Realization of the last major reform of the Showa era Masada's belief is June 24, 20:18

In late May, one "pioneer" died. Mr. Masashi Matsuda, former president of JR East. I was 84 years old. 33 years ago, under the administration of Nakasone, he was one of the leading actors who succeeded in the division and privatization as an executive of the National Railways. What kind of person was the railway man who led to the realization of the last major reform of the Showa era? (Economic Department reporter Nishizono Kioki)

Never boarded a national railway

When I heard that Masashi Matsuda had died, I didn't know who he was at first. When I was told, "You are the former president of JR East and of the National Railways," I finally came to the knowledge that I was one of the three national railway reform groups.

As an economic reporter, I'm in charge of the railway industry, but I've never been on the JNR. I was 30 years old when I was born, and I was already a JR.

The division and privatization of JNR was a historical event for me. I wanted to know what kind of person was the key figure of the national railway reform.

Pioneer Masashi Matsuda

Mr. Matsuda was born in 1936 (Showa 11) in Notsukeushi-cho, Tokoro-gun, Hokkaido (now Kitami-shi). The third pioneer of a pioneer who came to Hokkaido as his grandfather. When I was young, I saw my father working at JNR, and in 1986 I joined JNR.

Having been in the planning department of the head office for a long time, in 1982, he was involved in the formulation of a plan for the division and privatization of JNR in response to the policy of the second extraordinary administrative research committee, the so-called "Dokou Riki".

In 1986, he became the secretary general of the Reconstruction Promotion Headquarters. Coordinating with the government and labor unions, led to the realization of the national railway reform. It was later called "JNR Reform Triad" with Masahiro Ide, who became the president of JR West, and Takayuki Kasai, who served as the president of JR Tokai.

After the division and privatization in 1987, he became the managing director of JR East, and subsequently served as president and chairman. For nearly 20 years, he led the company as the center of management.

Belief human

"We will take all steps to reach our goal. Matsuda was a man of belief."

Mr. Yukitaka Ishii, who served as the first president of JR Kyushu (87), said so. He was a person who lived in that era as an executive at the time of the division and privatization of the National Railways. I'm old, but I'm fine and accepted Teams for the interview.

The Japanese National Railways fell into the red in 1964 (Showa 39). After that, the debt fell into a snowball-like situation, and management stalled. Eventually, they have long-term debt of 37 trillion yen.

The background is that efficient management was not possible due to the involvement of the country and politics. Although the deficit is increasing, there are national and political restrictions on what to do at the JNR, and even if we know what to do, such as abolishing unprofitable routes and raising fares, we can not do it It was a situation.

Ishii looks back on this.

Mr. Ishii
"At that time, the Japanese National Railways had the attitude of "carrying it on" in the "master Hinomaru". There was no customer awareness and the service level was extremely low."

In his book, Matsuda described the situation of the JNR at that time as "a human collapsed without a dream." Seeing employees losing their brilliance as management stagnated, "I felt that human beings cannot be as humans unless they have the passion to realize their dreams." Is written. It may have been Mr. Matsuda's starting point to create an environment where employees could have dreams.

Mr. Matsuda, who was in the Management Planning Office, was driven by a strong sense of crisis about the future of the JNR, and he will be actively involved from the inside in the formulation of the division/privatization plan promoted by the government establishment committee.

However, even after the government bill was issued in 1982, most management executives said that it would be impossible to split the national railway. Trade unions were also strongly repulsed.

Ishii explains:

Mr. Ishii:
"At that time, it was an open secret that Matsuda was moving toward the division and privatization. There were some senior executives who felt bitter."

Against this backdrop, Mr. Matsuda was "transferred" from the head office to Hokkaido.

Realization of division/privatization

In 1985, under the administration of the Nakasone government, when the government sent the president of the National Railways, the tide changed. According to Mr. Ishii, all of the dozen or so directors at that time, including Mr. Ishii, who had just become a director, had individual interviews with the president.

He was asked to approve or disapprove of the division and privatization after he was asked to submit his request. Mr Ishii, who strongly felt the need for privatization, expressed his opinion, but two-thirds of the executives who opposed it all left the JNR.

Ishii
: Only a few officers remained. It was a confrontation between beliefs and beliefs in the situation of the Meiji Restoration against the shogunate versus the new government. For Matsuda, the belief that the division and privatization of the JNR is unwavering I think it was.''

In 1987, JNR was split into a total of 7 passenger companies and freight companies nationwide, and it will be restarted as a special company owned by the state. Meanwhile, about 75,000 employees were forced to re-employment in government agencies and private companies to streamline management.

In his book, Mr. Matsuda looks back on division and privatization.

(From “Nasebarana Privatization JR East”)
“JNR reform was an event in which the life of each employee was changed by the whole family, so I must bear the weight of that fact for my entire life. Even now, I'm sometimes told by the JNR OB, etc., at a liquor seat, "Mr. Matsuda crushed the JNR..." However, I am willing to accept the words. We must never forget that the Japanese National Railways Reform has become the people of all sorts of thoughts, and that there is JR today."

