On friendship

(Sorry—I just realized a post wasn’t sent to the readers. I post my substack note every Saturday 20:00 JST, so the next one will come soon)

A few months ago, Roger Federer appeared on a podcast hosted by Trevor Noah. He talked about the importance of maintaining friendships when one is busy with a career. After all, a career eventually ends or at least slows down, and when that happens, those who haven’t nurtured their friendships may find it difficult to lead a happy life—especially since much of our happiness comes from interacting with other human beings. Inspired by this, I began meeting regularly with my friends (or those I hoped would become friends).

These days, I often think about what friendship really means. First of all, whom should we befriend? Many philosophers have addressed this question, often emphasizing the value of friendships that help us improve our souls. In other words, they urge us to surround ourselves with people of good character.

While I understand and agree with their perspective, I don’t believe that’s the whole story. Some friendships develop through long-term interaction—simply spending time together and getting to know each other over many years. Take, for example, the relationship between the Little Prince and his rose (one of my child’s favorite bedtime stories). Their bond became special primarily because of the time they spent together.

Friends who knew me as a child can see how far I’ve come since then. They offer me both a valuable reference point and a warning signal if I ever stray in the wrong direction. Back in elementary school, I had only three classmates (it was a very small school), and we still get together even though 35 years have passed since we first met.

Another topic is loyalty (or more precisely, consistency). Many people boast about their friendships but abandon their friends in times of real trouble. I don’t want to be that kind of person—like someone who throws stones at a drowning dog.

Everyone experiences ups and downs in life, often caused by external factors, while our core personalities remain relatively stable (or change only gradually). If we become friends with people for who they are, it’s crucial to maintain consistency in how we treat them.

That said, as CEO, I am determined to prioritize the company’s interests whenever the company matters conflict with personal friendships. After realizing this, I tend to avoid involving close friends in the company. This principle has also caused me to lose many friendships over the years. My personal loyalty remains constant, but until I step down from my role, I will do what I must, because the livelihoods of millions depend on our decisions. Sometimes I find it ironic—I started the company for personal reasons, but once it was established, nothing could remain personal.

Still, while corporate decisions should be guided by principles, I believe I can maintain my personal loyalty as an individual.