Furthermore, the new president of Tottori was previously a flight attendant at an airline that merged with Japan Airlines, so when the announcement was made, it was received with surprise as an unusual appointment.
We asked Tottori, the new president, how he plans to steer the company as the environment surrounding the airline industry changes following the coronavirus pandemic.
(Economy Department reporter Akira Taruno)
With the lessons of Osutaka in mind
After graduating from a junior college in Nagasaki Prefecture, she joined Toa Domestic Airlines, the predecessor of Japan Air System, which later merged with Japan Airlines, as a flight attendant.
I joined the company in 1985. What happened that summer was the crash of a Nikko Jumbo jet on Mt. Osutaka, killing 520 passengers and crew.
President Tottori says that an accident that will go down in Japan’s aviation history, which occurred shortly after he started working in the aviation industry, determined the way he thought about his work from then on.
Japan Airlines President Mitsuko Tottori
“Safety is the very purpose of aviation business.If safety is not established, business cannot be established.I always convey to employees that “As long as they work for the Japan Airlines Group, every job is connected to safety.” There’s
Q Less than 1% of current employees know about the time of the accident. How can we pass on those lessons to the next generation?
President Mitsuko Tottori
“What we value is the principle of “three actual things”: “on-site”, “actual thing”, and “actual person” (gennin). “Gennin” means actually going to Mt. Osutaka. “Gennin” means actually going to Mt. Osutaka. Experience the accident by touching the aircraft preserved at the Safety Awareness Center.Also, hearing the stories of the people who were actually involved in the accident, through news reports and books, or second-hand knowledge. I don’t think it’s realistic if you just hear about the accident, but by seeing it firsthand with your own five senses, it becomes engraved in each person’s mind.I want to cherish that.”
Safety Initiatives Accident response at Haneda
He was promoted to executive officer in 2020, and since June last year has served as representative director and group CCO (chief customer officer), with overall responsibility for customer services.
Against this backdrop, a collision and fire accident with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft occurred at Haneda Airport early this New Year.
The 12 crew members were able to safely evacuate all 367 passengers as the plane burst into flames with such force that everyone who watched the footage on television took their breath away.
President Mitsuko Tottori
“If I were to speak for the feelings of the flight attendants, I think it was a sense of mission itself.In fact, just under half of the flight attendants on board that aircraft were young staff members who had only been on the job for a few months. Although it was scary, I am proud that they responded with a sense of mission.Of course, without the cooperation of the customers, the evacuation would not have been as smooth as it was. Therefore, I would like to thank our customers as well.
In addition to daily evacuation drills, we also carry out simulations every time based on the training to consider decisions such as “If some kind of trouble occurs, what should we tell customers about?” and “Is this door usable?” I do this every time I take off and land on every flight, and I think it’s because of this accumulation that I was able to take immediate action this time as well.”
Make diversity your strength
President Tottori, who has a background as a flight attendant at a company that has merged, says that his strengths in leading the company are “diversity” and “experience cultivated in the field.”
Q At the press conference in January this year when you announced your appointment as president, you said about the management integration of Japan Airlines and Japan Air System, “There were some personal hardships at the time.” What kind of hardships did you face?
President Mitsuko Tottori
“Japan Airlines is a company that started with international flights, and Toa Domestic Airlines, the company I came from, was a company that mainly focused on domestic flights, so naturally the aircraft types and routes are different.Furthermore, the business terminology used on a daily basis is also different. On the other hand, it was very difficult to bring these points together one by one, but it was also “diverse” in the sense that we were able to overcome these issues and work together with different people with different ideas. I learned a lot from the perspective of “sexuality.” Diversity is considered important in today’s world, and I think it will be very relevant to our *ESG strategy.” = environment, S = society, G = corporate governance)
“I think risk management is my strength because as a flight attendant, I have always been in close contact with risks in the field. I have also managed flight attendants of various age groups on the field.Furthermore, last year I have also worked in the Customer Experience Headquarters, which is closer to the customer, providing great value and experiences to passengers, and I think I can make use of that strength.”
How to handle management
On the other hand, there continues to be a shortage of personnel, including the staff who work on the ground at airports, known as “ground handling.”
In addition, in order to realize a decarbonized society, which is a global issue, we need to respond to difficult issues such as the term “flying shame”, which means feeling embarrassed about using airplanes that emit large amounts of CO2. is under pressure.
President Mitsuko Tottori
“The aviation industry faces many major issues, such as environmental issues and a lack of human resources. However, the larger the issues, the more they cannot be solved by individual companies. When it comes to environmental issues and human resources development, we need to work together within the industry, and sometimes even beyond the boundaries of the industry.Through solid cooperation, we can come up with solutions that are beneficial to society. I want to proceed like this.”
Q: Do you emphasize teamwork in management?
President Mitsuko Tottori
“When I assumed the position of president, I changed the system so that one of the two vice presidents would supervise the corporate department (the company’s management department) and the other would supervise the customer department. The aim was to Rather than being vertically divided, it is important to communicate at an early stage while emphasizing “cross-cutting.” By doing so, I believe that management issues can be resolved more quickly.Of course, decisions are made from the top down. There are things that we have to do, but on the other hand, we want to make better decisions and decisions after thorough discussion.We want to deal with this on a case-by-case basis.”
How to express “uniqueness”
The outlook for the airline industry is not necessarily optimistic.
Competition on international flights is expected to intensify as things return to normal from the coronavirus pandemic, and business demand on domestic flights is also slow to recover amid changes in lifestyles.
The new president, Tottori, has been attracting attention for his unique career, but how will he demonstrate his “uniqueness” and bring the organization together? The true value will now be questioned.
(Scheduled to be broadcast on “Good Morning Japan” on April 25th)
Economic Affairs Department reporter
Akira Taruno
Joined in 2012
Current affiliation since 2020 after working at the Fukushima Bureau
In charge of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Tags: Mitsuko Tottori unusual president lead JAL NHK Business Special Feature
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