Aiming for true "privatization"

Mr. Eto
"It was a hot person anyway. The day after I became a secretary. Matsuda had a plan, but he said that it was more important to talk to you than that, and he was taken to a Chinese restaurant. It's a two-hour speech. I finally talk about the story of being relegated to Hokkaido or the reform of the National Railways."

Speaking so, Mr. Naoshi Eto (currently JR East Sports President) has been watching Matsuda after privatization for a long time. Mr. Matsuda served as secretary for 20 years from 1991 when he was vice president.

On June 18, a company in Tokyo responded to our interview. After privatization, Mr. Matsuda said he was keen on becoming an independent, completely private company.

Mr. Eto
"I had the belief that if I was bound by politics or government, I would not be able to manage freely. If I could not manage for employees, I would not be a going concern.

Mr. Matsuda's first step was to eliminate the consciousness of the "Private Hinomaru" of the JNR. That's why I sent employees out. We started overseas training for employees. The aim was to force the head to change by changing places.

According to the book, there are three rules for overseas training.

・Enjoy local food and local sake without eating rice
・Speak with a variety of people because it's a simple word
・No report required

The company still sends many employees overseas every year. As a result, employees have been able to give their opinions. In the JNR era, I sometimes selected excellent people to study abroad, but I did not leave them for training.

Mr. Eto's company has a world map centered on Europe, with Japan at the eastern edge. It was given by Mr. Matsuda when Mr. Eto took office as president of the subsidiary three years ago. It was said that Mr. Matsuda bought it in London when he was president and cherished it.

Mr. Eto: A
world map that shows that Japan is Far East. Don't become domestic. Matsuda always told me to look at things from the outside. I was disciplined not to speak."

Mr. Matsuda also put a lot of effort into seconded personnel. According to Mr. Eto, he has been seconded to trading companies such as insurance companies, department stores, and banks, which are not related to railways. He said he wanted to be able to work with a new idea by going outside the company.

In the JNR era, there was a body consciousness and the secondment was taken negatively, but Mr. Matsuda made the employees work in different environments anyway. By doing so, I changed the consciousness of "Mother's Hinomaru".

From "passing" to "gathering"

Mr. Matsuda also changed the business format of the company. The aim was to expand from the railway business to the lifestyle service business, and to become a truly necessary company for the region.

The idea for that was to transform the station from a "passing place" to a "meeting place". He said that not only businesses that increase profitability such as station buildings and hotels, but also businesses that increase social convenience, such as the "station-type nursery school," which opens a nursery school near stations where children can easily leave their children, are important.

Now, these efforts are spreading to town planning.

Mr. Eto
"I was positively adopting the ideas of employees and was thinking about how I could contribute to regional development while creating synergistic effects with railways. He was a tolerant person, and although I sometimes failed at work, I was comforted that the wind of tomorrow would blow tomorrow."

Today, 30% of operating revenue comes from businesses other than railways. As a result of these efforts, JR East went public in 1993 and became fully privatized in 2002. The company escaped from "owning" the country, giving up all the state-owned shares.

Mr. Matsuda, who was highly praised for his skill in such reforms, became a member of the privatization promotion committee of the Road Public Corporation promoted by the Koizumi administration in 2002.

However, the government and the ruling party objected to the use of the toll revenue for new road construction, albeit indirectly, in a concrete plan agreed upon. Mr. Matsuda left the committee after submitting his resignation, saying that "it will not be accepted because it breaks the foundation of the final report."

You shouldn't make an unprofitable road. Mr. Matsuda's behavior was unbelievable, as he did not disobey his belief in privatization.

Message left by Mr. Matsuda

According to Mr. Eto, liver cancer was discovered in January of this year and he was sentenced to one year of life. He died with a peaceful face while watching his family and Mr. Eto at a hospital in Tokyo on May 19th.

About a week before, Mr. Eto had a request from Mr. Matsuda, who was in bed. "Your existence is proud to your children and grandchildren, so can I apply for the death order?"

Mr. Matsuda said, "The medal belongs to the "government". I cannot take the medal because I have a responsibility to change the "national" that was the "government" into a "private"." Had been rejecting. At the request of Mr. Eto, Mr. Matsuda nodded at the very end, "I understand."

33 years have passed since the division and privatization. Along with the declining birthrate and aging population and the progress of motorization, local railways have many deficit routes. Moreover, they are facing an unexpected crisis in which the movement itself is "denied" due to the spread of the new coronavirus.

Mr. Matsuda, the third pioneer, used the word "taku" as his inscription.

(From "Nasebarana Privatization JR East")
"It is now in the beginning of the 21st century after more than half a century after the war, that politicians, bureaucrats, business people, and the people, in their respective positions, strive for reform with a frontier spirit. I think it's time to open up a new path that will lead to: Reform certainly involves pain and suffering, but even if it is painful now, if we each earnestly dream and hope for tomorrow, and make serious efforts, it will surely lead to the future. Should open up."

Now is the time for adversity and we must open up the future. This is a message left to us by Mr. Masashi Matsuda, a pioneer.

Economy reporter
Nishizono ascendency
2014. He joined
Economy through the Oita stations
currently in charge of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport