Expert Views
Taeko UtsugiFacing everyone earnestly and sincerely
First Published in Japanese in March 2024 [4 parts]
Taeko Utsugi led the Japanese women’s softball team to compete at a world-class level. She talks about what softball has taught her about developing human resources, team building, the mindset required to achieve your goals, and more.
Summary
Japan has won gold at the two most recent Olympics that included women’s softball: Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020. The foundations for this success were laid by Taeko Utsugi, who has been a leading figure in the world of women’s softball since becoming the Japanese national team’s head coach in 1997.
Known for an unrelenting style that pushes players to their limits both on and off the training ground, she nevertheless gained great respect from players who recognized the love that lay behind her tough approach, as well as the results it produced. Here, we take a closer look at what makes Taeko Utsugi a successful leader.
Taeko UTSUGI
Born in Saitama, Japan, in 1953, Utsugi started playing softball from her first year of junior high school. After playing for Hoshino Girls High School, she joined the League 1 team Unitika Tarui and competed in the 1974 Women’s Softball World Cup. After retiring as a player in 1985, she coached the Japan junior team before becoming manager of Hitachi Takasaki, leading them from League 3 to victory in League 1. In 1997 she was appointed manager of the Japanese national team, which won Olympic silver at Sydney 2000 and bronze at Athens 2004. In recognition of her achievements, she became the first Japanese coach to be inducted into the International Softball Federation (ISF) Hall of Fame. Since then, Utsugi has served as an executive of the Japan Softball Association and as a member of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Central Council for Education, helping to popularize softball both in Japan and overseas through talks and coaching activities.