DTS, Ltd.: For Japan in the 21st Century

Hironao Takahashi
President and Chief Executive Officer of DTS, Ltd.

After working at a Japanese distributor in telecommunications, in 1996 he founded e-Storage Networks, Ltd., serving as President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition to working in the development of the radial supercomputer, he was a leader in the establishment of the Open GL Japan Consortium, and has a vast array of experience in the promotion of new technologies for the Japan-U.S. information technology market.

e-Storage Networks, Ltd., changed its name to DTS, Ltd., in November of 2006.

Tokyo University of Science, Graduate School of Management of Science and Technology, Master's Degree.

Tokyo Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering, Department of Computer Science, doctoral course.

University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, visiting researcher.

Q: What made you think that you would like to start e-Storage Networks?

Takahashi: It just sort of happened. I just thought I'd like to give it a try. (laughs) A friend of mine who was president of a company in Atlanta said he needed some help. I didn't mind simply helping out, so I jumped on board without giving it much thought. So, rather than expressly setting out to found a company, I thought that if I could help someone out, I would.

Q: What was your reason for venturing into the U.S. market?

Takahashi: I had thought from the beginning that I would like to do work in the U.S. I'd had a relationship with the U.S. for a long time, and I have lots of friends here, so I knew what Americans are like. On the other hand, I also knew what is good about Japanese people, so I wanted to share Japanese culture--its refined sensibilities and unique sense of values--with the world through creative activities.

Q: What are the merits of working in the U.S.?

Takahashi: Even if you think you want to take Japanese technology out into the world, in Japan only specific communities would be involved. At a university only the laboratory would be involved. It could be said that Japanese society is a closed community. Even if one of your products is a hit there, that only means success in Japan, which, honestly speaking, isn't that hard. I wanted to operate on a global scale.

Portions of U.S. society are closed as well, but one great aspect of the U.S. is its openness in welcoming in new technology, wherever it may be from, as long as it is good technology. The same amount of effort meets with a larger window of opportunity and bigger market in the U.S., within which there are many chances for success.

All over the world, what is upstream flows downstream. Silicon Valley is the Mecca of the IT world. If we develop our business from here, the people of Japan will also trust us (laughs) and use us.

Q: Tell us about how you intend to proceed here in the U.S.

Takahashi: The name of the company, DTS, is simply the name of a technology that I developed. Simply put, it's a technology that adds to a computer what elements it is missing in order to achieve an efficient computer system. DTS stands for Data Transmission System. It makes possible data retrieval and high-speed processing at a level that can't be handled by many of today's computers due to the increased volume of information that must be handled.

In America, through cooperation with our partner corporation for the product DTS Hybrid HDD and through sales of our OEMs, we're putting effort into opening sales channels into the wider world.

Regarding hardware, in 2008 designs for a new integrated circuit were completed, and we plan to introduce a new product in the third quarter or later. In software, with direct support from DTS Pakistan, we have plans to set up a help desk that will make use of Pakistan's call center.

And, while I can't give out too many details yet, there are plans to set up a web service using DTS technology here in Silicon Valley.

Q: How have your plans been going since establishing the company?

Takahashi: There has been a little variation in the timing, but otherwise we're progressing according to plan. DTS Japan is advancing with preparations to go public in around three to four years.

Q: What do you think is the key to succeeding in business?

Takahashi: People tend to only think within the boundaries of their own experience, but you are sure to fail if you work based only on the knowledge and concepts you have right now.

The U.S. may be open to new technologies, but even so, there are communities that have to be entered into. It comes down to whether you have the means to become a member of those communities. To think something will sell in America just because it is selling in Japan is a big mistake. If the people of the communities here don't understand it, nothing will happen.

I think you have to enter into the community and listen to its demands. Whether you can customize what you offer to fit what you learn will determine whether you succeed or fail.

Q: How did your international sensibilities and thought develop?

Takahashi: I've never had problems communicating with people from other countries. Even though I didn't study overseas or study English conversation, I've been able to speak English ever since I was in high school. I didn't study at all, but I could speak without any trouble, so I've never been hindered by an inability to communicate with foreigners.

