Shunsuke Hashimoto joined Nomura Co., Ltd. as an experienced hire in 2019 and is currently a member of the New Business Area Project Development Department in the Business Production Division. Utilizing the experience and connections he gained in his previous job, he is primarily involved in developing new business areas related to healthcare. Hashimoto, who believes that NOMURA Co.,Ltd. has a strong ability to solve social issues, looks back on his time at the company and discusses the appeal of working there.
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The Business Produce Headquarters is a department newly established in 2021. It was established with the goal of creating new businesses. With a total of about 150 people, we are promoting a wide range of operations such as public-private partnership projects, development of commercial facilities, tenant leasing, content business, and public relations.
Among them, the New Domain Project Development Department, as the name suggests, is a department that pioneers new business domains. Therefore, Hashimoto is involved in developing new customers and partner companies, developing medium- to long-term projects, etc., centering on themes such as healthcare, well-being, and mobility.
Hashimoto: For example, as of March 2023, a town hall reconstruction project is underway in Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido, a municipality facing the Sea of Okhotsk with a population of about 4,500 people. The purpose of the reconstruction is to provide a place for the townspeople to regenerate their community, to promote health and growth, and to provide peace of mind that the places they use daily can be used in the event of a disaster, aiming to create a lively space.
To achieve this, we are working with Renaissance*, a company with which we are collaborating on health-themed facility development, to create an unprecedented town hall space that will include a fitness gym, coin laundry, cafe, and community space that can be easily used by both local residents and those outside the town.
In the project that started in May 2020, we have been involved from the basic planning stage of the lively space, listening to the opinions of local organizations and townspeople representatives, and considering the functions that should be introduced.
Currently, we are working on the overall concept design of the new building, as well as developing the facility name and logo, and we are supporting town hall staff, the chamber of commerce, and the local NPO designated to manage it, together with related companies such as Renaissance, in launching operations in preparation for the building's opening, with the aim of ensuring sustainable operations.
Hashimoto is the project manager (PM) for this project. I have been working on the project in cooperation with not only the members of the company but also the people in charge of many related companies.
Hashimoto: "A total of four in-house members are participating from Head Office office: two planners in charge of planning, a designer in charge of concept design of the government building, and a graphic designer in charge of creating the logo and graphics. The Hokkaido branch is in charge of the built-in furniture and fixtures. We work closely with the sales and construction teams there."
At the same time, Hashimoto is working to create new business in the mobility field, where new next-generation vehicles and services are appearing one after another, and is building relationships with various places. He talks about the future where healthcare and next-generation mobility overlap.
Hashimoto: "I think healthcare and mobility go very well together. Public spaces and well-being spaces need to be usable by people who have difficulty getting around on their own, such as children and the elderly. In that sense, I think mobility spaces that connect bases with homes, and each base with another, are extremely important.
NOMURA Co.,Ltd. has been involved in the development of many bases and space creation, but we believe that if we can provide transportation that allows anyone to get to those spaces whenever they want, as well as spaces for travel, the value of those places and spaces will increase even more, and we are currently working on developing a new market in the mobility field."
*A seminar introducing the project in Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido, Detailed report on Nomulog I am
*Renaissance and NOMURA Co.,Ltd. Ltd. are collaborating on facility development with the theme of "health." Learn more
After graduating from university, Hashimoto got a job at a major hotel management company and was in charge of sales. After that, I changed jobs to a nursing care management company and was involved in the development of more than 200 facilities in about 10 years, from small-scale rehabilitation fitness to large-scale senior residences.
Hashimoto decided to change jobs to NOMURA Co.,Ltd. in 2018. While working on new business development and facility development at his previous job, he packaged and developed facilities to improve the efficiency of facility development. In this environment, he gradually felt a desire to gain new knowledge and expand his network of contacts.
Hashimoto: "At the time, NOMURA Co.,Ltd. offered me a position in development sales, and I was attracted to the idea of working with a variety of companies, and being involved in business development from the planning stage onwards."
When he joined NOMURA Co.,Ltd., healthcare was an unexplored field. He says the COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point.
Hashimoto: The corona crisis had a big impact on the work of the entire company.So, when developing new customers, one of the themes that the company raised was healthcare. I never imagined that I would not be able to meet new customers at all due to the corona crisis, so I contacted people I knew in the past, and found that I had both experience and connections in the healthcare field for business and facility development. As a result, the number of jobs in that field naturally expanded.”
After joining the company, Hashimoto has established various matchings in the leasing business (*) by making use of his wide network of contacts in facility development at his previous job. A project that left a particularly strong impression on me was Japan's largest esports park, RED° TOKYO TOWER, which opened in Tokyo Tower Foot Town in April 2022.
Hashimoto: "RED゜TOKYO TOWER is a much-talked-about facility that is packed with fun in every aspect, from playing the latest game titles to enjoying tournaments and events in a stadium equipped with the world's most cutting-edge XR technology, as a 'different dimension of entertainment experience space.'
At the time, the business division I was in had concluded several leasing deals, and sales representatives from each department began to contact me for individual consultations regarding leasing. One day, the sales team in charge of Tokyo Tower approached me to ask for my cooperation in introducing new tenants to a large section that was vacant from the building.
