Working Happiness for Everyone

The keywords are 'employment of people with disabilities' and 'chalk'.

The company I want to recommend is called 'Nihon Rikagaku Industry Co., Ltd.'

This company manufactures chalk used in schools and 'Kitpas,' an environmentally friendly marker that can be drawn on and wiped off windows.

It is also famous for its commitment to hiring people with disabilities. According to its website, as of December 2022, 63 out of its 92 employees are individuals with intellectual disabilities, accounting for nearly 70% of the workforce.

It was seven years ago that I first encountered such a wonderful company.

The Shocking Bibai Factory

In July 2016, while working as a local government official, I visited Bibai City (Hokkaido) for a training observation tour with welfare commissioners.

I remember feeling like a fish out of water, surrounded by the gentlemen and ladies of the welfare committee, having just transferred to my position that April.

We arrived at a factory that makes chalk.

I didn't know how chalk was made, and I wasn't particularly interested.

I came because it was 'part of the job,' but since it was a two-day, one-night training trip, I was mostly in tourist mode.

Honestly, I just wanted to get it over with and head out to the downtown area.

When I stepped into the factory, led by the managing director who was our guide, dozens of workers were working with intense focus.

Some were weighing materials, some were mixing them in a mixer, some were cutting the chalk to the proper length before drying, and others were packing the finished chalk into boxes.

If it had been an ordinary factory, I probably would have only thought, 'Oh, so that's how chalk is made.'

But this place was different.

I was told that almost all of the workers were people with intellectual disabilities.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

I had assumed that the people working in front of me were long-term, able-bodied employees.

The weight of the materials, the operating time of the mixer, the length of the chalk—everything was perfectly accurate.

I was particularly surprised by the line where the finished chalk was packed.

The process involved 'assembling a folded new box and putting a set number of chalk sticks into it,' but the worker in charge assembled the box in an instant with just their left hand and packed the chalk with their right hand in a fluid motion.

And every worker was incredibly fast.

To be both accurate and fast in every single task—aren't they the ultimate craftsmen?

At that moment, I was filled with respect for these artisans.

When I spoke with the managing director, he explained that they had made various adjustments to accommodate the hiring of people with intellectual disabilities.

For example, the line for weighing materials.

To make chalk, you need to mix two types of coagulants in addition to the raw material, calcium carbonate.

However, since the material bags look the same, one must read the printed text to distinguish the contents.

When weighing, one must also measure each material accurately according to the instructions.

However, this is difficult for people with intellectual disabilities.

So, what did they do? They took a hint from traffic lights and introduced a method using color.

They put the two types of materials into large cans painted red and blue, and prepared weights for each material in red and blue.

Then, they instructed the workers as follows:

'When weighing the material in the red can, place the red weight on the scale.'
'When weighing the material in the blue can, place the blue weight on the scale.'
'When the scale needle is in the middle, not pointing too high or too low, and stays still even after you count to five on your fingers, take the material off.'
'Never touch any other part of the scale.'

By doing this, a worker who used to be restless and easily bored was able to complete over 30 lots at once.

I was struck by this realization.

While people with intellectual disabilities may have fewer things they can do or many things they struggle with, they demonstrate incredible ability in their areas of strength.

By creating an environment that maximizes those abilities—in other words, by tailoring work methods to their level of understanding—they become just as capable as able-bodied workers.

For example, it is easy to yell at someone who makes many mistakes, saying, 'Why can't you do it!' or 'I've told you so many times!', but that doesn't solve anything.

Instead, by thinking from the other person's perspective—'Maybe the way I'm explaining it is wrong' or 'What kind of explanation would help them understand?'—you can achieve a win-win situation.

Of course, this cannot be achieved overnight, but steady, persistent efforts will bear fruit.

This way of thinking is still deeply rooted in me.

The book I hadn't read in seven years was a bible

Having become completely captivated by Nihon Rikagaku Industry, I bought a book that was being sold inside the factory.

It was a book titled 'The Warmest Company in Japan,' written by Yasuhiro Oyama, who was the chairman at the time.

This book carefully details Mr. Oyama's life, how he started hiring people with disabilities, and the values he holds dear.

When I reread it for the first time in seven years, I found a very interesting passage.

It happened when Mr. Oyama attended the 7th Shibusawa Eiichi Award ceremony.

Eiichi Shibusawa, known as the 'Father of Japanese Capitalism,' was involved in the establishment of many companies while also dedicating himself to social projects such as welfare and education.

The Shibusawa Eiichi Award is presented to business leaders who carry on that spirit today.

Mr. Oyama, not understanding why such a prestigious award was being given to him, asked the organizers for the reason.

He reportedly received the following answer.

Amazing.

I was left speechless by how incredible this is.

To think that employing people with disabilities leads to a reduction in national financial resources.

And this contributes to the realization of the 'Society of Universal Employment' that Mr. Oyama aims for.

According to Mr. Oyama, 'It is only by working that people can attain the ultimate happiness of being praised, being useful to others, and being needed.'

A 'Society of Universal Employment' refers to a 'society where everyone can feel happiness through working,' and Mr. Oyama was convinced that if this were realized, the world would become much more vibrant.

The strategy for this is called 'Gohou Ichiryotoku' (Five-Way Benefit), and its mechanism is as follows.

In other words, all five parties—the government, companies, people with disabilities, families, and welfare facilities—benefit.

What a wonderful society it would be if this were realized.

Realization is not that easy, but I think there is plenty of potential.

I must have read this book once before, but it probably didn't resonate with me much at the time.

Now that I have retired from the municipal office and stepped away from disability welfare, I am deeply impressed.

After seven years, I was struck by the realization once again.

And I regretted not having opened this book for so long.

The happiness of working for everyone

Let me think about working again.

Labor is a duty for Japanese people, and if you don't work, you don't get money, and if you don't have money, you can't live.

So, if there were no duty to work and you were in a situation where you could live without working, would people be happy?

No.

That is because it was similar to what I myself had felt.

To be praised, to be useful, to be needed.

Aren't these emotions that many people have, regardless of whether they have a disability or not?

If those are fulfilled, the meaning of working also becomes clear.

There must be many people who, like I once was, have come to dislike working.

Similarly, there must be many people who would be able to feel the happiness of working if their work environment and interpersonal relationships were good.

It might be a good idea to reconsider a way of working that suits you once again.

Mr. Oyama, who taught us the importance of the happiness of working, unfortunately passed away a few years ago.

Meeting him and hearing his story directly has become a dream that will never come true, but when I think that I wouldn't be writing this now if it weren't for the shock I felt at the Bibai factory, I feel a mysterious connection.

I wrote this article on my own, but as a fan, I sincerely hope that the initiatives of Nihon Rikagaku Industry will spread and that we will become a society where everyone can feel the happiness of working.

While thinking about such things, I realized I was excited about the idea of giving Kitpas to my nephew, who loves drawing, next time.

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