Siberia Internment Elucidation Society Chairman Kondo Ken is a Nippon Kempo karateka as well as an entrepreneur. With a strong patriotic spirit, he is working to solve issues related to the internment of Japanese citizens in Siberia, occupation of the Northern Territories, and abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea. Motoya Toshio spoke with Kondo about his past experiences, current activities, and other topics.

 

(M) Thank you for joining me on Big Talk today. You’ve attended every Shoheijuku meeting for many years now. Can you start by telling us about yourself?

(K) I was born in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture in 1942. My father was a teacher. He was transferred to Ako City soon after I was born, followed by another transfer to Aioi City.

(M) We are one year apart – I was born in 1943.

(K) We moved to Niigata, my father’s home prefecture, in 1951. No one in Japan had enough food to eat back then, but I didn’t find it particularly difficult because everyone was in the same boat. I looked forward to lavish meals on the Obon and New Year holidays. My father’s bookshelf had a copy of Hagakure, which I read in my first year of junior high school. I was exceedingly impressed by the phrase, “Bushido (the way of the warrior) means being resigned to death.” I realized that men must be warriors, and I decided to live my life while being prepared to die if necessary. Around that time I frequently got involved in physical fights, some of which I won and some of which I lost. I enrolled at Niigata Shogyo High School and joined the wrestling team, which was famous because it had previously won a Japanese championship. During my first year, I was walking down the street when three hoodlums approached me and demanded money. I was sure I could defeat one of them, but I didn’t know how to fight three at once. I yielded and apologized. They also took my money. It was a humiliating experience – I was a coward who wasn’t prepared to put my life on the line like warriors in Hagakure. I never wanted to feel that way again, so I started taking lessons at the only karate dojo in Niigata City at that time, with the aim of learning new ways to fight against multiple opponents. During my interview, I told the sensei that I wanted to learn karate to build physical strength. He replied, “Don’t lie to me. You lost a fight, and you’re frustrated.” I was shocked that this karate master could see right through me.

(M) Bushido masters gain the ability to read minds.

(K) That may be true. I started taking karate in November 1958. I practiced wrestling in the afternoon and karate at night. I thought I had good athletic abilities, but I realized how inept I was when I couldn’t keep up with the other pupils. Still, even less-competent people can learn to win – I was sure I could surpass the more talented students if I trained three times harder than them. Our lessons took place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. I practiced until 11:00 p.m. every day, even on weekends. I was tested the following year and successfully earned my Ikkyu ranking, although I had only been practicing for one year. My sensei said that he thought I would become a powerful karateka. I decided to devote my life to building a dojo and teaching young people about karate. I asked my sensei if I could train at the main dojo after I graduated high school, and he agreed.

(M) Which style did you learn?

(K) I studied Nippon Kempo Karate-do, founded by Yamada Tatsuo. The main dojo was in Tokyo’s Ichigaya area. It’s less popular today, but back then it was one of the full-contact styles on the same level as Oyama Masutatsu’s Kyokushin Kaikan and Mori Ryonosuke’s Nippon Kempo. All these styles have unique characteristics. Kyokushin practitioners fight barehanded without striking their opponent’s face. Nippon Kempo fighters wear face and torso protection while exchanging hard blows, but low kicks are not permitted. Back then, 95% of dojos taught the Sundome and Kata styles. Yamada, Oyamma, and Mori were rebelling against that situation. In fact, they were good friends. When I arrived in Tokyo in 1961, I lived in Yamada’s home as his pupil. I also enrolled at Hosei University, which was right by the dojo. I practiced karate whenever I had a spare moment between classes.

(M) Did the school have a karate team?

(K) Yes, but it was the Sundome/Kata type, which is why I submitted an application to start the Hosei University Karate Association during my second year. I was its captain, and we put on annual demonstrations for new students. At the end of my second year, I was summoned to the karate team’s room. A friend said he would go with me, but I declined because I had been told to come by myself. The small room was full of karate team members, with the captain sitting at the back. He said, “Hosei only needs one karate team. Remove ‘karate’ from your name.” I told him the school approved my association, but he refused to listen. I had no choice but to say, “Okay, let’s decide this using karate. If you win, I’ll change the name. I’ll fight as many team members as you want.” The team was silent, and no one moved an inch. I said, “Alright, see you later,” and left the room. No one bothered me after that.

(M) It sounds like your mettle won the day.

 

(K) Speaking of mettle, I’m impressed by your strong spirit, particularly the way you responded in 2017 when the Chinese government criticized you by name. They said your book – which was placed in APA Hotel rooms – denied the Nanjing Massacre. You replied in a dignified, sensible fashion and stated that you believe in diversity of speech. You asked them to point out and submit proof for any factual errors in the book, and said you would revise mistaken portions as necessary. I think most businesspeople would remove the books right away because they are focused on immediate profit. You were able to make a prompt decision because you are always aware of maintaining your principles. I intend to live my life that way, but I don’t know what I would do in similar circumstances.

