Interviews

Our mission is to resolve issues within the group by leveraging the capabilities of each Unit

Director (Concurrent), BANDAI CO., LTD. Director, General Manager of Group Business Strategy Department, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. Nobuhiko Momoi

Nobuhiko Momoi
Director, General Manager of Group Business Strategy Department, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc.
Director (Concurrent), BANDAI CO., LTD.

In tandem with the commencement of the current Mid-term Plan in April 2022, we established the Group Business Strategy Department within Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. In this newsletter, we spoke with Nobuhiko Momoi, Director and General Manager of the Group Business Strategy Department, who entered the third year in his position, regarding such topics as initiatives for deepening collaboration between Units and efforts to expand business overseas.

Please tell us about your career with Bandai Namco and what you do in your current position.

Momoi: It has been 23 years since I joined Bandai Co., Ltd. as mid-career hire. Given my experience working outside of the Group, I believe one of my roles is to objectively assess the Group and clearly communicate that assessment to Group employees. Ensuring that what I communicate when doing so is easy for the other party to understand is very important.
One of my roles in my current position as General Manager of the Group Business Strategy Department is to serve as a liaison within the Group. Generally speaking, each Unit handles various affairs pertaining to its respective business in a manner that caters to the characteristics of said business. My responsibility is to address issues that exist in the gaps between each Unit and to serve as a contact point when new business opportunities arise that do not pertain to any one specific business. Another important role of mine is to make cross-organizational adjustments. For example, the Bandai Namco Group is unique in that it possesses functions both as a licensee for product commercialization and a licensor that utilizes its own IP. As such an entity, we are leveraging the know-how we possess in both areas to generate synergies and implement decision-making and measures for enhancing the value of our IP.
In addition, my role entails conveying business insights and an on-the-ground perspective within the holdings company based on my many years of experience at a Group business company. To ensure that each Unit can engage in their business while demonstrating its respective identity, I will spearhead efforts to build environments and address issues to deepen collaboration.

Could you please provide a summary of the initiatives you have worked on and the progress you have made thus far?

Momoi: With regard to initiatives pursued to date, we have developed the Data Universe concept as an integrated platform from a Groupwide perspective. A major strength of the Group is the fact that we offer products and services in a broad range of categories. However, we had been lacking a data platform that integrates Groupwide perspectives. To draw on this strength to the greatest extent possible, we need to be able to mutually utilize the data we possess across a broad range of businesses. By doing so, we can achieve significant growth. Ideally, we need a framework for formulating hypotheses and making future productions based on an analysis of various perspectives. The Data Universe system is nearing completion, and moving forward we will thoroughly incorporate this system into our business in an effort to further enhance value.
The Group Business Strategy Department will be managing the pavilion exhibit at the World Expo in Osaka in 2025. Entitled GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE PAVILION, this exhibit will focus on the worldview of the Gundam IP. When imagining future lifestyles or outer space, the story and expansive worldview of Gundam serve as a perfect motif. We would love to have Gundam serve as a means for getting a large number of people interested in and curious about new technologies and outer space. Also, while exhibits on the pavilion are typically required to be held under the name of the country or company, we will be able to offer our exhibit under the name of an IP as a result of persistent negotiations. This will mark the first time ever that an exhibit is allowed to do so. We have designed the entire pavilion around the worldview of Gundam, making for an exhibit that is easy to understand even for people who are unfamiliar with any works in the series. We have been making steady progress with setting up the exhibit, so we ask that you look forward to it in anticipation.
With FY2025.3 being the final year of the current Mid-term Plan, it is important for us to consider how we will apply and build upon the initiatives we have examined and promoted to date. While better demonstrating the unique strengths of Bandai Namco, we will continue to promote fan-centric initiatives moving forward.

Rendered image of the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE PAVILION exhibit at the World Expo in Osaka

What is the current situation with the overseas business?

Momoi: As a director at Bandai, I am in charge of the Toys and Hobby Business in Europe. At the moment, we are rolling out products and services primarily in France, the United Kingdom, and Spain. We are also attempting to expand our business in Germany. The local toy culture in Germany is deeply rooted, which has presented us with some challenges in getting our business off the ground in the region. However, we have been working closely with staff members who have a deep understanding of local culture and business practices, and this has helped our business start to gain traction. In addition to the store opened in London, the GASHAPON Bandai Official Shop that we opened on a trial basis in Geneva, Switzerland has been extremely well received. We will draw on this store’s success to further expand our business in Europe moving forward.
In our overseas expansion, I believe that we are not only selling products but also exporting Japanese culture. For example, individuals from overseas who have been able to get a hands-on experience of assembling model kits at an event or those who have encountered GASHAPON for the first time have appreciated value that goes beyond simply the purchase of products.
Another important issue we must address in our overseas business is human resource development. To date, personnel from Japan have primarily been responsible for educating and training local staff on matters such as Japanese IP and the IP axis strategy. Looking ahead, we will aim to establish a cycle in which local talent will train young personnel from Japan and advance business operations entirely on a local basis.

GASHAPON Bandai Official Shop in Geneva, Switzerland

Drawing on the strengths of our corporate culture, which always places the fans first, we will aim to be a Group that can continue to grow in the digital era

Where do you believe the competitive edge of Bandai Namco lies?

Momoi: I believe that our competitive edge lies in the fact that we always place the fans first and have embedded this ideal as part of our corporate culture. I also believe that the Group’s commitment to supporting people in the pursuit of new challenges is something that is leveraged in our efforts to develop human resources. With the Bandai Namco Content Fund, for which I am responsible, we provide production assistance and other forms of support for a broad range of content that can create new IPs, based on the perspective of Groupwide optimization. For the IPs that emerge from the fund’s support, we will leverage the Group’s execution capabilities, which enable a trial-and-error approach without fear of failure, to nurture such IPs together with the fans. Moving forward, we will continue to provide comprehensive support for producers that possess a high level of individuality and perseverance and who can create new content entirely from scratch.

What are your impressions of the Purpose “Fun for All into the Future”?

Momoi: “Fun for All into the Future” is a reaffirmation in writing of what we have always cherished and sought to achieve as a company. It is our hope that all employees engage in their day-to-day work using “Fun for All into the Future” as the basis for their actions. At the same time, I feel there is a significant need to consider ways to help people in other countries better understand our Purpose “Fun for All into the Future,” and we therefore are working with employees from all over the world to translate the Purpose into multiple languages. Having discussions on how to convey the nuances of each word has served as an opportunity for all of us involved in the translation process to reflect on the significance of the Purpose “Fun for All into the Future” itself. In this regard, the translation process has proven to be very valuable.

What is your motto for your work and what dreams do you have?

Momoi: I believe that communicating a message is extremely important. The key is to avoid making things overly complicated and to express ideas in a way that is easy for the other party to understand. Although the wording is different, our Purpose, “Fun for All into the Future,” and the Mid-term Vision, “Connect with Fans,” are ambitions that I have always held in my heart. I believe that the goals of the Company align with my personal goals.
Regarding my dreams, I always want to be in a position where I can be of value to the Group. Personally, I strive to tackle tasks that others may find challenging and actively engage in work that is extremely difficult and time-consuming.

What message do you have for the readers?

Momoi: The work we do at Bandai Namco relates closely and is sensitive to people’s feelings, and I believe that our work will stand out even more as digitalization advances further. Through work that is done by people, not AI, we will strive to achieve further growth for each business. Moving forward, I hope that you can continue to appreciate the potential of the Bandai Namco Group from a broad range of perspectives

This article is an extract from the Newsletter, Bandai Namco News, which was published in September 2024 and partially re-edited.