Building
Cultural Bridges
Shortly after graduating,
Waseda University, where he majored in languages, Tokyo-born Toyoshi Yoshihara
joined Sumitomo Corporation, a huge and very successful Japanese conglomerate.
Sent to Canada, 1970, Yoshi’s purpose was to introduce Japanese heavy equipment
to an untapped Canadian market. At the time, Japan was famous for transistor
radios, toys, and textiles but Japanese heavy equipment was, as yet, undiscovered
in Canada. Originally, Yoshi’s stay was meant to be temporary, probably
two or three years. But, he fell in love with Canada and insisted on staying,
becoming, 1972, Founder of Komatsu Canada Ltd. Within 10 years, Yoshi created
a nation wide marketing network turning Komatsu Canada into the second
largest Canadian supplier of bulldozers, excavators, loaders, graders,
and mining trucks. Now retired as Chairman, Komatsu, Yoshi spends much
of his new-found time translating Canadian plays into Japanese productions.
Over the years, as a passionate hobby, he has, to date, translated some
30 Canadian plays into Japanese, one play, in particular, drawing about
200,000 theatre-goers in Japan to a production run exceeding five years.
Toyoshi Yoshihara believes he is building cultural bridges between his
native land and his adopted homeland. In this view, Yoshi stands on a heavy
duty piece of equipment, the type he successfully marketed across Canada
over a 30-year period. [Photo, courtesy Toyoshi Yoshihara]