Sustainability

The World According to Takuwa

Our founder Masaji Okuda devoted his life to communing with and learning from rivers, motivated by an unwavering spirit of altruism. Today, Takuwa upholds his spirit of altruism in tackling major social challenges, in line with our vision of a world where humans coexist in harmony with water.

To this end, the Takuwa approach is predicated on what works best for our precious water resources. In other words, Takuwa puts the needs of water first. Our efforts are designed to create a world in which we can coexist in harmony with water — in other words, a truly sustainable world.

At Takuwa, we see the world as being comprised of systems. Our day-to-day world is one where all systems function effectively. In this context, social issues and challenges can be viewed as a temporary malfunction of one or more systems.

This means that we should be able to resolve the malfunction and get the affected system (or systems) operational again. Thus, all social issues and challenges are ultimately resolvable. By carefully analyzing and appraising the issue and using our knowledge and ideas to develop a hypothesis, then testing and refining the hypothesis through successive applications of the PDCA cycle, we can restore the malfunctioning system to its previous state, or at least to a more desirable state.

The key here is altruism. At Takuwa, we develop altruism-driven strategies for resolving system malfunctions. We refine and improve these strategies to ensure that they deliver value to society. The Takuwa approach enables us to design more direct and effective solutions.

Natural disasters can be viewed as another form of social challenge. Climate change too can be seen as the result of malfunctioning weather systems. Similarly, man-made disasters are the result of problems associated with human activity.

For example, in a scenario where the impact of a natural disaster is exacerbated by a lack of a particular something, then a solution would be to provide that something. It might be that we are underprepared, and need to stock up on emergency supplies; or it might be that we are living in a dangerous area and have to relocate.

In Japan, the government is seen as primarily responsible for disaster prevention and keeping the populace safe via a combination of physical and non-structural measures.

But in the current era of climate change caused by malfunctioning weather systems, we can no longer depend solely on governments to protect us from natural disasters. Unless we start taking personal responsibility for our decisions and behaviors, we will not be able to adequately protect life and property.

The notion of preparedness, of course, extends to the private sector. In countries that are subject to frequent natural disasters, private industry can play a part in helping to keep people safe.

Takuwa, for example, installs water level gauges in third world countries that help protect people from flooding. But this can only ever provide limited and temporary relief in terms of the size of the area covered and the number of people protected. It is not a lasting solution to a protracted crisis, because we can never know where or when disaster will strike.
If Takuwa were to be called into action after every disaster, we would simply see the same limited outcomes repeated again and again. The real solution therefore, one that delivers lasting social value, is for third-world countries to take matters into their own hands. The Takuwa approach is driven by altruism. We see our role as providing a platform to empower local people to create their own solutions.

The Problem-Solving Approach

At Takuwa, we inculcate in our employees a unique mindset and skill set that they can carry with them on their travels around the world. They are like the seeds that are planted in new lands, then grow into trees and plants that bring forth flowers, and eventually mature to become mighty forests. They transform barren land into a natural wonderland,
a land of altruism where the people live together in peace and happiness.

For example, employees who have been with Takuwa for five to ten years will take the Takuwa mindset and skill set with them when they return home. In this way, local enterprises providing disaster relief services will spring up all over the land.

>New businesses generate employment opportunities that represent tangible benefits for third-world countries afflicted by poverty. This self-propelling cycle of upward mobility helps to put nations on the path to growth and prosperity, giving children who have never enjoyed an education the opportunity to go to school and develop the skills to carry their nation forward in the future. This represents another concrete solution to the education challenge.

This is the Takuwa view of disaster prevention and international contribution.

And it also represents the intent behind our altruism-driven approach to tackling major social challenges. But it doesn’t stop there; Takuwa continues to work with those who have achieved success in other countries, which in turn drives new forms of innovation. This is our ultimate goal at Takuwa.

This is the business model that will eventually generate a chain of innovation across the world, providing genuine solutions to major social challenges that are rooted in self-interest, such as poverty, and leading us toward a sustainable future based in altruism.

Children who have been educated in the spirit of altruism will be less likely as adults to resort to violence when faced with issues or challenges. Instead of applying a simple win-loss dynamic, they will be more likely to choose dialog and engagement, and as a result there will be less fighting and conflict in the world.

They will introduce new ideas and value systems, rooted in a more ethical outlook. And this process will be repeated over and over again. Our mission at Takuwa, aligned with our sustainability strategy, is to set this process in train at multiple locations around the world.

Altruism, rather than simple idealism or optimism, is the only real way forward in tackling major social challenges. We truly believe that an altruistic approach will generate social value and help make a sustainable world.