Utilizing his experience and personal connections, he contributes to the healthcare field business. Aiming to provide value that only Nomura can provide

Shunsuke Hashimoto joined the company in 2019 as an experienced hire and is currently part of the New Field Project Development Department of the Business Production Headquarters. Utilizing the experience and connections he gained in his previous job, he is mainly involved in developing new fields related to healthcare. Hashimoto, who feels that NOMURA has a strong ability to solve social issues, talks about the appeal of working at the company while looking back on his time since joining the company.

Promoting business and facility development in the healthcare field. Involved from the planning stage in the rebuilding of the town hall

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 the head 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 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, and also provide the space to get around, 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, was held. Detailed report on Nomulog I am
*Renaissance and NOMURA are collaborating on facility development with the theme of "health." Learn more

Leveraging know-how and personal connections in business and facility development in the healthcare field to demonstrate capabilities in leasing business

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 in 2018. While working on new business development and facility development in his previous job, he packaged and developed facilities to improve the efficiency of facility development. In such a situation, he gradually felt a desire to gain new knowledge and expand his network.

Hashimoto: "At the time, NOMURA offered me a job 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 the company, healthcare was an unexplored field for NOMURA. 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

Simultaneously progressing multiple healthcare-related projects such as clinic malls and commercial facilities

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 people who have been working in the industry for many years tend to have a narrow perspective, NOMURA, Ltd.'s strength lies in creating spaces from the end user's perspective, leveraging its high creativity in concept design and planning capabilities. 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 has specialized in up until now, I think there are few companies in the healthcare field that set aside sufficient budgets for planning and concept design fees. Therefore, in order for the person in charge to get the decision maker to approve the request, they need to give a convincing internal explanation for ordering the work from NOMURA.
 

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 cooperation 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 develop healthy towns that will help resolve various issues facing local governments, such as the declining birthrate and aging population, preventative care, and support for child development. NOMURA 's healthcare business is expanding both in the public and private sectors.

Leveraging the strength of having a wide range of experts, we provide value that only NOMURA can provide in a wide range of fields.

▲ 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 companies in any industry are finding it increasingly difficult to solve problems on their own. Touching on the strengths of NOMURA, he gives the following outlook for business in the healthcare field.

Hashimoto: "NOMURA has a history of handling a wide variety of projects for a variety of clients, and has experience that other companies do not have. We have a wide range of experts on staff, including sales, planners, designers, and directors (production management) teams, and we are able to solve problems that business companies face with new approaches, starting with ideas that I would never have thought of.
 

We are currently involved in a project in the town of Koshimizu in 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 actively participate in the planning and concept design of spaces, we hope to help solve 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 wide variety of fields, including manufacturers, multi-store chains, workplaces, hotels, and public facilities, and I want to continue to take on a wide variety of seamless tasks in the future. I want to work on a variety of projects with a wide range of people and provide customers with the value that only NOMURA can offer."