Exclusive Interview with
SCAO Yangon Office GM Mr Takayuki Onishi
“The one with conviction wins.”
Mr Takayuki Onishi
GM
Sumitomo Corporation Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd
Yangon Office
It has been a year since Myanmar’s Coup started in 01 Feb 2021 while Covid-19 continues to bring uncertainties. Stationed in Yangon as Country GM during this challenging time, how has life been and how are you leading SCAO Myanmar out of it?
The political change on February 1, 2021 was shocking. Until the day before, we had been exchanging information about the possibility of a political change in Myanmar with people related to Japan and Myanmar, and everyone thought it would not happen.
When I was stationed in Myanmar 20 years ago, the country was under a military regime and the economic scale was small due to international sanctions, but after the civilian government took over, the economy expanded due to a sharp increase in foreign investments and the lives of the people improved remarkably.
With colleagues at Yangon Office, Myanmar
in Mar 2020
One year of political change and the corona infection have caused Myanmar’s economy to stagnate. Although private trade business is showing some recovery, large-scale projects in both the public and private sectors have been severely damaged.
The security situation has calmed down compared to last year except for the rural areas, but our office and business at affiliated companies have been affected by the corona infection.
As an office, we are providing full support for the security and corona countermeasures of the people involved in our group’s business. We are continuing our work to contribute to the lives of the people of Myanmar and to maintain a strong relationship of trust with local private companies for future business.
At Hot Air Balloon Festival in Shan State, Myanmar
If not for the aforementioned situations, how would you have hoped to transform SCAO’s businesses in Myanmar?
In our Myanmar business, the telecommunications business and the Thilawa SEZ business are the two main pillars that formed the two platforms. In addition to developing the peripheral businesses of these two platforms, we thought that we could take advantage of our strengths to form four platforms, with infrastructure and agriculture-related businesses as the two new pillars, and advance to the next stage through the mutual and synergistic effects of these businesses. All of these will be important in contributing to the improvement of the lives of the people of Myanmar.
You mentioned in our newsletter under Management Member Introduction that you “love driving, playing golf and comic even more”. Could you please share with us more about your love for comics? When did you start reading comic? Why do you love comics and which comics would you recommend?
I lived in the countryside in Japan, Shiga Prefecture, until high school and the only entertainment I had was TV and comics (so called manga in Japanese). At that time, baseball manga was at its peak, and high school ball players aiming for Koshien (the national baseball championship) were very popular, so I started reading them.
A famous baseball manga artist passed away the other day but there are still people who draw manga about high school baseball players aiming for Koshien. Recently, I read a manga called “Diamond A” which was very interesting.
With colleagues at Yangon Office, Myanmar in 1999
With former SC CEO Mr Kato in Bahrain
Speaking at Scholarship Awarding Ceremony in Feb 2020
Spent my new year at golf course in Myanmar
Won the SC Group Yangon Golf Cup in Nov 2019
My birthday – my family celebrated for me at home in Japan in 2015
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SNAPSHOT
I strongly believe in… destiny
I spend most of my time.. I wondering what am I doing…
The food I crave most often is… ethnic food, pasta, anything I can eat except coriander
One personal rule that I never break is… taking a shower and weighing myself every morning
The thing that cheers me up whenever I think about is… somebody’s trying to make a difference here!
One thing I really want but can’t afford yet is… LEXUS LFA, GTR and other Sports Car
If I could go back in time, I would… want to go back to my college days
If I have enough money to live comfortably without having to work, I would… it’s unrealistic and unimaginable. I’ll win the lottery first
