Akiyo YABU (President, Wakayama Station Building)

女性初に気負いなく No pressure in being a first for women

国鉄分割・民営化（1987年4月）で誕生したJR西日本の採用1期生として1988年に入社する。「とにかく民営化したばかりで新鮮でした。旅行業や駅ビル事業など鉄道の本業以外にもいろんなことにチャレンジできる可能性を秘めていましたから」。当時は完全な男社会、同期入社の女性は藪さんを含め3人だけ。入社式当日の毎日新聞夕刊（1988年4月1日）は＜ “鉄道ウーマン”誕生大卒3人に職場華やぐ＞と伝えた。「男女雇用機会均等法ができて2年目。時代がようやく動き出したころで、まだまだ女性の存在自体が珍しかったんですよ」と笑顔で振り返る。

Akiyo YABU entered West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in 1988 as part of the first recruiting class following the division and privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) in April 1987. “Since the company had just been privatized, everything felt fresh and new. This was because there was so much potential for us to get involved in all kinds of new challenges outside of railways, such as leisure travel and projects in station buildings.” At the time, it was a male-dominated society, with only 3 female workers entering the company that year, including Ms. Yabu. The April 1, 1988 Evening Edition of the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper even featured an article entitled “Railway Women – 3 College Graduates Brighten Up Workplace.” “It was only the second year since the Equal Employment Opportunity Law was enacted, so the existence of women in the workplace itself was quite rare in a time when these movements had just begun.”

女性ならではの視点、さらに強いバイタリティーで、入社翌年には大阪駅高架下の商業施設「ギャレ大阪」（1991年開業）の開発プロジェクトに入る。「いきなりテナント選定などを経験させてもらいました。いい勉強になりました」。さらに広報室を経て、「天王寺ミオ」や「プリエ姫路」など新しい商業施設の開発・運営を次々と任されていく。そして2009年、「ジェイアール西日本ファッショングッズ」社長に。「辞令を受けたときは驚きましたが、（JR西日本グループで）女性初だからという戸惑いや気負いはありませんでした。ただ人生って、どうなるかわからないなあと思いましたね」

With the keen eye of a woman and a youthful vitality, Ms. Yabu entered the development project for GARE Osaka, a shopping facility located near JR Osaka Station (opened in 1991), the year after she entered JR West. “I was able to get immediate experience in choosing tenants, etc. I learned a lot.” After serving in the PR Office, she was assigned development and management projects for new shopping facilities, including Tennoji Mio and PLiE Himeji. And in 2009, she became President of West Japan Railway Fashion Goods Co., Ltd. (JFG). “I was surprised when I received the assignment, but I didn’t feel any confusion or pressure just because I was the first female president [in the JR West Group]. I just thought to myself, ‘You never know what life will bring.’”

早朝ランニングを日課に Running as part of her morning routine

「けさは9㌔走ってきました。シャワーを浴び、洗濯して、出勤です」。けろっとした顔で言う。2年ほど前から毎朝5時に起き、自宅近くの四天王寺や大阪城の周辺を走っている。1カ月に250㌔ほどにもなるという。東京へ出張するときは、わざわざランニングできるように皇居そばの宿を選ぶほど。社長業をこなすパワフルさの源はランニング？そう思って尋ねると、違った。「社長になって、決断を下すトップの孤独を知ったんです。たった一つの私の判断が、社員やテナントの将来を左右することだってある。走ると頭がすっきりして、ものごとを整理する時間にしているんです」。優しい目が厳しい社長の目になった。

“I ran 9 km this morning. I took a shower, did my laundry, and came to work,” said a nonchalant Ms. Yabu. For the last two years, she’s woken up at 5 am every day to go for a run at places near her home, such as Shitennoji and Osaka Castle. She runs some 250 kilometers per month. When she’s on business in Tokyo, she’ll go out of her way to choose lodging located near the Imperial Palace just so she can run. Does the strength to be president of a company come from running? Apparently not. “After I became president, I learned how lonely it can be making decisions at the top. A single decision of mine can make a huge impact on the futures of employees and tenants. I use the time that I run to clear my head and get everything in order,” she said, her kind eyes turning more stern and president-like.

恩師から「君だけが心配だった」 Concern from her mentor? “You were the only one I worried about”

「学生時代？勉強らしいことはしませんでしたね。ほめられるような学生ではありませんでしたよ」と謙遜するが、学生時代に習ったという華道や茶道は師範代の腕前で、洋裁の技術はスカート程度なら半日で仕上げてしまうほど。ひとつのものを追求する姿は学生時代から変わらない。「キャンパスにこもって勉強するより、梅田やミナミ界隈をきょろきょろしながら、外の世界ばかり見ていて。それがよかったんでしょうか」。社長になってから、恩師・宮本匡章先生を囲む会で「ゼミ学生の中で、君だけが心配だった」と言われたと、笑う。

“Student life? I never did much that resembled studying. I wasn’t the kind of student that got much praise,” said a humble Ms. Yabu, who boasts professional-level skills in the traditional Japanese arts of kado (flower arrangement) and sado (tea ceremony), and can even finish making a skirt in half a day with her dressmaking skills. Her drive to purse a single goal hasn’t changed since she was a student. “Rather than stay on campus and study, I was out in the nooks and crannies of Umeda and Namba, always looking to the outside world. I suppose it worked out.” According to Ms. Yabu, after she became president, at a party for her mentor Prof. Tadaaki MIYAMOTO, he said to her, “Out of all the students in the seminar, you were the one I was worried about.” Looking back on it, she couldn’t help but laugh.

