Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 27, 1995 TAG: 9506270043
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Akashi, the top official at Yokohama Tire Co. in Salem, said he has been promoted to run a larger tire factory for the company in Japan. From his new assignment in the city of Mishima, he will able to see Mt. Fuji on his daily commute and through specially placed windows in the factory.
After nearly six years in the U.S., he can also rejoin his wife, who has continued living in Japan.
But the transfer will pull Akashi from a lifestyle he has come to prefer to that in his homeland. He can't allow that. Looking to retire in a few years, the 55-year-old Akashi said he is coming back with his wife to grow old in the Roanoke Valley.
Speaking of his transfer Monday, he said: ``I'm very, very sad, because I like United States. I got [a] green card, [or] permanent visa, and I bought my house by myself,'' Akashi said. ``In the future, I will be here again.''
Yokohama rotates its top executives between plants every five years, Akashi said. A 12-week strike by members of the United Rubber Workers hamstrung the Salem plant when Akashi's five-year anniversary fell last year. The strike ended Oct. 5, and it is his turn to move.
Satoshi Niki, manager of the Mishima factory, will replace Akashi in Salem.
Akashi, who held the title of executive vice president for production and technology in Salem, said he converted the factory from one making replacement tires to producing tires exclusively for new vehicles. The factory received $160 million worth of improvements, some of which are ongoing. Akashi also helped place several Japanese car makers under contract to buy the Salem-made tires for the first time for their U.S.-made cars.
In his personal life, Akashi said he hit other benchmarks often equated with success. He bought a three-bedroom house in the Hunting Hills neighborhood of Roanoke County. He joined Roanoke Country Club and its board of directors. He joined the board of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. He shot a 75 during a round of golf.
He also grew to prefer the area's abundant vegetation over the comparatively gray landscape of Japan, where large areas have been extensively developed.
``In Japan, it's a very small country, so very tight,'' which depresses the mood of some of its residents, Akashi said. ``But here every person [is] very, very friendly. We can talk eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart. I like [it here] very much.''
by CNB