Empowering the future beyond our 50-year milestone

Choosing a difficult path that most would avoid

In 2026 we will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of our company. Traditionally we have placed a strong emphasis on our role as a member of the RICOH Group and built relationships with our customers based on their familiarity with the “RICOH” name. We first began to consider a name change seriously around 2023-2024. After carefully weighing up the pros and cons of taking down our big “RICOH” sign, we concluded that the move would have a positive impact on our future.

Whenever I have found myself at a crossroads, I have always chosen the difficult path. Even though I lived in Kansai, I chose to go to a university in Hokkaido. After entering the workforce, I set myself the goal of balancing my work with membership of one of Japan’s top corporate American football teams. After graduating, I chose to join a company that was still working to achieve listing on the stock exchange. I followed the same path when I later joined RICOH LEASING. I chose companies where I could gain valuable experience, even if the work was hard.

I struggled, but I really learned a lot, and I found the learning process very stimulating. That’s why I felt a strong need to start a new voyage as a truly independent company when we reached our 50-year milestone. I decided to raise the idea of a name change as our banner for that new journey.

RITRES—A Name Embodying our Respect for History and Our Aspirations for the Future

We chose “R” as the initial letter of our new name—RITRES—to express our history and ongoing commitment as a member of the RICOH Group. The “i”, which appears in lower case in our logo design, symbolizes humanity and love, while TRES is Latin for “three”. This name reflects our identification with the RICOH Group’s “San-Ai Spirit”, the Trinity among our company, our clients, and our partners, as well as the circle of past, present, and future. Each of these elements is symbolized in the letter “E”, which resembles the Chinese character for “three”.

Our name may change, but there will be no change in our commitment to our core focus on helping small and medium enterprises to solve problems, which is a legacy of our leasing business. We also recognize the importance of maintaining the dedication and seriousness that characterize our interactions with customers. We exist to realize the aspirations of our customers in partnership with all stakeholders. We are particularly focused on creating a circular process through which the value that we receive through payments from customers is returned to the future.

While keeping these things the same, we want to change our approach to business. We see a need to evolve from a finance company focused on leasing into a business company that is also involved in finance. Finance will remain our foundation, but we aim to build a new structure under which we will make business operations our core axis while also providing financial services. We will not be afraid of change. Instead, we will consistently evolve in step with a changing world. I see this stance as vital to our survival as a company.

Evolution as our sure path to growth

Our new brand slogan—“Empower the Future”— encapsulates the essence of this company. It expresses our commitment to achieving progress and growth in partnership with our customers, employees, and society, rather than simply pursuing our own growth.

The future is uncertain and unpredictable. However, I place great value on the words of Peter Drucker, who said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Rather than being swept along into a future created by someone else, we will actively build our future through our own actions based on our own aspirations. That powerful commitment is embodied in our brand slogan.

We aim for growth driven by transformation through gradual change and evolution emerging from the experience and resources we have accumulated over time. We believe that new businesses grow not through leaps into the unknown, but through cumulative transformation driven by the use of existing resources and infrastructure to create innovation.

Companies become stronger through success in a competitive environment. Corporate management is not gambling. What matters is finding ways not to lose while steadily working your way to success. We see the “genetic” variations that occur through this process not as something negative, but as opportunities for growth. We will steadily build our future by embracing this transformative process.

Taking up challenges while cherishing people

We could not have reached our 50‑year milestone without the tremendous support of everyone who has been involved with our group. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude.

We have chosen this time to update our company name and embark on a new voyage toward growth. While cherishing people, we are also determined to maintain the discipline needed to underpin our commitment to growth. We will build a corporate culture in which people can take on challenges without fear of difficulty.

Our new name reflects our vision for the company in the years ahead. I hope that every employee will fully understand that the ‘i’ in our logo represents people, and that consciousness of their own identity will enable them to embrace a sense of pride and engagement toward the company.

We hope that you will share our aspirations for the growth of this new iteration of our company as RITRES, and that you will join us in building its future with strength and confidence.