「バリバリのキャリアウーマンを目指してもいませんでした。与えられた仕事をこなしていく。自然体で」。仕事で心がけてきたことは、ただ一つ、「誠実さ」だという。「誰でも自分に都合の悪いことは言いたくないでしょ？でも、うそをつかない。分からないことは正直に分からないと言う。誠実に対応することが一番なんです」。広報室の管理職だったころ、事故などトラブルが発生した際のメディア対応で学びとった教訓だという。

“I wasn’t aiming to become some serious career woman. I just naturally did the work that was given to me.” One thing that she has strived for in her work, she says, is honesty. “No one wants to say detrimental things about themselves, right? But I never lie. If I don’t know something, I’ll say that I don’t know. An honest response is what’s most important.” She learned this lesson while dealing with the media as manager of the PR Office when accidents or trouble arose.

社員との距離感が大事 Maintaining proper distance from employees is key

そんな「誠実さ」を柱にすえ、社員教育にも気を配る。「よい上司に巡り会い、育ててもらったから今の私があります。私自身が通ってきた道ですから、社員が何を悩んでいるのか、どんな壁にぶつかっているのかが分かります。乗り越えたときの頼もしい姿も想像できます。ですから、成長を促しつつ、アドバイスしたり、相談にのったりします。あくまでお返しをする立場ですよ」

With this honest as her foundation, she is also active in employee education. “I met and was trained by outstanding superiors, which made me into who I am today. Because I took the same path, I understand what my employees are worried about and what kinds of challenges they run into. I can also imagine how trustworthy they’ll become when they overcome those challenges. So I promote the growth of my employees while giving them advice and listening to their concerns. I’m just paying it forward.”

そして、こう続ける。「企業にとって人材は宝です。ただ社員に立ち入り過ぎてもだめですし、遠すぎてもだめ。相談にのってあげることはできても、解決できるのは自分しかいません。距離感を大事にしながら、社員が働きやすい環境をつくりたいと思っています」

She continued, “To a company, human resources are a treasure. But you can’t approach them too much or be too distant. Even though I can listen to their concerns, the only ones who can solve them are the employees themselves. I want to create a comfortable work environment for my employees while maintaining the appropriate distance from them.”

「人生に無駄はない」 “Nothing in life is a waste”

最後に、阪大の後輩たちへメッセージを送ってくれた。「日ごろから社員に言っていることですが、自分の限界を決めないでほしい。無理かもしれないと思っても、チャレンジすれば必ず身につきます。それが成長するということだと思います。なにごとも人生に無駄はないんです」

Finally, Ms. Yabu sent a message to current students. “I tell my employees this all the time: Don’t set limits for yourself. Even if you think something might be impossible, if you give it a shot, you can do it. It’s called ‘growth.’ Nothing in life is a waste.”

●藪章代（やぶあきよ）氏 Akiyo YABU

1988年大阪大学経済学部卒業後、JR西日本入社。広報室主幹、天王寺ターミナルビル営業部次長や神戸SC開発取締役などを経て、2009年JR西日本グループで初の女性社長としてジェイアール西日本ファッショングッズ社長に就任。14年6月から和歌山ステーションビルディング社長。

Ms. Yabu graduated from the School of Economics, Osaka University in 1988 and entered JR West the very same year. After serving as manager of the PR Office, assistant director of the Sales Division at Tennoji Terminal Building, and President of Kobe SC, in 2009, she became the first female president in the JR West Group when she took the position of president at West Japan Railway Fashion Goods Co., Ltd. She began at her current position as president of Wakayama Station Building in June 2014.

■ 株式会社和歌山ステーションビルディング Wakayama Station Building

和歌山市美園町5-61。1966年に設立、資本金7500万円。JR和歌山駅の駅ビルにある商業施設「和歌山ミオ」を運営する。和歌山ミオは天王寺ミオの姉妹館。地上5階・地下1階で売り場面積は約5000平方㍍。店舗数は女性衣料を中心に60店。

Established 1966. Capital stock 75 million yen. Manages the Wakayama Mio shopping facility located in the station building of JR Wakayama Station. The sister facility of Tennoji Mio, Wakayama Mio contains 6 floors (B1F-5F) of some 5000 sq. m. of floor space each. 60 stores can be found at Wakayama Mio, primarily in women’s clothing.