ZAKZAK: Sahashi's Pink Bunny Harem

ZAKAZAK explores Sahashi and the last days of his harem.As a side note, in this translation I've used the Japanese way of expressing names--using the last name first--since the article makes reference to a few historical figures.

Sahashi's Pink Bunny Harem and the girls that just sat there

"I'm the reincarnation of Oda Nobunaga." Those are the boastful words of Sahashi Nozomu, the former president of the now defunct English conversation school Nova. The coup d'etat staged by his close executives and his fall from the top bears a resemblance to the last days of Oda Nobunaga. Current executives and former employees tell their stories of Sahashi's penchant for surrounding himself with beautiful women and yes-men.

"Sahashi surrounded himself with tall, slim female employees and secretaries who were models. His clerical staff were beautiful and he kept them close by," says a serving Nova executive. The tall women with their long hair around Sahashi reflected his tastes.

Sahashi told his employees to refer to him as hon bucho (director or general manager) rather than shacho (president). According to the executive: "Sahashi was particular about business and calling him hon bucho instead of shacho fits the thinking to a tee. I've also heard him say that he wasn't 'presidential material'."

This man's choice in staff had several characteristics. What was most noticeable within the company were the positions women held.

"There were times when young, female employees were suddenly given important positions such as manager or acting manager," says the executive, who also clearly remembers one particular employee:"During a company ski trip about 10 years ago, Sahashi and a suddenly-promoted female employee wore matching ski wear. People were wondering if she got promoted because of her relationship with Sahashi. Sahashi was a little embarrassed because they stood out, but she looked like she was enjoying it."

Another executive had this to say: "Even when he wasn't busy with a meeting or some other matter, he had this strange habit of placing women next to him. All they did was sit there. To this day, I still can't figure out what that was all about."

Approximately 80% of Nova's staff are women, the majority of which happen to be attractive. According to the Nova executive, one of the merits of this was that it was easier to get contracts with women doing the sales. He added that Nova could keep salary costs down because women left the company earlier than men did for reasons such as marriage. Nova makes employees quit before they build up seniority and a high salary, and replaces them with new employees who are paid less. Nova employees work an average of a little less than three years in the company.

While companies were struggling during the recession of the 1990s, Nova grew and this influenced hiring.

According to a former employee, "Women had a hard time finding a job after graduating from university, but since Nova made a point of hiring women, this attracted a lot of applicants, and it allowed Nova to take its pick of the lot. They hired a lot of women whom the president fancied."

Another characteristic of the staff was the cadre of yes-men. The serving executive, who was very suspicious of Sahashi, added, "The only people he kept close to him were a few trusted beautiful women and his yes-men."

He also added that that employees who disagreed with Sahashi even once, were relegated to obscurity for the rest of their time in the company. "Within the company, anyone disagreeing with him were given the moniker, 'The guy with a strike against him.' Sahashi couldn't forgive people like that because he demanded loyalty, so he ignored them and kept them out of the decision-making loop until they had no choice but to resign."

Ever since the press conference he gave in June, Sahashi hasn't been seen in public and is said to have gone into hiding, but the truth is that he has been spotted in Nova's Tokyo headquarters in the Shinjuku NS Building for several days since July.

Says a former employee who quit just before Nova collapsed, "He was behind the reception desk where he wouldn't be noticed, and met with people who seemed to be in the finance industry. I was shocked to see him escort one visitor to the elevator himself and give him an extremely deep bow."

A meeting for employees was held the evening Nova filed for bankruptcy protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Act on October 26, using the videophone system to link the Multimedia Center in Osaka with the headquarters in Tokyo. With more than 2,000 Japanese staff and foreign instructors watching nervously, a mid-ranking employee recounts that the room erupted into loud applause when the trustees announced that Sahashi was no longer the president of Nova.

That was the moment they were rid of the "one-man show."

Nova's corporate logo looks like a family crest with the blue petals of the Chinese bellflower. It is the same family crest that belonged to Akechi Mitsuhide, who forced Oda Nobunaga to commit suicide. For Sahashi, who liked to say he was the reincarnation of Nobunaga, Nova's logo, perhaps, hinted of his demise.

