A press conference by Toshiyuki Sakurai, who assumed the position of president of Yamato Holdings (HD) in April of this year , was held on September 24th at the company's headquarters building in Tokyo.
As the logistics industry faces a major turning point, how can the company develop a sustainable growth strategy for logistics while maintaining its robust infrastructure, such as its "Takkyubin" (express delivery) service? President Sakurai sat down with reporters and spoke at length about specific measures, business development, and even the core philosophy of his leadership.
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President Toshiyuki Sakurai
President Sakurai was born on November 21, 1974. He joined the company in 1998 and gained experience in the international logistics and customs clearance department, from shipping and customs clearance to domestic delivery. After working in Shanghai and Singapore, he was also involved in planning post-payment services for mail-order businesses at Yamato Financial. In 2010, he was in charge of launching the express delivery business in Singapore. He experienced business improvement through delegating authority to the field, which became the foundation of his leadership philosophy of "taking responsibility myself, but trusting and empowering the field." Since 2022, he has promoted the resolution of social issues through co-creation with local governments and other organizations, and in 2026 he was appointed President and Representative Director of Yamato Holdings.
"Selection and concentration" for business recovery, enhanced by the use of data and AI.
Since taking office, President Sakurai has prioritized "recovering current performance." He attributes this to "variable costing," adjusting costs to match fluctuations in workload. He analyzes that "the inability to accurately predict workload, or having an operational system that could handle fluctuations even when predictions were made, has led to downward revisions of performance in recent years."
In response to this, since the latter half of last year, they have been thoroughly optimizing vehicle dispatching plans and delivery routes using AI. By bringing aspects that previously relied on the experience and intuition of dispatchers closer to theoretical values, they have achieved results such as a 3% reduction in the number of vehicles in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
The same applies to the last mile. They predict the volume of packages arriving at each branch office using data and have established a system to optimally combine their own employees with external partners. Furthermore, by introducing a dedicated automated route that directs drivers to the optimal "stopping location," they say they are seeing positive results, stating that "data and AI are finally starting to function."
Regarding improving the top line (sales), the company explicitly stated its intention to shift to pricing that prioritizes profitability. "Instead of indiscriminately accepting shipments with high cost pressure as in the past, we will offer fair prices and, in some cases, decline unprofitable projects. We believe it is important to intentionally control the workload and secure profits."
Furthermore, the company clarified its policy of continuing to focus on business areas other than express delivery services, such as contract logistics and global business, as outlined in its medium-term management plan.
Freighter withdrawal and a "no-holds-barred review"
In September of this year, Yamato Holdings announced that it would cease operations (withdraw) of its domestic cargo-only freighter service, which it jointly operates with Japan Airlines (JAL) Group, by June 2027. President Sakurai cited increased costs due to the weak yen, as well as a discrepancy between the actual market conditions and those anticipated, as reasons for this decision.
"We had predicted that the 2024 problem would cause long-haul truck freight rates to rise, resulting in a reversal of the situation with air freight rates. However, in reality, air freight rates have remained high, and the gap is only widening. While there is a need for freighters due to modal shift, we have determined that it is difficult to implement this based on our initial business plan," he explained.
This isn't limited to Freighter; President Sakurai has been working on a "no-holds-barred review" since the press conference announcing his change of president in January of this year.
As part of this effort, in response to the changing external environment surrounding the business, the company is sequentially reviewing its past investments and cost structures, and is proceeding with this as a project directly under the president. On the other hand, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between "responsibility as infrastructure" and "means of logistics (delivery methods, etc.)."
"Our mission is to deliver packages nationwide and maintain a state where people can feel secure entrusting their packages to Yamato. On the other hand, the operations and delivery methods used to achieve this should be flexibly adapted to the times," he said.
The appointment of a Chief Logistics Officer (CLO) and the future of logistics
With the Logistics Efficiency Law coming into full effect in April of this year, there is an accelerating trend among shippers to appoint "Chief Logistics Officers (CLOs)," but how should logistics providers change? President Sakurai sees this trend as "the greatest opportunity to improve the position of the logistics industry."
"For shippers, logistics was once viewed as a 'cost.' However, amid geopolitical risks and labor shortages, sustainably transporting goods has become a management challenge in itself. For Chief Logistics Officers (CLOs), maintaining a sustainable transportation network is a mission. We aim to be more than just a transporter; we want to be a partner that designs the entire domestic and international supply chain, working together to solve our clients' management challenges."
Under these policies, in addition to the e-commerce and medical equipment sectors that we have focused on so far, we will strengthen our presence in the manufacturing sector in our corporate business. Specifically, we will combine our expertise in flexible small-lot deliveries with a transportation mode in which Yamato acts as a point of contact to optimize large-scale logistics. For example, a prime example of this is when Yamato takes on the entire logistics of replacement parts for manufacturing companies such as construction machinery and automobiles.
"Instead of just our company lowering prices by saying, 'We'll try to raise it by another 100 yen,' we need to become an industry where everyone raises their prices by 100 yen and customers buy that added value. Providing continuous logistics that contribute to our customers' business challenges will enable us to break free from price competition," he said, urging industry transformation.
Furthermore, in light of the common societal challenge of labor shortages, he cited "autonomous driving" as a technology to watch. He maintains a calm and strategic perspective on cutting-edge technologies such as AI robots, which have been attracting attention in recent years.
"We are focusing on the introduction of unmanned trucks between hubs in trunk line transportation and autonomous vehicles for the last mile, and we are starting to consider these options now," he said. "In the logistics field, human judgment and coordination are always necessary. Even with advancements in autonomous driving, people will still be responsible for tasks such as transferring goods to unmanned trucks and making detailed dispatch adjustments on-site. Technology is merely a means to standardize and streamline operations, and its value will only be realized when it is combined with Yamato's strength in 'on-site capabilities'."
At this stage, they are taking a cautious approach to introducing humanoid robots or physical AI specifically for logistics, and are prepared to make grounded technological investments.
At the press conference, we were also able to hear about President Sakurai's management philosophy. He said that his approach of "not creating any enemies and focusing on people's strengths in dialogue" was cultivated through his experience in corporate sales and negotiations in overseas business. He also stated that he maintains objectivity by "always listening to the opinions of two or three people and verifying the facts when making important decisions," while basing his management decisions on an "unwavering core" based on Buddhist teachings he learned in high school.
Finally, he concluded by sharing his thoughts after six months in office.
"My goal is to create a company where employees can continue to 'love' Yamato. Externally, I want to cherish and further enhance the brand of safety and trust that we have cultivated over more than 100 years of history, and use it to take the next leap forward as an indispensable infrastructure for society."
Interview and writing by Terumi Yoshisaka
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