Author who inherited a business with 10 billion yen in debt unravels why 'successors don't grow' and 'companies don't expand'. The 'invisible failure' of business succession: 'The Textbook for Successor Presidents' on sale nationwide 4/27

Hoshino Shobo (Minato-ku, Tokyo https://silas.jp) will release 'The Textbook for Successor Presidents' (Author: Yasuyoshi Oshima https://www.k-bc.co.jp), a practical management book exclusively for successor presidents, on April 27.

This is the debut work of the author, who himself inherited a business along with a 10 billion yen debt and now works as a consultant specializing in successor presidents. The book unravels the causes of successor presidents not functioning effectively from a 'structural' perspective and provides a guide to turning things around.

■ Social Issue: Increasing business succession, moving towards an 'era of dysfunctional management'

In recent years, the business succession of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has become a major social issue in Japan.

According to the 'White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises 2023' by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, approximately 50% of managers aged 60 and older have not decided on a successor, and it is expected that the retirement of managers, mainly the baby boomer generation, will peak in the future. It has become clear that managers are aging without making preparations for business succession. Furthermore, according to a private survey by Teikoku Databank, the absence rate of successors among companies nationwide is approximately 53% (as of 2024), meaning more than half of companies are facing a successor problem. The same survey points out an increase in business closures due to succession issues, noting cases where even profitable companies have to abandon business continuation because they cannot pass it on. On the other hand, a new issue has emerged in recent years even among companies where a successor has been decided. That is the problem of 'succession completed, but management does not function.'

- Cannot make decisions
- The organization does not move
- Bound by the relationship with the former president
- Cannot build trust with the frontlines

There are many cases where companies fall into these situations, resulting in stalled corporate growth.

■ How to solve the problem

This book was written with the aim of unraveling 'why successor presidents do not function' from a structural standpoint and showing the method for change. The key point of this book is that it views the problem as a 'structure' rather than 'ability'.

The author categorizes the reasons successor presidents struggle into the following three:

- No foundation to take the initiative
- Lack of an established axis of thought
- No mechanism to carry out one's will

In short, it is not that they 'cannot' do it, but rather 'a state has been created where they cannot move.'

■ Features of this book

- Systematizes the structure of 'dysfunction' that successor presidents fall into
- Unravels the 'causes' of why a successor president's efforts end in vain
- Presents how to create the successor president's own 'axis'
- Explains the mechanism by which an organization moves through 'empathy' rather than 'instructions'
- A highly 'reproducible' method based on a track record of guiding over 5,200 companies

This book is not about teaching management skills, but an essential volume for creating a 'state of functioning as a president.'

■ Author's thoughts

The author has faced over 5,200 successor presidents and seen many 'presidents who are capable but unsuccessful.' In most cases, the problem was not a lack of effort, but a structural issue where the prerequisites were not in place. Business succession is not just a handover; it is a turning point that tests the 'resolve to take charge of management with one's own will.'

This book aims to help successor presidents 'regain their initiative as president and reach a state where they can manage in their own words.'

■ Example interview themes

- Why successor presidents become dysfunctional
- Common patterns of companies failing in business succession
- How to organize the relationship with the predecessor
- How to break out of the state of 'being the president but unable to decide'
- The real reason organizations don't move

[Author Profile]

Yasuyoshi Oshima

President, Yasuyoshi Oshima Management Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Business Succession & Corporate Transformation Consultant specializing in Successor Presidents

Graduated from the Faculty of Economics, Kyoto University. He has the experience of inheriting his father's company, which had a debt of 10 billion yen, and challenging its revitalization and succession. Over 20 years, through lectures, training, and individual consultations, he has been involved with over 5,200 companies (internal data) and supported over 300 successor presidents.

He advocated and systematized his unique method, 'Successor President Studies,' which integrates seizing real power and business creation. He is a practical consultant who does not end with theory but continues to verify it in the field.

[Book Information]

Title: 'The Textbook for Successor Presidents'
Author: Yasuyoshi Oshima
Price: 2,530 yen (tax included)
Release Date: April 27, 2026
Publisher: Hoshino Shobo
Distributor: Sanctuary Publishing
Pages: 320 pages
Sales link: https://amzn.asia/d/07z9rbTV