Xebio Holdings Co., Ltd. is a sports retail group headquartered in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, which operates brands such as Super Sports Xebio, Victoria, and Golf Partner. The eldest daughter of founder Teizo Morohashi, Hiroko Morohashi, took over the management of the company as her father, but the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 changed her life dramatically. In September of the same year, she established the United Sports Foundation (USF), a general incorporated foundation, and moved on from her role as a corporate manager to take on a new challenge: contributing to society through sports.

Currently, Morohashi holds around 20 titles, including Chairman of the Advisory Board of Xebio Holdings, committee member of national institutions, and director and council member of non-profit organizations both in Japan and overseas. If you just list her titles, you might imagine her as an unapproachable career woman, but that impression changes completely when you meet her in person.

Her friendly smile and unpretentious way of speaking are what make her warm and inviting to those around her, and even when meeting for the first time, they naturally open up to her. People from all generations and backgrounds have gathered around her, and with the support of many people, the foundation will celebrate its 15th anniversary next year.

Inheriting his father's vision along with the business he built in one generation

"I think I was about five years old when I started thinking about taking over my father's business," Morohashi recalls. "My younger brother was a kind and laid-back person, so my father seemed to think that I was better suited to running the business."

Xebio's predecessor was a men's clothing store in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. From there, it expanded into fashion and then sportswear, and her father, Teizo, built it into a leading sports retailer in one generation. Morohashi himself, with the idea of ​​taking over the business in mind, studied at university in Boston, and then worked in the import/export and trilateral trade business at Mitsui & Co.'s textile department before eventually joining Xebio. His husband, Tomoyoshi, who is now the president of Xebio Holdings, also worked at a trading company before joining Xebio and working alongside him in management under his father's guidance.

However, in 2003, Teizo suddenly passed away in an accident, and the two were suddenly tasked with taking over the entire business. "I was taught by my father from a young age and learned by watching the store, so the basics of management came naturally to me," they say, but the two, still in their 30s, were still young and inexperienced to take on the responsibility of managing a major company.

Meanwhile, Hiroko's younger brother, Eiji, serves as director of the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art in Kitashiobara, Fukushima Prefecture, which was founded by their father. Morohashi Museum of Modern Art is known as one of the world's leading Dalí museums, with a collection of approximately 340 works by Salvador Dalí, including paintings, sculptures, and prints. While the splendor of Dalí's works goes without saying, the magnificent garden overlooking Mount Bandai and the beautiful architecture, reminiscent of a European visit, are also worth a visit. Apparently, this building was designed by their father, Teizo, with a horse stable in mind.

"My father was a businessman, but he was also a lover of art. My siblings and I were exposed to art from a young age, and I studied the violin for a long time, becoming so passionate about it that I even won prizes in competitions. People are surprised now, but I wasn't very good at sports as a child," she says with a smile.

Xebio, headquartered in Fukushima, is working to help with the recovery

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in March 2011. Morohashi was on a business trip to Tokyo at the time, and his daughter, a junior high school student, was home alone. "When I got home, my house had been completely destroyed. I remember finding my daughter standing in the parking lot and feeling just happy and relieved to know that she was safe."

Xebio stores were also affected by the disaster, but those that remained undamaged were opened as evacuation shelters. Employees supported the local community by providing meals and other support. "Our top priority was to protect the lives of residents and get them back to their normal lives as quickly as possible."

When they took balls and other sports equipment from the damaged stores and handed them to the children, they played with them with carefree smiles. "Seeing the children smile with just a ball made me realize the power of sports. Until then, I wasn't very good at sports and had little involvement in them. But it was also at that moment that I realized that sports have the power to enrich people's hearts and bring them good health."

The Morohashis began to realize that reconstruction would require a long-term, serious approach. There are limits to what a company can achieve through CSR activities alone. "Shareholders have a responsibility to generate profits. That's why we decided that my husband would focus on management, while I would establish a foundation and focus on contributing to society." This was the beginning of USF.

What can we do now for our children's future?

Immediately after the earthquake, fears of radiation prevented children from playing outside, and there were concerns that this would have a negative impact on their physical and mental development. Therefore, USF opened a free facility called "KIDS PARK." Providing a place for physical activity was USF's first initiative.

