The Day the Housing Industry Shifted

YKK has signed a contract to acquire 80% of the shares of Panasonic’s housing and building materials subsidiary “PHS.”
In reality, this means YKK will take full control.
For the housing and building materials industry, this is a once-in-a-decade event.

I’ve always felt that YKK’s weakness was logistics.
But by joining forces with Panasonic’s nationwide distribution network, that weak point will be completely covered.
The technology of YKK, combined with Panasonic’s logistics infrastructure.
No matter how you look at it, this is a very strong combination.

YKK is not publicly listed.
They don’t need to dance to the tune of shareholders or quarterly earnings.
They can take their time and protect their manufacturing philosophy.
In this industry, “being unlisted” is a huge advantage.

And the current president of YKK AP, Mr. Hori, is the first non-family president in the long history of YKK.
He’s someone who understands the field, someone who even cares about the social status of carpenters.
A rare kind of executive.
When a person like that reaches the top, the entire direction of the company will inevitably change.

Back when LIXIL was still Tostem, there was a president named Kenjiro Ushioda — a man who was essentially the embodiment of craftsmanship.
I respected him deeply.
And somehow, I sense a bit of that same spirit in Mr. Hori.

Ushioda always said, “Housing is a sacred profession.”
He valued builders, craftsmen, and homeowners.
But around 1998, when he moved to the chairman position, Tostem began to change.
Mergers with INAX, buying company after company, growing bigger and bigger…
Eventually, size took priority over philosophy.

Then it became LIXIL — and now it feels like nothing more than a fund-driven company.
No philosophy, no soul.
Just a giant building-materials trading firm.

Tostem began in 1923 as a small joinery shop called “Myokenya Shoten,” later became Toyo Sash, then Tostem, and finally LIXIL.
But Ushioda’s words “Housing is a sacred profession” — I doubt anyone at LIXIL even remembers it now.

Today, it’s more like “Housing is a money-making profession.”
They abandoned joinery, embraced investor-driven efficiency, and closed local showrooms one after another.
It’s practically “戸捨無” — “Door-Discarding Company.”

When INAX-Tostem Holdings changed its name to “Jūsei-katsu Group” in 2010, I felt, “It’s over.”
So from that same year, I started making my own kitchens, vanities, entrance storage, and in 2012 I began producing my own interior doors.
A complete departure from LIXIL.

So honestly, even if I were still building new homes today, this merger wouldn’t affect me at all. lol

That’s why this YKK × Panasonic integration feels like the revival of a long-lost manufacturing spirit — but in a completely new form.
Meanwhile LIXIL… that giant whale… I feel it’s only going to sink deeper and deeper.
A company that has lost its philosophy can’t win against a company that still carries a manufacturing ethos, especially over long time spans.

This merger isn’t just corporate news.
It’s a major shift in the center of gravity of the housing industry.

I’m no longer directly involved, but when I watch moves like this unfold, I’m reminded of one simple truth:

“A company must be led by someone who understands how things are made.”

Business integration, huh… Even “Shiru” must be having a hard time.
While thinking about all that, I start preparing my “Tamagō” trailer for its vehicle inspection.
I’ve owned it for five years now… and haven’t traveled anywhere with it.

At this rate, I’m going to grow old, lose my mind, and the Tamagō might start smelling like something rotten.