communicate with my seniors at that time through Facebook and other media.From this experience, I decided to go on to KCGI because I wanted to be involved in a business that makes full use of IT in the future.

I wanted to learn IT and marketing deeply, so I took as many classes as possible after going on to school.I asked to join the seminar of Professor Hong Seung Ko, former CIO of a major electronics manufacturer, in the second half of my first year and received guidance based on his experience as a marketing professional and his firsthand experience in launching a start-up company.

The first word from Professor Ko was, "If you are going to try, you might as well do your best."This teaching was so emotional at the time that it is still engraved in my heart.The guidance and lectures of the high professor were strict as I heard in advance, but for two years, I was able to do everything from reading specialized books in English to presenting at academic conferences overseas, so my English ability, logical thinking, and marketing ability. I realized that I have steadily acquired these three.After graduating, I worked for the Tokyo head office of Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. for 10 years, but passed the in-house planning job examination level 1 in 6 years after joining the company.I was surprised by other employees that I was appointed as an assistant section chief in the shortest course, and I was able to build a strong relationship of trust with people inside and outside the company in combination with other achievements.

As was the case during the Fuji Electric era, there were always many difficulties and challenges in changing jobs to the current company in 2018 and starting the sales and marketing department from scratch as vice president.I was able to steadily solve every difficult problem one by one because of the emotional support of Prof. Ko's words and teachings.

Currently, our immediate goal is to prioritize business expansion in China, but in the future we would like to expand overseas step by step.Sales in South Korea are gradually increasing, and we will establish a Japanese branch office in the first half of 2020.Since I was a student, I have wanted to be a bridge between Japan, China, and South Korea, and in order to realize that dream, I would like to grow my current company into a globally strong company as a manager.

When you're in your teens or twenties, it's easy to get lost in your career because you can't really see what your dreams and what you want to do.I also want to give KCGI's juniors the words, "If you are going to try, do your best."And I want you to deeply understand the meaning of the word and put it into practice.That way, if you face the problems you face head-on and work hard on them, you will surely bear great fruit in five or ten years.

After graduating from university, while working for Mega Bank, he decided to "find something that he could call a skill" and put an end to my four years as a bank clerk and went to KCGI.Based on his experience in charge of corporate sales such as financing, he is eager to realize entrepreneurship involving IT, and greedily pursues and absorbs knowledge of various genres.In addition, we steadily accumulated knowledge about practical management through repeated exchanges with professors who have abundant practical experience who are enrolled in many KCGI, and asked for opportunities to start business.Then, while attending school, he already started puting into practice whyat he was learning, and he started a company to introduce human resources with six MBA colleagues from Kyoto University, and was invited to a company researching microalgae as a manager in charge of business strategy to set a prospect for a business base. During the two years at KCGI, which he said was "fun and irresistible," he lit a strong light on Mr. Kawamura's future prospects.

At the bank, I was in charge of corporate sales such as loans for 4 years.As I continued to work, I saw firsthand progress in fintech, and I began to feel that I wanted to find my unique specialty. When I was thinking of studying at graduate school to reset my life once, I learned about the existence of KCGI, which allows me to learn IT regardless of the humanities and sciences, while making use of my knowledge of the management field, and retired from the bank. I entered the school.My wife and her parents also understood.The fact that the "Future IT Human Resources Development Scholarship System" can be used also pushed me to make the decision.

I think KCGI is characterized by a wide range of genres that can be learned.A completely new world that the one I saw working at a bank opened before me.In addition to fintech and agricultural IT, I also looked into ERP and other fields, and at the same time, I pursued my knowledge of databases, the R language, Python, and other languages eagerly.I was worried whether or not I would be able to understand IT-related lectures because I am not a specialist, but the teachers explained it well from the history, so I was able to absorb it smoothly.In addition, there were many teachers with abundant practical experience in private companies, so I had the opportunity to receive advice for the entrepreneurship that I was aiming for.Compared to when I was a bank clerk who often just sat in the office and waited for a call, the two years at KCGI were fulfilling every day, it was really a lot of fun.For our Master Project, the theme was using game theory and financial methods to present product information.In the distribution of agricultural products such as vegetables and fruits, it is sometimes argued that the wholesale market is unnecessary due to the high margins, but what kind of problems will occur if agricultural products are lined up directly from farmers in stores? It is such a content that it may not be a simple cost reduction.

