10月20日（火）：ヒューリック、平均年収2295万円／盆踊りで人育て／AIネーティブ狙う

Winning the Survival Competition with Efficiency and Differentiation

This episode is organized around a single through-line: companies that grow not by sheer scale but by efficiency and clear differentiation. All three stories feature companies that venture boldly into territory outside their core business while keeping their organizations lean, maintaining a distinct competitive model, and growing without relying on outside help. The underlying argument is that new revenue opportunities emerge precisely for those who keep sharpening their operational efficiency. Specific company names and figures are filled in by the individual stories that follow; this framing functions as the thematic spine running through all three.

Daikin Kogyo's Bon Odori — 1,000 Employees, 20,000 Visitors, and a Rain-Halted Festival

The second story centers on Daikin Kogyo (大金工業). Every year, the company deploys more than 1,000 employees to stage a large-scale bon odori festival that draws roughly 20,000 visitors. On one occasion, heavy rain brought the event to an abrupt halt, leaving organizers with the unplanned challenge of safely getting 20,000 people on their way home.

The festival's real purpose is not to draw crowds — it is to develop people. New hires and young employees take ownership from the planning stage all the way through day-of operations, accumulating practical experience that no classroom can replicate. The event also serves as a natural venue for employees across different departments to form connections they would not otherwise build.

Responding to unforeseen situations — such as dispersing 20,000 visitors when heavy rain forces a stoppage — is explicitly framed as a live test of judgment and decisive action for junior staff. The person in charge has stated that even if the festival imposes short-term business costs, it is rational over the long term. The bon odori is, in effect, Daikin Kogyo's corporate culture made tangible, and that culture, the article argues, is the source of the organization's strength.

Kasumigaseki Capital — ¥14 Million Starting Salary to Land AI Natives

The third story features Kasumigaseki Capital (霞ヶ関キャピタル), a real estate developer. For its new-graduate hiring cohort beginning in April 2027, the company is offering a first-year salary of ¥14 million — a figure that stands out sharply even among aggressive starting packages.

The target is the top tier of what is being called the "AI native" generation: young people who grew up using AI as a matter of course and are exceptionally proficient with it. The ¥14 million figure is, in effect, a public declaration of intent to attract that talent ahead of competitors. Kasumigaseki Capital is described as a company that has grown consistently through aggressive investment in human capital, and this hiring strategy is a direct extension of that approach.

By posting a high starting salary, the company aims to secure outstanding talent early and gain an advantage in the competition of the AI era — the episode holds it up as a frontline example of what human capital strategy looks like today.

Featured Articles in the Digital Edition

The episode closes with two articles available in the Nikkei Business digital edition. The first covers the H3 rocket's "strongest No. 10" launch — a world-first attempt to collect samples from the vicinity of Mars. The second features Hulic's (ヒューリック) chairman declaring that "real estate is finished" and calling for a pivot to a conglomerate model capable of withstanding Japan's population decline. The latter article is likely related to the ¥22.95 million average annual salary at Hulic cited in the episode title.