for good is indispensable for innovation

When I graduated from university, I was somehow afraid of just diving headfirst into the business world. I looked for volunteer work I could do alongside company life. That's when I happened upon the JFC (Japanese-Filipino Children) Network, which was just about to be established.
At that time, many Filipino women were coming to Japan, meeting Japanese men, and having children. While many happy families were formed, the organization was established to support the children (JFC) who were forced into difficult lives due to factors like fathers abandoning their parental responsibilities and shortcomings in nationality laws.
Twenty years have passed since then. The reason this not-so-great volunteer has kept going without quitting is "Filipino cuisine."

Filipino dish "Kare-kare"

 

Compared to Thai or Vietnamese cuisine, it might seem rather plain, but the Philippines has distinctive dishes like "Sinigang," a soup with a tangy tamarind flavor, and "Kare-Kare," a peanut sauce-based stew (even more delicious when eaten with bagoong, a salty fermented shrimp paste). I always looked forward to the dishes the mothers prepared at our annual Christmas parties, and before I knew it, time would just fly by.

One great thing about being part of the JFC Network was experiencing firsthand, through various situations, how difficult justice can be. For instance, the image of Japanese fathers described by Filipino mothers is often one-sided. Following the claim that "he's the villain for not paying child support," a DNA test might reveal that the child supposedly fathered by that Japanese man actually has a different biological father.
I also learned a great deal from my relationship with the founding representative. Honestly, our personal beliefs and convictions were completely incompatible, so depending on the topic, we could easily have ended up in a physical fight. Yet, during a trip we took together to Manila, I encountered a very gentle and charming side to his personality. Eventually, I came to feel that even if our beliefs about justice differed, our shared desire to support JFC was the same, so perhaps it was just the way things had to be.
Furthermore, recent JFC issues have grown increasingly complex. In the past, our main role was supporting the basic rights of these young "children," such as nurturing and nationality. But time has passed, and many of them have grown into adults. They no longer need to be "nurtured," but instead, they now assert their desire for recognition and nationality acquisition to affirm their own existence. Indeed, abandoned by their fathers and forsaken by their home countries, they risk losing the most precious thing in their hearts: the belief in themselves. So, we provide thorough orientation, explaining, "Even if you get citizenship, coming to Japan without knowing Japanese will lead to severe economic hardship." Yet, many still come and struggle in poverty. There's a dilemma: solving emotional issues under one form of justice creates new social problems.

JFC members who won the essay contest. The award ceremony and 20th anniversary event are scheduled for Monday, October 13 (National Holiday) at 10:00 AM @ Shinjuku NPO Collaborative Promotion Center.

 

Next week marks the start of the advertising festival "Spikes Asia." A key topic of discussion there will surely be "for good." It's a term widely used in the global advertising industry since the Lehman Shock, meaning things like "Let's all think about what we can do to make the world better using the power of advertising communication" or "An era has arrived where every business is rigorously questioned on whether it leads the world for good." As a result, campaigns with social themes that moved people's hearts so clearly it brought tears to your eyes won major awards one after another.
But starting around this year, the tide seems to have turned (or maybe people just got tired of it?). A noticeable backlash is emerging, saying things like, "Sure, 'for good' is fine, but let's start praising campaigns that actually deliver solid sales promotion results more." Personally, when I hear this, I just go, "Hmm..."

Two Axes of Concept Development

 

As I wrote last time, regardless of economic trends or social booms, the world of management studies has long held that every company needs "fundamental values and purpose beyond mere profit-making." Employees strive to realize their company's unique "for good," and that "for good" drives innovation.

Of course, the "justice" discussed here isn't some simplistic, tear-jerking theme designed to win advertising awards. Justice isn't that straightforward, as we all know. It can be ambiguous and may even confuse us. Still, we must constantly ask, "Is this advertising communication making the world better?" And "Every business, past and present, is judged by whether it moves the world towards for good."
We should strictly avoid getting overly excited or disappointed about whether "for good" is good or bad without considering the essence of things.

Huh? I got so worked up that even the cheerful Filipinos were laughing at me. Next time, I'll relax a bit and introduce a new product I helped develop for the first time in a while.

Enjoy!