Q: That's quite rare. What was your childhood like?

Takahashi: I wasn't expecting to be asked about that! (laughs) I was born in Old Tokyo, so I'm a true child of Edo. I didn't study much, I just did whatever I liked. From the time I was in elementary school I did things like make radios, televisions and astronomical telescopes. I remodeled my grandfather's house all by myself, turning it into a studio. I put my electric guitar and drums in there and wrote songs and played music. I was always just playing around. I wasn't what you might call a prodigal son, I was more of a silly one.

Q: It's good your family let you run free. (laughs) I bet you did study, though.

Takahashi: I said that English was no problem, but even though on university exams I got full points in all other subjects, in English I only got 50. I'm a little weird, so for the problems on intonation, even if I knew the answer, I didn't say the word that way, so I wouldn't place the accent there. I've been stubborn ever since I was a kid.

Q: I've heard that you were once a Formula 4 motorsport champion.

Takahashi: Yeah, there's that, too. (laughs) I was the all-Japan champion in 1985 for Toyota, in 1990 for Honda and in 2001 for Suzuki. Now, the shareholders of DTS have asked me not to participate in dangerous sports, but I'm on the cover of the Japan Automobile Federation's magazine sometimes. I've contributed to magazines for about 13 years and put out videos. It's all a part of my hobby.

Essentially, I'm an engineer, so I can design automobiles, suspension systems and tires, among other things. I know things like which kinds of tires will get better times on certain kinds of circuits, so I was drawing up my own designs and specifications, developing them with car makers, and creating my own kind of racing.

Q: Has racing changed your view of life?

Takahashi: It's true of all sports that if you thoroughly pursue them, you learn more and more about the essence of what it means to be human. Academics and art are the same. Human beings are wonderful living creatures. If I find something to be necessary, my body and mind will act accordingly. If I need to be strong, strength will come forth. If I have to act quickly, I will move quickly.

That's why if you always tell yourself to drive one thousandth of a second faster, you will always drive your absolute best. The conditions of the road will come in through your palms gripping the wheel as information from the front tires. When the rear tires are in a yawing moment, you can feel it through the seat coming into your back. Your whole body serves as a sensor, and you drive accordingly. If you think there's something you have to do, you will do it. I've had that experience often, and have come to believe in it. It doesn't have anything to do with whether you have talent or not. When it comes to whether your body can keep up, an important spiritual aspect of performance comes into play. The brain's power of concentration has a big influence. Your mental state stabilizes when the brain generates alpha waves in the range of 11 to 13 Hz, and your body and mind synchronize. This takes some training, though. (laughs)

Q: I'd like to train myself in that, but maybe it's too late for me?

Takahashi: No, you can start now. No problem. (laughs) It's all about imaging. I practice Zen sitting meditation for up to two hours before sports events or races. In Buddhism there is something called shiho-hatchu. When you concentrate, you start by concentrating on one point, and then you find yourself concentrating on a higher level, and you reach a state in which you can grasp everything coming in from all directions. This is concentration on a subconscious level. When you achieve this state, you understand everything. When you focus your mind on something, you can control all things. It's the same for studying as for sports, and all people have this latent ability.

Q: I'll see what I can do. Moving on to a different topic, what are you most interested in right now?

Takahashi: I'm interested in so many things. I study every day. When I'm in Japan I do research for DTS technology at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. I'm in the university laboratory on most weekends.

Q: You're so busy, do you ever think you would like to sit back and relax?

Takahashi: Retiring early and taking it easy the rest of one's life was the common mindset of the Twentieth Century. I think it's important in this century to do something for the world, for people, as proof of one's life. With regard to environmental problems, they arose because the human ego disrupted the balance of the natural world. The comparative balance of the natural world is important. If something upsets that order, it has repercussions on everything. The human lifespan isn't long. The time you spend working and playing is limited. Thinking it's okay to just retire when you're 60 because you made a lot of money isn't fulfilling one's duty as a human being. You have to think about what you are going to give to those who come after you, to the youth of Japan. That's the kind of society we are increasingly living in.

(Editor: Kyoko Yamada)