Original article

猿橋前社長、「ピンクうさぎ」いっぱいハーレム人事

「座っているだけ」の女性社員も

「おれは織田信長の生まれ変わりだ」－。経営破綻（はたん）した英会話学校最大手、ＮＯＶＡの猿橋（さはし）望前社長（５６）はこう豪語していたという。腹心だったはずの役員からクーデターに遭い、トップの座から転げ落ちた様は、確かに信長の末期とダブってみえる。女性社員の配置に好みを反映させ、イエスマンの男性社員で固めたとされる猿橋氏。現役幹部や元社員らがその実像を告発する。

「本部長（猿橋氏）の周りには髪が長くスラッと背の高い女性社員が多く、モデル出身の秘書もいた。庶務担当には美人をそろえ、自分の近くに置いていました」

こう明かすのはＮＯＶＡの現役幹部。周囲の社員には、背が高く、髪の長い女性が猿橋氏の好みなのだと映った。

猿橋氏は社員に対し、「社長」ではなく「本部長」という肩書で呼ばせていた。「猿橋氏は営業にこだわりがあり、おれは社長というより営業本部長といった方がピッタリくるという考えからだったようだ。その一方で『自分はまだ社長の器じゃないから』と本人が言っていたのを聞いたことがある」（先の幹部）

そんな猿橋氏が行う人事にはいくつかの特徴がある。社内でもっとも注目されたのは、女性社員の配置だった。

「若手の女性社員が突然、課長や課長代理など重要なポジションに就くことがあった」といい、この現役幹部はある女性社員のことを今でも鮮明に覚えている。

「１０年ほど前まで社内のスキー旅行があったのですが、猿橋氏と、急に出世した女性社員がペアルックのスキーウエアを着ていたことがあった。周りは『それほど親密だから出世できたのか』と思ったものです。あまりにも目立つので、猿橋氏は恥ずかしそうにしていましたが、女性社員の方はこれみよがしに見せつけるような感じでした」（同）

さらに別の幹部はこう証言する。

「本部長（猿橋氏）はなんの用事もないのに、お気に入りの女性社員をそばに置いておく妙なクセがあった。女性社員はただちょこんと座っているだけ。今となっては、あれはなんだったんだろうという感じです」

ＮＯＶＡの社員の８割ほどは女性だ。しかも美形が多いとされる。「女性の方が営業で契約を取りやすい」（同）というメリットがあることが１つ。さらに、女性は結婚などで男性より早く退職するケースが多いため、人件費の面でもメリットがあるという。勤続年数を重ねて給料が高くなっていく前に退職してもらい、給料の安い新人を次々と採用していく。同社の平均勤続年数は３年弱と短い。

特に、平成不況で多くの企業があえいでいるときにＮＯＶＡは業績を伸ばし、これが採用面で追い風になったという。

「女子学生の就職がとても厳しかったときにＮＯＶＡは女性を中心に積極採用をしたため、就職希望の女子学生が多く集まり、よりどりみどりだった。社長好みの美人も多く採用できたようだ」（元社員）

人事面でのもう１つの特徴は、周りをイエスマンで固めたこと。

「非常に猜疑（さいぎ）心が強い人」（先の現役幹部）とみられていた猿橋氏は、「自分の近くに置くのは、信用のおける一部の美人女性社員と、イエスマンの男性社員だけだった」（同）。

そして一度でも猿橋氏に反論した社員は、社内で一生、日の目を見ることはなかったという。

「社内では、反論した社員のことを『あいつにはバツが付いた』という言い方をしていました。ものすごく粘着質の猿橋氏はそうした社員を許すことはなく、無視されたり、稟議が通らなかったりして、結局、辞めざるを得ない状況に追い込まれていった」（同）

今年６月に記者会見を開いて以降、公の場に姿を見せず、雲隠れしたといわれた猿橋氏だが、実は７月以降、新宿ＮＳビル（東京）のなかのＮＯＶＡ東京本部に連日姿を見せていたという。

「受付の裏の目立たない場所にいて、金融業界の関係者らしき来客に応対していました。来客を１人でエレベーターまで見送り、最敬礼するという今まで見たこともない姿を見て、ビックリしました」（破綻直前まで働いていた元社員）

会社更生法適用を申請した１０月２６日夕、大阪のＮＯＶＡマルチメディアセンターと東京本部の入る新宿ＮＳビルをテレビ会議システムで結び、社員向けの説明会が開かれた。計２０００人の日本人社員と外国人講師が緊張した面持ちで見守るなか、「保全管理人が『猿橋代表はＮＯＶＡの社長ではなくなった』と説明すると、会場は大きな拍手に包まれた」（中堅社員）という。

ワンマン社長から解き放たれた瞬間だった。

ＮＯＶＡの企業ロゴには桔梗（ききょう）の家紋に似た青色の花があしらわれている。桔梗の家紋といえば、織田信長を自害に追い込んだ明智光秀のものである。「信長の生まれ変わり」を自称していた猿橋氏の終焉（しゆうえん）を、ロゴは暗示していたのかもしれない。