Former Chairman Hiroshi Osaki of Yoshimoto Kogyo and Hiroshi Ikushima, a lifelong active member of the Yoshimoto Kogyo Group, talk about what they value in life.
The two friends who have been active in the industry for 20 years had an explosive talk about what they value in their "life theory" to stay active throughout their lives!
I’ve used up all my retirement money.
Hiroshi Ikushima, 75, a freelance announcer, and Hiroshi Osaki, 72, former chairman of Yoshimoto Kogyo HD, discussed a variety of topics for a FRIDAY project.
Both of these men, who have devoted themselves to play and work with all their might, have already passed their 70th birthday. What will Ikushima, who has made a fresh start in a new place, and Osaki, who completed Expo ’70 in Kansai, Osaka, where he served as chairman, aim for next?
Osaki: “I’ve used up almost all of my Yoshimoto retirement allowance, and I’m at the point …… where I have to cancel my life insurance policy. Everyone seems to think I have money, but I don’t have any. I think I need to go back to my original intention of …… and work hard to make some money.
Ikushima: “In order to keep working, I have to be healthy first. I have recently been undergoing treatment for frequent urination. Thanks to that, I don’t wake up once during the night and can sleep soundly.
Osaki: “Yes! I get up more than 10 times a night to go to the bathroom.
Ikushima “You should get treatment! I’ve even started treatment for thinning hair. In the old days, people used to say that when the hair on the top grows, the hair on the bottom goes bad, but I heard from a doctor I know that there is a treatment that makes it possible to have both.
Osaki: “Today’s medical treatment is amazing. This is a little off the subject of health, but I had surgery on my foreskin when I turned 60. I lost my wife, so I wanted to keep my foreskin as clean as possible in case I have to take care of someone I don’t know in my old age.
Ikushima: “That’s wonderful! I also had it surgically repaired a long time ago.
Osaki “Really? Then the title wouldn’t be “W Hiroshi” but “The Foreskin Brothers: Talking about the Showbiz World! isn’t it?”
Ikushima “Really! (laugh) As for the future, my favorite Mr. Tokumitsu (Kazuo) is 85 years old and still working. (Laughs) “As for the future, my favorite Mr. Tokumitsu (Kazuo) is still working at the age of 85, and even when he is sleeping, he is still working. I want to surpass Tokumitsu-san.”
Osaki “Is that really true?”
Ikushima “He really is sleeping (laughs). When I turned 75, a doctor friend of mine told me, “You could die at any time, so you should enjoy yourself.
（I think it’s wonderful that Sanma-san (70) said, ‘You’re making a fortune just by being alive. I, too, am not ready for the end of my life. I want to continue working as long as possible.
What I should do” in my life from now on
Osaki: “So, to tell you the truth, I’m going to be a principal next year. I will be opening a correspondence high school in Hiroshima that will attract students from all over Japan. I want to teach music, art, home economics, and other subjects that will help students develop their skills, or in other words, skills that are directly related to life.
I thought it would be interesting if I could create a place for children who cannot study or go to school as a job. I believe that life is connected.
Ikushima: “It is the same for our generation that we have to keep learning. A dementia specialist told me, ‘If you don’t want to become a blur, work until you die! He said, “If you have a job, you can connect with society. If you have a job, you can connect with society.”
Osaki: “Just because you get old doesn’t mean you can stay at home, and even if you do your best to find a hobby, most people don’t last long. So, why don’t you continue to do something that is related to society, in other words, work? I don’t want to change my attitude of finding new things to do without looking back only to the past until I die.
Ikushima: “We are both still in good health. Let’s keep working!
PHOTO： Takehiko Kohiyama