(M) APA Hotel no longer showed up in Chinese search engines after the incident, and all of a sudden we had absolutely no reservations from mainland China. However, we set monthly sales records for some time because of the many Japanese people who stayed at our hotels to support APA. I am the firstborn son in my family. My father passed away when I was in middle school, and I have had to fight on my own since I was a young child. The main thing I learned is that you cannot give an inch, or you will lose everything. Because I was not intimidated by China’s comments about my book, I refuted their claims and asked for proof. Just like your experience with the Hosei karate team, they haven’t said anything at all since then.

(K) It sounds like you’ve have had a great deal of mettle since childhood.

(M) I started a bicycle parking business near my home, probably when I was around 13. There was a large sports arena close by that drew many people, but there was no official bicycle parking area. I created parking spaces by roping off the road near my house and charging 15 yen per bicycle. I once earned 3,000 yen by parking 200 bikes on one day, about the average monthly salary for corporate employees. Some yakuza picked a fight with me for doing business in the road. There are two types of yakuza: those who make money through gambling, and those who extort protection money. They said only street vendors were allowed to engage in commerce there, and I couldn’t just decide to set up shop. I was head of the household while my father was hospitalized with tuberculosis, and I felt responsible for ensuring that we had enough money to live on. I knew that I would lose my source of income if I gave in. I told the yakuza that I had the right to run my business because I wasn’t hurting anyone, and I was providing a useful service. I felt like I would lose everything if I gave even one inch. They left without doing anything. Perhaps they didn’t expect any objections from a regular person, or maybe they were impressed by my spirit. Perhaps they just realized it wouldn’t be so easy to get money from me. Either way, they never bothered me again.

(K) It’s amazing that you stood against the yakuza when you were only 13.

(M) I was pretty big for my age, and I always won fights against older opponents. At my junior high school there was a Japanese-language teacher who held a Godan ranking in Kyudo archery. He was proud of his martial arts skills and enjoyed picking up and throwing students while teaching, which drew crowds of watchers. I was watching one day when he suggested that we fight. My specialty was the kubinage technique, so I put him in a neck lock and threw him. Unfortunately, the teacher fractured his arm. He demanded that I pay him compensation. I didn’t oblige, and pointed out that he was the one who started the fight. Nothing good comes from letting others view you with contempt – it only encourages them to take everything. I’ve made sure that I am never underestimated, which is how I built Japan’s largest hotel chain. Many things can happen while doing business. If the top manager is weak, the people below him will suffer. Those in power have to fight to protect their subordinates. The most important thing is to win the first time you fight someone, and to have skills that you can use as “weapons.”

(K) I always learn a lot from our conversations. I think my weapon is my mental readiness. I can sense your resolution from your writings, your facial expressions, and your very presence. I’ve cultivated my character while attending Shoheijuku meetings, meeting with you, and shaking your hand.

 

(M) What did you do after university?

(K) I graduated in 1965 and worked at a company in Tokyo for four years. After that I returned to Niigata and fulfilled my dream of opening a karate dojo in 1970. Because there were few students at the dojo, I had a hard time providing for my family, including my two children. I started a pest control business for rats and cockroaches, which didn’t require much initial investment. I taught at the dojo from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., then I went to work. That was the perfect time of day because most of my clients were restaurants. I had no full-time employees, but some students worked for me on a part-time basis. I shut down that business because I wanted to do something bigger, which I achieved by switching to termite extermination. I actively promoted the business to builders and other companies that needed these services when constructing new homes. I remember talking to you when APA Group was named “Shinkai Sangyo.” That must have been around 1978.

(M) Back then we were moving into the condominium business, switching from residential land development and ready-built housing.

(K) Yes, and a little while later APA Group established its hotel business and announced a goal of opening 10,000 guest rooms. I thought that was somewhat unrealistic, but I also saw you as a rival. My situation changed significantly after that. Our extermination company got involved in building waterproofing, insulation, soundproofing, and other fields. Sales reached 10 billion yen, and we were listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1996. I intended to step back from managing the company about five or six years later to focus on my dojo. Although I was the president, I also found new clients and helped with employee training. I left all accounting and financial affairs to the executive director, including the official company seal used for legal purposes. I was proud of how we ran the company. But the executive director endorsed many promissory notes for other companies due to his trusting nature. We were highly trusted as a listed company, and ended up endorsing billions of yen for a series of companies that went bankrupt, leaving us with an impossible amount of debt. Three years after our stock exchange listing, we applied for a composition agreement and fully paid off five billion yen over a period of six years through corporate restructuring and other methods. After that, I decided to leave business behind. The company still exists and is run by the third-generation president, with sales of about five billion yen.

(M) I never let anyone use our company seal, and I was always in charge of completing payments. I used to work at a credit union so I know quite a bit about financial affairs, which are of premium importance while running a company. In my experience, there are no benefits to endorsing loans or providing other financial aid to people who need assistance. They never pay you back, and the relationship is destroyed. That’s why I never offer help of this type, but I do use other methods, such as placing orders with their company.

