Daizo Ito, CEO of Panasonic Group in Thailand, is open about his faith in Buddhism and his happy life in the Kingdom.

"My belief in Buddhism makes for a comfortable stay in a Buddhist society like Thailand," says Ito, who has worked for parent company Matsushita for almost 28 years. He has spent nearly three years in Thailand.

Before coming to Thailand, Ito, now 48, was general manager for sales and marketing for Asia and Oceania at Matsushita headquarters in Japan.

"As a salary-man, I felt proud when I learned that I was being sent to Thailand. Thailand is a Buddhist society, which makes my life here comfortable and relaxed," he says.

Ito's intense faith in Buddhism began when he witnessed a miracle happen to his daughter Ai. Five years ago, when she was 14, she suffered an inexplicable numbness in her right leg that cost her the ability to walk.

"She could not feel her right left after volleyball training in school. She suffered for almost a month until I met with a senior monk, head of the Chutaizendera Buddhist temple in Taichun, Taiwan," Ito recalls. "The senior monk performed a rite upon my daughter and surprisingly she became stronger and could walk by herself the day after."

Ito says that his Buddhist faith consoles him when he feels stressful and frustrated.

"Buddhism teaches me to be compassionate and love other persons. It teaches me to care about the feelings of people," he affirms.

Ito has followed four Japanese words of guidance - kei, ji, wa and shin - as the principles of his life. They mean modesty, compassion, harmony and righteousness.

"When staying in Thailand, I love the Thai way of life as they give priority to gratitude, particularly to parents, which was a principle in Japanese culture some time ago but has gone missing now in the new Japanese society," says Ito. "I think it is time for Japanese society, which is now quite aggressive and technology-oriented, to turn its eyes toward and learn from Thai society about giving primary concern to family relationships and humanity."

Besides Ai, Ito has a son, Yu, who is 24. Yu works in Tokyo for Japan Aircraft in the sales department for used aircraft. Ai is a first-year student in economics at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. She currently resides with her mother in Osaka.

Ito flies back to Japan to visit his family every two months. His wife and children also come to meet him in Bangkok three times a year.

"I always teach my kids to give significant concern to the feelings of other people and take of care their mother while I'm away from home," he says.

Panasonic Group has a long business history of 45 years in Thailand, and Ito says the company this year will concentrate on internal and external communications, both between employees and with dealers.

"I always visit our dealers, who give me their feedback about their problems and preferences for the Panasonic brand. What they say has encouraged me to do everything to support them," says Ito, adding that he wants to give returns to individual customers who have a strong loyalty to the brand by offering products that make their lives better.

"If we improve our communications both internally and externally, the work will go on smoothly. I want to close the gap between me and even new employees through the creation of a 'flat' organisation structure," Ito explains. "I would like to make Panasonic a good and interesting business organisation by improving the relationship between employees and the working environment."

Ito feels happy working for a technological firm like Panasonic.

"The world needs technology, as it makes people's lives more comfortable," he says. "Technology, however, must be properly controlled by human values."

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation