Japanese Company Lets Workers Set Hours, Profits Soar

A Japanese t-shirt company and its unusual CEO are doing business differently — and the employees seem to dig it.

Japanese business has a reputation for demanding long hours and, at times, less-than-stellar working conditions. But one CEO in Gifu Prefecture is trying to change that by abolishing overtime and letting workers set their own hours. And judging from the company’s profits, it seems to be working.

The tattooed, blond CEO

41-year-old CEO Sakaguchi Terumitsu (坂口輝光) doesn’t look like your typical CEO in Japan. The US-educated businessman sports wavy blond hair and a set of tattoos that would get him banned from many onsen and other “respectable” establishments.

He’s also what you might call “a character”, based on a report from 47 News. Sakaguchi’s visage graces much of his company’s corporate advertising, from posters to calendars. Sakaguchi told reporters that he keeps a folder of his own pics on his phone labeled 俺 (ore, me) and looks through it from time to time. “It gives me peace of mind, looking at myself,” he says.