(K) I think that’s the right way to do it. I took full responsibility; I dealt calmly with the problem, without muttering or complaining to others. Unlike my company, APA Group has never been listed on the stock exchange, although I assume you’ve been approached about it multiple times.

(M) Yes, I turned down those offers. My family holds all of APA Group’s shares, which means we don’t have to worry about inheritance tax planning. With listed companies, it can be hard to maintain management consistency while listening to the views of shareholders. APA Group has never transferred shares to other companies or banks. Fundamentally, we are entirely responsible for our own business.

(K) It sounds like you have solid principles.

 

(M) What have you done since leaving the company?

(K) First, I opened the Bushin Education and Management Academy, a Bushido private school for businesspeople. Today I’m working on the Siberia Internment Elucidation Society, which I started in 2018. Our main focus is building a complete understanding about the internment of Japanese citizens in Siberia right after the Greater East Asia War. The Soviet Union did an unreasonable thing, and we still do not know how many prisoners died in Siberia, although they weren’t prisoners of war according to international law. The Japanese government says 575,000 citizens were transported. Russian documents claim there were 635,000 or 700,000 Japanese prisoners. I believe our Society is doing important work by investigating what number is accurate and sharing information about this tragedy with Japanese people. Our goal is to solve what we call the “Daisan Rachi” (Big Three Abductions), referring to this issue along with the Soviet Union’s occupation of the Northern Territories – another outrageous act – and North Korea’s abduction of Japanese citizens. We created a pin combining our white ribbon with the blue ribbon of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea, and are encouraging many Japanese people to wear them. Some may question why we are working on these issues today after so much time has gone by, but it is important for citizens to remain interested in Daisan Rachi topics. We’ve gotten more people involved since starting the society five years and nine months ago. The chairman is Tamogami Toshio, and the vice-chairmen are Isshiki Masaharu and Morohashi Shigeichi.

(M) I’m sure many Shoheijuku attendees will agree with your objectives.

(K) I always learn a great deal at the Shoheijuku by listening to the wonderful moderators, speakers, and comments from attendees.

(M) One good feature of the Shoheijuku is that speakers do more than just lecture. They take part in question-and-answer sessions after their talks, which gives people a chance to share their views and produces a stronger sense of unity. However, if anyone insists on sharing truly preposterous views, I may ask them to leave the meeting. Somebody once said the Japanese military repeatedly engaged in looting in China to steal food and other goods during World War II. I objected to this comment and said the highly disciplined military would never have done such a thing – if anything, they used military currency to procure commodities in China. That attendee was so attached to his personal opinions that I had no choice but to ask him to leave.

(K) Is that so? I think the Shoheijuku is such a great academy because you have that attitude. You have been my potential client and business rival in the past. Today, you are my mentor. You walk your own path without concern about how the world sees you, what others think, or gain and loss. I especially admire your bold decision to take in COVID-19 patients at APA Hotels during the pandemic.

(M) Prime Minister Abe Shinzo called me directly, and I immediately decided to respond affirmatively because my family holds all APA shares and I didn’t have to put the issue up for discussion at a board meeting. Abe announced at a press conference on the following day that 10,000 hotel rooms would be provided to COVID-19 patients. I think Abe was a great politician, and I believed he would take up the position of prime minister a third time. It was so sad that he was assassinated. I’ve never donated money to politicians, but I work to promote a sense of ideological soldiarity through the Shoheijuku and Apple Town magazine. By conveying information about my beliefs, I plan to support politicians who also believe that Japanese people must regain a sense of national pride.

(K) I think that’s fantastic. You have also popularized the concept of modern history through your “True Interpretations of Modern History” Essay Contest and other efforts. I didn’t encounter or learn much about modern history in my youth. Modern history shows that Japan is a wonderful country, one that is worthy of love. There are many businesspeople out there, but you’re the only one who demonstrates your patriotic spirit as part of your business.

(M) Thank you so much. At the end of the interview, I always ask for a “word for the youth.”

(K) I want young people to learn about modern history. Japan was never colonized by a Western power thanks to its Bushido spirit. They should break free from the mistaken view that says Japan was a bad country before the war, then was transformed into a good one afterwards. I hope they will realize that Japan is the most wonderful nation in the world.

(M) Our educational system must instill a correct view of history, the nation, and the world. Thank you for sharing such an interesting conversation with me today.

(K) Thank you.

 

BIOGRAPHY
Kondo Ken

Born in 1942. Founded Picoi Co., Ltd. in 1970. Head of Kenshinkan (Nippon Kempo karate-do; management: 36 years, karate practice: 60 years). As a martial artist and businessperson, he continually works with persistence and fortitude. His guiding principle is, “Feel pride and shame in yourself.” The businesspeople he respects are Honda Soichiro, Idemitsu Sazo, and Nishioka Takashi. His favorite book is Hagakure and his mentor is Nakamura Isao.