When Inamori talks about making employees happy, he doesn’t mean they’ll be putting their feet up. His brand of happiness comes from working harder than anyone else. It’s infused with the Buddhist idea of “shojin,” elevating the soul through devotion to a task. In a 2004 book on his philosophy, he questioned Japanese people’s increasing tendency to value leisure time.
Inamori’s less-extreme capitalism is a product of Japanese society, which he says is less willing to accept gaps between haves and have-nots than western economies. Executives have to take that into account, he said.
“Companies do belong to shareholders, but hundreds or thousands of employees are also involved,” Inamori said. “The hen has to be healthy.”