After that, they planned sports classes taught by top athletes and overnight multi-sports camps. "Children who meet for the first time live together and try their hand at a variety of sports. It's where they rediscover themselves. When I witnessed the moment when the children's expressions changed, I truly felt that what we were doing was not wrong."

Morohashi himself had previously said he was not good at sports, but he started taking up sports himself. After being hospitalized and undergoing surgery following the earthquake, he realized the importance of health.

"I didn't even have sports shoes or sportswear, but I hired a personal trainer and now I do strength training three times a week, run 3 kilometers every morning, and am even taking on Spartan races.Sports have become a part of my life, and if I don't do it, I don't have the energy."

At the same time, he also told us that he makes sure to set aside time to experience art, such as kabuki, plays, and museum visits, so that he uses his time in a way that avoids bias.

The Foundation's activities have revealed Japan's club activity culture and social issues

Morohashi says that while running the Foundation, he became aware of the challenges facing sports education in Japan.

"In Japan, it's considered good to focus on one sport, whether that be baseball or soccer. I think the root of this is the Japanese club activity culture. However, this bias towards only doing one thing limits children's potential and can lead to burnout. It can also make it difficult to switch mindsets when they reach a crossroads. I think this is also connected to the challenges athletes face when it comes to their second careers."

Currently, the Sports Agency is working to address one of the challenges facing children and sports, with the aim of promoting local club activities and raising children in the community.

Instead of teachers volunteering to lead club activities, the local community will take the lead in organizing club activities. This will solve the problems of teachers working long hours and teaching outside of their area of ​​expertise, and will also create opportunities for exchanges with local schools beyond the school and for students to receive specialized instruction.

However, there are still challenges, such as the cost of club activities, the increased need for parents to transport their children to and from school, and the need to secure instructors, but Morohashi is also supporting and advising the Sports Agency on its efforts.

Continuing to challenge children and the future of Japan through sports

Established in the wake of the earthquake disaster, the foundation has expanded its activities from "reconstruction support" to "sports promotion." Through interactions with athletes from Japan and abroad and collaboration with companies and local governments, the foundation has steadily opened up the social potential of sports.

"I don't want to raise top athletes. I want to give children the 'will to live' through sports."

The sports industry has long been a male-dominated world, and Morohashi says breaking this glass ceiling was one of his challenges.

"In the Japanese sports industry, there has long been a tendency to view 'guts' and 'perseverance' as virtues, but this way of thinking also needs to change with the times," says Morohashi.

"Sports are something to enjoy. They are entertainment that enriches the mind and body of both the players and the spectators. I believe that sports experiences are of great significance for the physical and mental growth of children. To achieve this, it is important to overturn the common sense of adults, including parents."

These issues are also connected to the problems facing Japanese society, such as educational disparities, regional disparities, and the existence of children who have no place to belong. Sports is not a panacea to solve these problems, but it can open children's minds and create connections.

Morohashi says he can't see the end in sight yet, but I feel that this initiative is raising many issues for Japanese society and for adults. I'd like to keep an eye on Morohashi's future endeavors.

Hiroko Morohashi

Born in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. After graduating from university, he worked for a general trading company before joining Xebio Holdings, the company run by his father, the company's founder. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, he was inspired by his reconstruction support activities to embrace the "power of sports" as his philosophy. He founded the United Sports Foundation in September of the same year, and became its representative director. Under the theme of "Bringing smiles to children's faces through the power of sports," the foundation promotes multi-sport events, providing approximately 3 children with opportunities to experience sports. Since 9, he has participated in committees for the regional expansion of club activities and sports promotion for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, working to create a sustainable and healthy society through sports.

Mio Shimamura

Representative, publisher and editor-in-chief of Premium Japan. After working at a foreign advertising agency, he held positions in charge of marketing and PR at top brands such as Walt Disney, Harry Winston, and Tiffany & Co. In 2013, he founded Russo Co., Ltd. He handles PR for various top brands. Because his parents' home was an environment that taught Japanese culture such as tea ceremony and kimono dressing, he acquired the business rights to Premium Japan in 2017 and established Premium Japan Co., Ltd. in 2018.