“Doing the right thing in a gentle way”—Akifumi Kawakami’s approach to work while tackling social issues in Fiji.

I didn’t get into my first-choice university, so I ended up attending a different school. I hadn’t decided exactly what I wanted to do, but I constantly felt that I had to work hard to set myself apart from others. In the interest of personal growth, I joined the Japanese branch of an international NPO—an organization that seemed like the most challenging option available.

That’s right… This NPO ran an internship program for students from Japan and abroad, sending them to companies in both countries. I often wore a suit to visit these companies for meetings.

It was the moment I was confronted with how small my own world was. I saw a young Indian woman—about my age—working tirelessly to launch a branch of the organization overseas. She excelled at communicating with people and gathering information—skills I completely lacked. And this was despite having studied incredibly hard at cram schools every day throughout high school and my gap year. That experience sparked a growing sense of unease about a Japanese society that places such heavy pressure on academic study.

Crafthouse VAC is an organization that runs a community space in Musashino City. The people there didn’t place much value on money itself; instead, they found happiness in being useful to others and the community, without expecting anything in return. That mindset felt right to me, and I naturally adopted those values ​​myself.

At the time, I viewed private companies simply as places where you make money. I wanted to see how the people working there found happiness. The company I joined was one of the world’s largest manufacturers of snacks and pet food—a classic corporate organization that grew by expanding its scale and generating profit. It was the exact opposite of the values ​​held by the people at VAC, but I wanted to experience for myself the kind of happiness that comes from money.

I believe that you can only truly criticize someone once you really know them. I understand the merits of the world I envision as ideal, but I also think there is value in understanding the merits of a world that differs from that ideal.

I worked in supply chain management. It was considered the toughest department in the company, and I often worked late into the night. Thanks to the wonderful people around me, however, I managed to stick with it for seven years.

I developed a perspective that avoids simply categorizing people into “the wealthy who have money” and “the poor who don’t.” My colleagues were all high earners, and some of them used that money to contribute to society. So, you can’t simply criticize someone for being rich. At the same time, there are many forms of richness in the world that wealthy people might lack. I began to wonder if people could support one another by sharing the different things they each possess.

I wanted to test my abilities at a small company rather than being just a cog in the machine of a large corporation. In my new role, I was responsible for operations on both the Japan and Fiji sides of the business.

That company was also quite a challenge. Sales targets were imposed without any established trust between the Japanese and Fijian staff, and the business was being driven forward through unreasonable demands just to meet those goals.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2021. At the time, there were about 300 Japanese students studying in Fiji, and they found themselves unable to return home. I racked my brain for solutions, but there was simply no way to get them back. I spent my days in despair, feeling like I was failing in my responsibilities.

A Fijian person said this to me: “You were always complaining about how hard things were even before COVID, weren’t you? You need to make more of an effort to see the positive side of things.” I held a leadership role at my company, but I was constantly overwhelmed just trying to get through each day. In contrast, the local Fijians viewed their situation positively; even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they lived happily and full of laughter. I came to realize that job titles don’t matter; what’s truly important is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your team and thinking things through together.

Yes. I launched the company to turn my desire to address social issues in developing countries into reality. By 2026, it will have been five years since I became independent, and our operations focus primarily on two pillars: “people development” and “business creation.”

For “people development,” our core initiative is the SIF Academy, a short-term program for Japanese students. Students travel to Fiji to learn about local social issues. During their roughly ten-day stay, they take on the challenge of creating social ventures that leverage their unique personalities. My goal is to nurture young people who can use their passions as fuel to bring happiness to those around them and to society at large.

I make sure not to give them the answers directly. If they ask for an answer, I respond by asking, “What do you think?” I value an approach that draws out their potential, much like a coach would.

It involves scaling up the business ideas generated at the SIF Academy within the local community. One example is the “ARIGATO EARTH PROJECT.” Conceived by SIF Academy students who focused on the issue of littering in Fiji, this project established a system where collected PET bottles could be exchanged for money. By engaging the local city government and residents, the initiative led to the collection of 72,000 PET bottles over three years. It has since evolved into a nationwide project involving local companies, with a target of collecting 6.2 million bottles annually. I find it deeply rewarding to see small successes grow into something much larger—like launching a great ship from a small beginning.

Yes, I am very happy. Even if it’s on a small scale or takes a long time, I am carrying out what I believe is right. I think that creates a positive impact on society. If my life were to end right now, I could say I was happy.

However, I also feel that I haven’t necessarily lived a life that has contributed enough to those around me. That is why, moving forward, I want to solve Fiji’s challenges with a greater level of influence. I want to contribute to others.

It certainly does, though I also struggle with the fact that I can never truly become a Fijian. It has been nine years since I first encountered Fiji, but I remain Japanese. I cannot fully share the Fijian sense of happiness. Sometimes, I feel a sense of anguish in that gap between the two worlds.

Recently, however, I’ve found a clue to sharing happiness with Fijian people.
It lies in building relationships with others. At first glance, the Fijians I work with often seem reluctant to take individual responsibility—though I say that with a smile. Yet, they share problems and work together to create solutions.
If I were to use a rugby analogy, it’s like the ball is constantly being passed from person to person.

I see Japan as a society where each individual holds the ball and keeps running separately. That is a valid culture in itself, but I hypothesize that there is a different kind of happiness to be found in “thinking together as a group.”

There is a phrase I hold dear: “Right things, right way.” In Japanese, that translates to “doing the right thing in a gentle, considerate way.”

To take action, you need to grasp reality accurately and find the correct approach. However, when conveying that to others, simply stating the “correct” argument might not foster empathy. That is why I think about how to communicate in a way that suits the other person. I want to be someone who possesses both a cool, analytical eye and kindness toward others.

The society I aim for is a world where “a hundred flowers bloom in profusion.” Just as a multitude of flowers bloom in all their glory, I envision a society where we can pursue what we want to do and make a living doing it. I believe that everyone—whether they are currently active in society or not—possesses some form of talent or a “want” (something they wish to do). If there are people unable to pursue those things, we need to remove the barriers standing in their way.

A society where each individual can think, “I’d like to try this,” or “That looks good, too,” and then actually put those ideas into action—working to create such an environment is what brings me personal happiness.