While attending KCGI, he established E-Pass Co., Ltd., a recruitment agency, with six colleagues from Kyoto University.I started the business as a director in charge of the system department with the business purpose of matching companies without successors with people who want to become managers but have no chance to continue to protect the assets that Japan has built up so far. We are busy with preparations such as creating a database for the company.Eventually, I also have a dream of targeting KCGI students who want to become managers.In addition, he was invited to Seed Bank Co., Ltd., which was unable to expand the framework to business while researching microalgae, as a manager in charge of business strategy, formulating business and financial strategies, building databases and websites, and providing customers. I am mainly in charge of making proposals.We have set a big goal of "I want to change the world with microalgae" and eventually I want to go public.We are also focusing on work in the information management department of a general incorporated association related to Japanese culture.It goes without saying that IT now plays an important role in business, but we can realize that the opportunities are endless.The hurdles to challenge IT are originally low, but when you learn at KCGI and become able to embody your ideas with IT, it will drop to the point where it can be overcome.I say to my juniors, "Just dive in!"That was the message I sent. (Talk)

It has been seven years since we established a forwarding company that provides a Japanese address for customers, mainly from China, when they buy from Japanese online shops, and we collect the products, carefully package them and ship them to China.The company's focus on the high purchasing power of Chinese people has been successful, and sales have continued to rise steadily, reaching over 2 billion yen in the fiscal year ended August 2018.The amount of money used for international mail was ranked the top in the Kinki region and the top two in Japan, and a letter of appreciation was presented from Japan Post Co., Ltd.Their huge distribution Centers including the 2500-square-meter-space in the Osaka Higashi Post Office, locations in Osaka City and two newly acquired Tokyo, Kanda Jimbocho and Kobe are constantly filled with the merchandise.With the aspiration to gain trust as a forwarding business, the company invested in 2 X-ray inspection machines to check the shipments before dispatch.In addition to the cross-border e-commerce business, which is an up-and-coming business, the company is expanding by establishing affiliated companies in partnership with leading logistics companies and government agencies in China, a local subsidiary in China for customer and system development, and supporting foreign residents wanting to start a business in Japan with Meito Solution Co., Ltd. There are many KCGI graduates who are employees.

I dreamed of studying in Japan and majored in Japanese at university.After graduating, I worked at a hotel in Shandong, my hometown, and worked as a front desk staff. I became friends with a Japanese trading business owner who was a frequent guest, and he strongly inspired me that I wanted to work in the import-export trade as well.I was also interested in computers and had some self-taught programming knowledge. So, when the chance to study abroad came up, I chose KCGI, where I could learn about IT and management at the same time.My 'First Dream' came true.

After I entered the school, I had a lot of interesting lectures on systems development related to financial accounting, business administration, and web business. I enjoyed my classes and studied hard.I became friends with other Chinese students, so my anxiety about living in Japan eased.On the other hand, I realized the needs to improve my Japanese if I am going to work in trade between Japan and China in the future. I found some time for a part-time job between my school work, and talked to as many Japanese people as possible. For my Master Project, I obviously chose 'International Trade'.

Next, it was time for my 'Second Dream' to come true.To be honest, I wondered if I should get a job in Japan or return to China after graduating, but decided that I should make use of what I learned at KCGI and start a business.I established Meito Co., Ltd., whose goal is to trade, import and export, and e-commerce sales planning.I wanted to make a name for myself back in my hometown in the east of China. This was reflected in the name I picked for my company.At first, I had a hard time gaining trust from the people here as I am not from Japan.However, after repeated explanations of my business plan with tenacity and sincerity, a business alliance with Japan Post Co., Ltd. was realized and a business office and a distribution center were established in the Osaka Higashi Post Office Business Collection Promotion Department.I'm doing my best while taking advantage of what I learned at KCGI.In the future, I would like to work in Taiwan, South Korea and other countries as well as in China to deliver Japanese products worldwide.I would like my business to be listed in the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange within 10 years.This is my 'Third Dream'.This “dream” to go public has finally reached to the foreseeable field of our reality and is about to become the next “goal”.(Talk)

She established a company whose main business is handling environmental products while attending KCGI.She initially started using an incubation facility in Hirakata City, Osaka.She acquired the qualification of “lighting specialist” and worked as a consultant for LED introduction in company offices and factories.She also started a business to support overseas business expansion for client companies, and will travel around the world.

My husband's family owned a printing factory.The industry has been directly hit by the wave of OA, paperless forms, typesetting and typesetting came to be done on Macs, and the environment wass changing rapidly. However what a small factory could do in response was limited, and I was at a loss as to what to do, saying, "How can I survive in the future?".Based on the belief that "When in doubt, study hard." I found KCGI in a newspaper advertisement where I could learn about both systems and management strategies, and I decided to enroll in the school.I want to be the only one, even if it's small. "I want to do a job that others cannot do.".It was my way to start with this strong ambition in mind.

