Mitsubishi Auto Leasing Corporation supervised “The Book of Mobility Service Companies: Here are Companies that Shape Our Future” (published by Nikkei BP, with illustrations by Shinjiro Iwata), one title in “The Books of Companies Series.” The company donated the book to 3,304 public libraries across the country in the hope of more people knowing about the importance of mobility services.

This is the first attempt for Mitsubishi Auto Leasing Corporation to supervise a book and donate a large number of copies. We interviewed Yumiko Inoue, Hitomi Watanabe, Katsuki Otomo and Ryuhei Tanaka from the Sustainability Promotion Office, who were instrumental in this project, about the passion they put into the book and their behind-the-scenes efforts.

“Mobility Services,” such as rental cars, public transportation, car sharing, trucking and taxis, help people and goods move and make life safer and more convenient. They are rapidly expanding territory by developing next-generation technologies such as driverless cars and flying vehicles. Behind this advance is a diverse group of specialists joining forces, whose specializations range from maintenance and safe driving support to the use of digital technologies. The book explains in detail what businesses in these areas, or “mobility service companies,” do.

Mitsubishi Auto Leasing Corporation, like other mobility service companies, does not limit their activities to the conventional auto leasing business. It has expanded and elevated its business scope to “mobility service.” The company embarked on this book project with a publisher out of a desire to make the current position of the service and where it is going broadly known. However, it was an extremely difficult challenge to describe the role of the mobility service industry, which is not very visible, using familiar expressions.

“We wanted to make the book fun and exciting to read even for those who did not yet have a clear idea of the industry or us. We remained strongly focused on maintaining this principle in supervising the book.” (Tanaka)

“As we are primarily a business-to-business company, some consumers may have a hard time gaining a clear picture of what we do. We went through many revisions and discussions until the very last minute to convey its essence without using difficult technical terms, contemplating what kinds of layouts and illustrations would make the book intuitively understandable.” (Otomo)

The team dedicated their greatest efforts to conducting thorough interviews with staff members. They visited about 20 departments to gather the voices of those working on the ground. As they recounted their experience, they remembered being impressed by every staff member in every department being helpful and telling them about their work passionately.

“Throughout the production process, we emphasized fostering a positive corporate culture and increasing employee engagement as key objectives. We believe that it was precisely because everyone shared this vision that they were extremely cooperative.” (Watanabe)

“We do not manufacture goods but instead provide services. The source of our value is found in the people who work there. Therefore, we laid out the book so that many of our employees appear in it. We learned a lot from meeting in person with staff members in different departments. In addition, we got the help of not only our colleagues but also our customers.” (Inoue)

The company’s unique strength, stemming from possessing its own maintenance factory, is also reflected in the book. The book production team visited and walked through the factory in an effort to create detailed illustrations of the equipment, work processes and accessible vehicles that allow passengers to board while remaining in their wheelchairs. Another significant outcome was that by using illustrations, they visually described the company’s carbon-neutral initiatives, such as the adoption of electric vehicles, which had previously been communicated only through press releases and other means.

“We hope that more businesses and individuals, even if only one more, will resonate with our efforts and become a fan.” (Inoue)

The book contains elaborate artwork and the latest information, making it a highly worthwhile read. Packed in the book are not only the thoughts of the book production team but also the pride and passion of every employee from Mitsubishi Auto Leasing Corporation.

On the first business day of 2026, approximately 1,500 copies of the book were distributed to all employees, including full-time staff, contract staff and partner companies. The goal was to have employees grasp the entire picture of their enterprise and imagine what kind of values their jobs were generating, ultimately discovering new insights and improving their business process. The staff members were extremely exuberant because their work was documented in the form of a book. The team has been receiving positive feedback, such as, “I read the book with my family” and “my child became interested.”

Tanaka expresses his wish that “The completion of the book is not an end but a beginning. I would love it if the book prompted discussions in the company on how the book could be enriched and what themes should be delved into.”

Watanabe states, “I would be happy if readers could feel the warmth of the company and learn the culture of valuing its people as they turn the pages.”

Otomo calls on businesses, including the member companies of the Mitsubishi Group, as follows:

“Nothing would make me happier than other companies becoming interested in our business, feeling free to call us to see if there is anything we can do together and expanding into new possibilities.” (Otomo)

Inoue entrusts to this book her hopes for the future.

“Children who saw this book could grow their interest in working with Mitsubishi Auto Leasing Corporation and join us in 10, 20 years – it would be wonderful if this book brought about such a future.” (Inoue)

Mitsubishi Auto Leasing Corporation continues to generate more values as a mobility service company. At the same time, it will help address social challenges through education and awareness-raising activities.

【リンク】
“The Book of Mobility Service Companies: Here are Companies that Shape Our Future”