PARTNER STORY
All the partners who support Urawa Reds in various ways.
We will talk about the history of the partners and the Reds behind it, as well as their passion.
An indispensable presence in the history of Urawa Reds. Urawa Reds Red Diamonds would not exist without this partner company. That is Mitsubishi Motors.
It has a long history. In 1950, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Soccer Club, the predecessor of the Reds, was born. Participated in the Japan Soccer League, the predecessor of the J.
At that time, Mitsubishi Motors was the automobile division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. In 1970, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation was established as a separate company, and in 1990, 20 years later, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Soccer Club was transferred to the Mitsubishi Motors Soccer Club.
Hirotaka Indo, General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors' Domestic Sales Division, explains why.
"I heard that the soccer club that was in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was transferred to Mitsubishi Motors, which has direct contact with consumers, so that more people can support it."
The relationship between the Reds and Mitsubishi Motors has a history of 30 years, and the relationship with the Mitsubishi Group has a history of 70 years. Indo continued, however, that it is not just because of the history that we continue to have a relationship as a top partner.
“This is also because I sympathize with the philosophy of Urawa Reds the philosophy of Urawa Reds, there are 'values to cherish,' and one of them is the word 'integrity.' This is Mitsubishi Motors. We share the mission of ``We will act with sincerity as a trusted company.''
The Reds and Mitsubishi Motors have continued to be partners through a long history and empathy. However, there was a fear that the relationship between the two would be dissolved.
In 2016, Mitsubishi Motors entered into a capital and business alliance with Nissan Motor. Nissan Motor is a major shareholder of Yokohama F･Marinos, and J.League club licensing rules prohibit having two club teams in the same group. As a result, Mitsubishi Motors had no choice but to end its direct relationship with the Reds. It was a tough choice. “Still,” Indo continued.
“I gave top priority to continuing to support Urawa Reds.”
As a result, Diamond FC Partners Co., Ltd. was established as a joint investment with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Although it is indirect, we have built a system that can support the Reds without change. General Manager Indo speaks forcefully as follows.
“Even though the management system has changed, our commitment to Urawa Reds will not change. Together with our fans and supporters, we will continue to do our best to support Urawa Reds.”
From 2014 to 2018, General Manager Indo served as president of Kanto Mitsubishi Motors Sales Co., Ltd. (currently East Japan Mitsubishi Motors Sales Co., Ltd.). Keizo Fuchida, who served as the president of the Reds from February 2014 to January 2019, was the president of Kanto Mitsubishi Motors Sales Co., Ltd. before Indo.
“Because of that, I was really close to him, and he was very kind to me.”
General Manager Indo said with a smile that he felt the influence of the Reds when he was the president of Kanto Mitsubishi Motors Sales Co., Ltd.
“Saitama Prefecture is also one of the sales areas, and there were a lot of Reds fans and supporters, some of whom were enthusiastic.
Furthermore, it seems that the influence of the Reds is not only on the relationship with customers, but also on the inside of the company.
“Some of our employees have mentioned that they are a partner company of the Urawa Reds Red Diamonds as a reason for wanting to work. Our employees are also very proud of being a partner company of the Urawa Reds Red Diamonds. There was a lot of talk about the Reds, and when we won the championship, everyone in the company was in a cheering mood, which gave us a lot of energy.”
Headquarters Manager Indo first answered that the appeal of the Reds was "the passionate support of the fans and supporters." This was not only felt by General Manager Indo himself, but also heard from Mr. Osamu Masuko, former chairman of Mitsubishi Motors.
Former chairman Masuko, who passed away in August of this year, said in front of the media that in 2016, "I will make sure that I do not violate the rules of the J League and that the Reds will not be affected." Not only the top team, but also the women's team were kind to me. He is one of the indispensable figures in the history of Urawa Reds. Chief Indo recalls.
"Former president Masuko said, 'Let's celebrate if the Urawa Reds Ladies win,' and I heard that he actually had a dinner party with the Reds Ladies players."
Former Chairman Masuko left just over a month after the first division of the Nadeshiko League, which had been postponed due to the corona crisis, started. The Reds Ladies were in the middle of trying to show their progress. However, former chairman Masuko must have watched the Reds Ladies win in heaven.
Indo, who knows the passion of former chairman Masuko, hopes that the Reds will continue to be strong. One of the Reds' philosophies is to ``create a strong and attractive team'', and Mitsubishi Motors sympathizes with this philosophy and wants to continue to provide strong and attractive cars.
One of them is the Eclipse Cross PHEV announced and released on December 4th. Since launching the world's first mass-produced electric vehicle, i-MiEV, in 2009, Mitsubishi Motors has been a pioneer in the field of electric vehicles. The Eclipse Cross PHEV is the second SUV (plug-in hybrid) model, following the Outlander PHEV.
“We announced our medium-term management plan in August of this year, and we are trying to focus on eco-friendly vehicles by introducing new models by fiscal 2022. We are thinking of enhancing our lineup of vehicles that are excellent in terms of
2020 has been an unprecedented year. The impact of the new coronavirus was not small not only for the sports world, the Reds, but also for Mitsubishi Motors. "eK Cross Space" and "eK Space" were announced and released in March, but the new coronavirus infection spread just after that, and it was not possible to attract customers as expected.
However, Mitsubishi Motors wants to overcome this situation together with the Reds and their fans and supporters.
“Mitsubishi Motors would like to continue to support Urawa Reds Red Diamonds in order to establish their football. Let's overcome this difficult situation together."
The bond will continue to be strong. Urawa Reds and Mitsubishi Motors will continue to run together, with the aim of continuing to build a strong and attractive team and eco-friendly and attractive cars with sincerity.
