Good Risks: Discovering the Secrets to ORIX's 50 Years of Success

Acknowledgments

As with most works involving large quantities of research, many people contributed to the production of this book. Like any hack writer, my first instinct is to blame them for all the mistakes and shortcomings of the present work, and failing that, to blame my editor. Unfortunately, both of my research staffers, the interview subjects, and the overseas editor are all first-rate in their respective fields. By default, then, the responsibility for this book falls on the author. Any errors, mistakes of interpretation, or misunderstandings of any kind were mine and mine alone.

To properly thank all the people who helped bring this project to completion would require a second book, so I will simply highlight those who stand out in my memory.

First, my good friend in New York City referred to here only as “James.” His work requires that he remain anonymous, but I want to thank him anyway for kicking my butt when the time was right and for introducing me to a vast, globally active corporate group that I had never heard of before. With that, I have paid my debt, and the next time we meet, the wine is on him.

On a more serious note, I want to thank all the executives in the ORIX Group who generously gave of their time to meet with an unknown journalist and answer his foolish questions. Chronologically, let me extend my sincere thanks to Scott Beiser and Bob Hotz at Houlihan Lokey and Bill Michaelcheck at Mariner Investment Group, both in New York City; to Nishitani Hideto, ...