At KCGI, I first learned about the basics of management, and for my master project, I received guidance from Professor Hong Seung Ko, a former CIO of a major electronics manufacturer.Professor Ko thoroughly taught me logical thinking and CRM based on operations research.Through lectures based on work experience and thorough practice, I was able to break away from the Japanese idea of "amicably" and "vaguely", and I was able to have a calm and objective perspective when deciding the future policy of the printing plant.Reading and writing huge volumes of English papers required for lectures and project guidance was also a challenge.I had the opportunity to present my work at an international conference, which helped me overcome my weakness in business English.The days of KCGI were a series of struggles and discoveries.

At KCGI, I learned and experienced many other subjects such as Leadership Theory, Organization Theory, Object Orientation, and Project Management.I am convinced that for me, KCGI was not a “place to gain knowledge” but a “place to build up my business mind set”.I would not have thought of smoothly closing the printing factory without discord and setting up a company that deals in environmental products for a new business development.Four years of learning and the connections I have cultivated at the school has changed me into an “entrepreneur”.The meaning of the company name “I-SEE” is “To understand the customers’ needs with pleasure ”.I chose the name with my desire to listen the customers and respond to them sincerely.Whenever I get lost, I want to remember my days at KCGI, further enhance my learning, and always respond to my customers with a confident “I see”.(Talk)

He started a website development company when he was still a student, and has since expanded his business into nursing care and agriculture.

When I was a university student, I studied to become a clinical psychologist, but I became less interested in the field of clinical psychology because I thought there were still immature aspects in the licensure system, and I started to think about other career paths.After graduating, I looked for a graduate school to study IT while working in Tokyo as a secretary of a Councilor. However, the physical strain seemed to be too much to focus on the study. I decided to go back to my hometown and enter KCGI.The fact that I can learn not only IT but also management was a major reason for my choice.I also hoped that I could learn how to catch the cutting-edge trends.

I conducted a CRM-related project under the guidance of Professor Hong Seung Ko.I believe I could conduct intensive research on data analysis methods and modeling.At an international conference in San Diego, U.S.A. I had the opportunity to do a presentation (I also presented at the same conference in Portugal after graduating).Three of us, including a Vietnamese classmate of mine attended the conference, and it was a very good experience.In order to survive in the IT industry in the future, it is essential to have an international perspective. I valued my experience for that reason as well.For me, KCGI instills logical thinking and helps me achieve my goals.

When I finished my research while I was in school, I started a company that produces websites.I thought that I would improve my technical skills if I earned my experience through the real business application.At that time, I remember telling myself that I should value and welcome hard lessons to learn in my youth since I still have time and chances ahead of me to recover even if I make mistakes.I had a hard time dealing with complicated corporate registration procedures and accounting procedures after starting up the business, but at that time there was a huge demand for website production, so I was able to work with satisfaction.Since then, the company has expanded its business to include building systems for projects aimed at making the actual implementation of in-home services more transparent, introducing a care system that manages nursing care results on iPads and iPhones, and agricultural IT.The fields of welfare and agriculture will become increasingly important in the future.I hope to contribute with my expertise the best I can.If you are learning at KCGI, please try to start a business if you find something you want to do.(Talk)

After graduating from KCGI, I worked for an IT-related company in Tokyo and was in charge of system development, but I felt their way of doing things did not suit me very well and did not fit in.In 2015, with a group of like-minded co-workers, I established a company in Otsuka, Tokyo, mainly engaged in software development and system consulting, and then in December 2019, I established my own independent company, PLT Corporation, in Adachi-ku, Tokyo, fully funded by myself.I am in charge of consulting and system operation and maintenance at our clients.Since the company has only been in business for a short time, we have few employees, and with the spread of the new coronavirus, it has been difficult to expand our business, but we intend to work hard to provide the best solutions while earning the trust of our clients.I will be taking over as the representative director in the near future.

I studied software development and Japanese at a university in Dalian, China.After that, I worked for a local company, but I wanted to see the world, so I decided to study abroad.Wanting to work in the world of IT business in the future, I decided to enroll in KCGI because I wanted to study at a professional graduate school that was not research-oriented.My grandfather had studied abroad at Kyoto University, and one of the faculty members at KCGI was in the same laboratory at that time. After entering KCGI, I struggled with my Japanese, but I started working part-time at an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) with a friend, and this struggle disappeared as I started talking more and more with Japanese people.The teachers were very kind to me, and I was able to have a wonderful time in a friendly atmosphere.

From my own experience, I know it is difficult for Chinese people to get a job in a Japanese company even if they have technical skills.My goal is to make my company even bigger by adding KCGI alumni to my team.I would like to welcome many overseas talented human resources at my company.(Talk)

Mr. Zhang (R) and Mr. Zhu, who were classmates and now work together
You can see Mr. Zhu's interview on the "Messages from Graduates" page.