If Nagamori is right, there’s no need to worry about a change at the top anytime soon. More than four decades into the job, he still works every day and vows to stay on in some capacity until 2030, his target for increasing annual revenue to 10 trillion yen from 1.2 trillion yen in the year ended March. Nagamori says he’ll choose a successor by focusing on the same metric he uses for promotions: who makes the most money for Nidec.

His philosophy on managing the rest of Nidec’s employees may look odd to western eyes, though it’s hardly unique in Japan. Staff never have to worry about being dismissed, as long as they put in the required hours. And if someone can’t do a particular job, Nagamori will find them another role.

It’s a common way of thinking in a country where businesses, rather than the state, often provide the social safety net. Looking after employees, Nagamori says, is key to a company’s success. He eats every meal with groups of staff to develop a sense of camaraderie from the top down.

Cleaning Toilets

That doesn’t mean life at Nidec is easy. Even in a nation renowned for devoted workers, the company stands out for its demands on employees. Meetings, Nagamori says, are held on weekends or after regular tasks are done. New staff are sometimes told to clean toilets, and taking days off is seen as lazy.

Nagamori makes no apologies.

“These days, if you tell people to put everything into their work, you’re soon dubbed a black company,” he says, referring to the Japanese term for firms that flout labor standards. “I have no problem saying that. If you don’t work, you lose. The only ones I can’t stand are layabouts.”

He has just as little patience for shareholders who rub him the wrong way. Some have complained about dividends, with Nidec’s stock offering an expected yield of just 0.9 percent, versus 2.3 percent for the Topix. Nagamori says the cash is better used to fund deals.

Big Goals

He considers employees a bigger priority than investors, arguing that an effective workforce will ultimately create the most long-term value for shareholders.