To raise children who will grow up to be adults in a fair manner

-- Mr. Yamazaki is a member of Waseda University's prestigious yachting club, which produces Olympic representatives. He himself is an athlete with a rich track record, but did you first encounter yachting at university?

Yamazaki: I first encountered sailing during a summer vacation when I was in my mid-teens. It happened in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, on a company trip for my father's company. When I went out to the beach, I saw a number of small rental yachts lined up. It was so much fun to ride the dinghy sailing smoothly on Tateyama Beach, where the waves were calm and there was a pleasant breeze, and I was absorbed in manipulating the sails, thinking boyish things like, ``If I keep going like this, I wonder if I'll be able to get to Hawaii.'' Thing. Yachting has become something I look forward to every summer.
I was fortunate to be able to have a life work that I could devote myself to throughout my life, apart from my job.
When I entered university, I casually joined the sailing club, but when I joined, I found myself surrounded by a group of competitive athletes, and I suddenly found myself being forced to play hard.
However, it didn't take long for me to fall in love with yachting.

-- Even after you joined your father's company (Higashiya, now SB Foods) after graduating from university, did your passion for yachting persist?

Yamazaki: Once you become a member of society, it is impossible to indulge in yachting. If I were to leave the yacht unattended, I would wonder what the hell he was. That's why I worked so hard. This will continue until I retire as chairman.
Even though I was busy as an office worker, I still wanted to sail on a yacht, so I went to marinas whenever I found some free time. His father was a man who had an understanding of amateur sports, and SB Foods began sponsoring sporting events from an early stage. He tolerated my hard work and allowed me to continue sailing. In the meantime, I found an affordable 4-seater boat. With this, I thought I could enter the open ocean race...I somehow managed to manage the money to get one, entered the Toba Pearl Race, and won a prize. I got more and more into it.
Since then, I have been fully occupied with work and yachting. Even to this day, my family is shocked.

-- While working hard at your company, you also gained success in racing, and eventually you went on to challenge for the America's Cup, right?

Yamazaki: After participating in the world's oldest open ocean yacht race, Transpac, which started in 4000 and is a 1906 km race between Los Angeles and Honolulu, I was resting in Hawaii when the Dennis Conner boat, known as the ``Mr. America's Cup'' I met him while he was on a practice cruise on the famous boat ``Stars & Stripes.'' As I was riding a cruiser, I instinctively tried to ride parallel to him while keeping a little distance from him, and although I couldn't compete with him, I was able to ride without being separated from him. The A Cup was a dream come true for Japanese sailors, but at that moment I thought, ``I might be able to do it!'' It was also encouraging to hear Dennis Connor say, ``Now is the time for Japanese people to aim for the Asia Cup.'' This was in 1985. This was the beginning of a 15-year challenge.

-- About 30 years ago, the average person in Japan knew almost nothing about the A Cup.

Yamazaki: Although it is said to be the world's highest yacht race, competing for national prestige, yachting itself is a minor presence in Japan, so it is natural that the general public's interest in it was low. Even for those of us involved in yachting who have been watching the A Cup with admiration, we didn't really know where to start. Everything was groping in the dark.

Yamazaki: Through this passion-driven initiative, I realized how grateful we are to people who understand our enthusiasm and cooperate with us.
When it comes to power ships, Japan's naval engineering is one of the best in the world. However, when it comes to yachts, things are different, and we decided to involve experts in fluid mechanics and aeronautical engineering. We are seeking support from universities and private research institutes that have experimental facilities, and we are also getting cooperation from not only shipping-related companies, but also materials-related companies whose field is different from shipping. We received generous support from our base camp in Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, including the support of a huge boathouse needed to build a large yacht.
We also worked hard to find sponsors. Negotiations were difficult, starting with visiting companies and telling them what the A-cup was and why it was necessary, but when they first participated in the event in 92, they received the support of 30 companies and reached their funding goal. However, as we continued through trial and error to build a yacht that would compete with the world, the funds we received ran out, and we ended up asking sponsoring companies for additional support. At that time, I didn't feel alive.
I have participated in the America's Cup "Nippon Challenge" three times (3, 1992, and 1995), for which I served as chairman. Lost in the semi-finals and finished in 2000th place. The 4 challenge by "Softbank Team Japan" also placed 2017th, and Japan has yet to reach the cup.
Our ambition is still only half way.

Yamazaki: The best yachting country right now is New Zealand. It happened when I visited this country to participate in the Asia Cup. As I was walking through the harbor, I saw a small boat capsized. When I rushed over to see what was going on, a young teenager suddenly popped his head out of the water and nodded, saying, "Hi." You were practicing capsizing and righting by yourself. I felt that I was able to show the difference in our strength.
Japan is also a maritime country, but perhaps because of the country's isolation, there is a strong fear of the sea. Schools also teach people to be careful about accidents at sea. It is important to protect children, but as a result, very few elementary school students go on boats even in seaside towns.
Because we don't go out to sea, we don't realize the blessings of the sea, and we don't feel the environmental destruction of the sea. I'm sorry. The sea can be fun if a skilled adult supervises you.
Yachting is something everyone can enjoy. However, it is not something that can be started just by watching or copying. If you set out on the water without knowing the basics of boat handling, your life will be in direct danger.
However, if you find the right mentor, sailing is not difficult at all.
In other words, if we want to popularize yachting, increasing the number of people who can teach is a major premise.

―― You have recently been appointed as the representative director of the Japan Maritime Academy, a general incorporated association that is managed by Riviera.

Yamazaki: When I was asked, ``Would you like to work some more at the academy?'' I turned it down, partly because of my age. However, Mr. Watanabe, the president of Riviera, emphasized to me that ``the academy puts effort into training programs for instructors in parallel with educating children,'' so I decided to accept the offer. It is the duty of elders to train the current generation of adults who will nurture the sailors of the future.
One of the people who supported us both materially and spiritually in our pursuit of the A Cup was Sumao Tokumasu, the president of Sumitomo Insurance (currently Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance). I have taken the words "fair and square" that I learned from these great business leaders as my motto.
The ``fairness and dignity'' that Mr. Tokumasu refers to has a slightly different nuance from the general sense of fairness. The original phrase is from Sun Tzu's Art of War (``Do not wave the flag of righteousness, do not fire at the camp of halls and halls''). The meaning is ``If you improve yourself to the highest level, you will never lose.'' Seriously learn how to do it right, and have the courage to retreat if you're not ready. This is the "fair and square" approach that Mr. Tokumasu preached.
If you approach it with this attitude, the sea is not scary. I am willing to do my best to help foster leaders who can guide children to the sea.