VOX POPULI: Free-spirited Suntory and Mr. Solid call it off

There is an anecdote about the Irish playwright and Nobel literature prize winner George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). He is supposed to have been approached by an actress at a party who made a startling marriage proposal: It would be wonderful, she suggested, if they had a child with her looks and his brains. Shaw declined. It would be a shame, he countered, if the child was born with his looks and her brains. The anecdote may or may not be apocryphal but it is a nice taste of the playwright's acidic wit.

Quite a few people must have been intrigued to see what offspring would come of the proposed marriage between Kirin Holdings Co. and Suntory Holdings Ltd., which was called off earlier this week. The match captured the attention not only of business analysts but also of ordinary drinkers. Had it materialized, it would have created the world's fifth-largest food maker.

We heard that the two were "seeing each other" last summer. At the same time, though, it was rumored that there would be numerous obstacles to overcome.

For one thing, the corporate cultures are very different. Suntory, an Osaka-based company, is free-spirited. Kirin, a member of a former zaibatsu (large conglomerate), is serious and solid.

The difference in style could be likened to the sosho (cursive) and kaisho (block) styles of Japanese calligraphy. We can no longer hope to see a banner, written in clear, bold brush strokes, combining the two contrasting styles.

But there will be relief in some quarters that the experiment is not being pursued. Admirers of the two companies had voiced concerns that their distinct characters might have been diminished in a merger.

An acquaintance, who is a drinker, compared the feel of Kirin and Suntory to the different styles of performance of the two master rakugo storytellers, Kokontei Shinsho (1890-1973) and Katsura Bunraku (1892-1971). Bunraku was famously meticulous while Shinso had a reputation for a free and easy style. My red-faced friend put his unease at the Suntory-Kirin merger in this way: "I don't want to listen to 'Kokontei Bunraku.'"

On the night the companies announced their decision to break off negotiations, I heard everybody was talking about the split over a drink (or two).

Some will have discussed the news from economic, cultural or business viewpoints. Others may even have thought of it in terms of a marriage. The topic was a tasty snack to nibble on with a drink and then it disappeared into the winter sky.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 10

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.