Our Story

Our pursue of happiness: 70% of our workers are with disabilities

 

In 1960 we hired our first 2 employees with intellectual disabilities. Since then, we have adapted our manufacturing methods and created an inclusive work environment so we can continue to hire employees with different abilities.

Now, 70% of our employees have intellectual disabilities. We all come together in a cooperative, inclusive working space where we the needs of all are met to foster a collaborative, comfortable workspace for all.  Standard tools were changed to meet the needs of the staff.  For example, clocks were changed to hourglasses / sandglasses and measuring tools were redesigned to meet the needs of our staff.  

We are proud that most of our employees work until their retirement age. They also find their happiness and ikigai by being able to work in an environment where they are needed, respected, and praised for their efforts.

Kitpas is committed to continue to empower people with disabilities to make our world happier place.

Our goal is to have 100 employees with disabilities by year 2030.

Being useful to others, being needed, and being praised, is the greatest happiness in living

(Former Chairman, Yasuhiro Oyama, 1932-2019)

The reason our company started hiring people with disabilities was entirely by chance.

One day in 1960, we had a factory in Ota Ward, Tokyo, when a female teacher from a nearby special needs school came to visit. She requested if we could accept two female students who were graduating from junior high school. The teacher said, "If we don't do something, these children will end their lives without ever knowing what it means to work. Is there any way you could hire them?"

However, I knew nothing about welfare or disabilities. I replied, "I understand your feelings, but..." and declined. Nevertheless, she visited us multiple times. Moved by the children's circumstances and the teacher's enthusiasm, I eventually relented and agreed to accept them for just a one-week internship.

Incidentally, those two students later joined the company as full-time employees and worked until retirement. 

Even after several years of hiring people with disabilities, I was puzzled about why they were so happy to come to the factory. I thought they might be happier living in a facility than working in a factory. When I told them, "If you don't listen, I'll send you back to the facility," I couldn't understand why they would cry and resist. 

At that time, I happened to sit next to a Zen monk at a memorial service, and I posed this question to him. He immediately responded, "Ultimate happiness is: 1. being loved by others, 2. being praised by others, 3. being of help to others, and 4. being needed by others. Love aside, the last three can be achieved through work."

I was deeply convinced by his words. No matter how severe the disabilities, there are many people in society who want to work and contribute.

Working is for oneself but also for others. While it is natural for companies to pursue profit, I have come to believe that they should also be places where employees seek happiness. To achieve this, no one should be excluded from "working." By pooling our wisdom and working together, we can surely realize such a society.