In order to take advantage of the excellent location of Tokyo Tower, we brought the plan to a customer who operates a hotel where they can experience e-sports. led to the launch of The leasing business is more than just a real estate introduction. It was a project that I felt would lead to a valuable business only when our desires and the customer's desires match."
* Leasing: Business that supports the rental of commercial real estate
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The first project in the healthcare field that Hashimoto worked on after joining the company was branding work for a clinic mall. It was triggered by a consultation I received from a company I had a relationship with for 10 years at my previous job.
Hashimoto “We received a consultation from a company that operates dispensing pharmacies nationwide that they wanted to develop a clinic mall that had never existed before. However, we have successfully received an order for planning work.”
The medical and nursing care industries are characterized by stricter legal regulations than other industries. While those who have been working in the industry for many years tend to have a narrow perspective, NOMURA Co.,Ltd. 's strength lies in creating spaces from the end user's perspective, leveraging its high level of creativity in concept design and planning. He also says that there are many situations where he is able to utilize the experience he gained in his previous job.
Hashimoto: Compared to the areas that NOMURA Co.,Ltd. has specialized in up until now, I think that there are few companies in the healthcare field that allocate sufficient budgets for planning and concept design fees. Therefore, in order for the person in charge to get approval from the person with authority to approve the order, they need to give a convincing explanation internally for placing an order with NOMURA Co.,Ltd..
In my previous job, I was the facility development manager on the client's side, so I had experience obtaining approval from the board of directors before placing an order for design and construction. I understand the difficulties of getting internal approval before placing an order for work, so I think my strength is being able to think together with the person in charge and clear each hurdle one by one.
In particular, many of our new clients in the healthcare field are new to the business, and this is their first time employing a planning and concept design company, so I feel that my experience from my previous job is proving useful."
Hashimoto says that the number of healthcare-related projects has been increasing in recent years. For example, a health-themed new business development project for a commercial facility in a rural area is currently underway.
Hashimoto: "The declining birthrate and aging population is particularly noticeable in regional areas, and if things continue as they are, in 10 to 20 years' time the aging population will lead to a shrinking market, and commercial facilities in those areas with fewer shoppers will be forced to close.
Naturally, not only will the number of people unable to shop increase, but jobs will also disappear, leading to a decline in the local government's economic activity. This is a social problem that could occur throughout Japan in the future. Therefore, we are working to turn nearby commercial facilities into health centers, thereby extending the healthy lifespan of elderly people living in the area and supporting the development of preschool children.
Specifically, in a surplus corner of a commercial facility, we will create a zone that brings together healthcare-related functions, centered around a fitness gym, where people can stop by without any particular purpose. The idea is that elderly people and parents with preschool children can casually drop in while shopping, and use the facility casually.
As the frequency of store visits will increase, we are considering creating a sustainable system that will eventually contribute to the sales of our main business, commercial facilities, and at the same time, will lead to the maintenance and expansion of employment in the town.”
Furthermore, in collaboration with Renaissance, which is working with the town of Koshimizu in Hokkaido on a project to rebuild the town hall, Hashimoto is also involved in work to create a healthy town that will solve various issues facing local governments, such as the declining birthrate and aging population, preventative care needs, and support for child development.Nomura NOMURA Co.,Ltd. 's healthcare business is expanding both in the public and private sectors.
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▲ Spatial image of the new government building in Koshimizu-cho, Hokkaido. A part of the lively space where people from inside and outside the town gather
Hashimoto says that regardless of industry, business companies are finding it increasingly difficult to solve problems on their own. Touching on NOMURA Co.,Ltd. 's strengths, he offers the following outlook for business in the healthcare field:
Hashimoto: "NOMURA Co.,Ltd. has a history of handling a wide variety of projects for a variety of clients, and has experience that other companies don't have. We have a diverse team of experts, including salespeople, planners, designers, and directors (production management), who can come up with ideas that I would never have thought of and use new approaches to solve the problems that business companies face.
We are currently involved in a project in Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido, but we feel that we have accumulated knowledge that can be applied to other local governments. After the new town hall opens in May 2023, we would like to roll out a similar model nationwide, and by having NOMURA Co.,Ltd. actively participate in the planning and concept design of spaces, we hope to contribute to solving local issues."
In addition, Hashimoto says that he wants to work on a wide range of businesses, not just healthcare.
Hashimoto: "It's been four years since I joined the company, and I feel like I've met more people and done more work than ever before in my working life. I've been involved in a variety of fields, including manufacturers, multi-store chains, workplaces, hotels, and public facilities, and I hope to continue to take on the challenge of seamlessly engaging in a wide variety of tasks. I want to work on a variety of projects with a wide range of people, and provide our customers with the value that only NOMURA Co.,Ltd. can offer."
Joined NOMURA Co.,Ltd. in 2019. Previously, he was in charge of business development and facility development at a major hotel management company and a nursing care management company. After joining NOMURA Co.,Ltd., he is in charge of new customer development and the business development phase, working on healthcare and well-being projects. He works in collaboration with local communities and companies to support regional revitalization with a view to long-term management.
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