The new president of H.I.S. Co. said Tuesday he will work hard to increase the travel agency's global presence by expanding its overseas operations.

"We hope to become one of the leading travel agencies in the world," Yoshio Suzuki, who replaced company founder Hideo Sawada, told a news conference.

"We already have 54 overseas branches in 44 cities. We not only aim to further expand the handling of overseas travel (for Japanese customers), but also hope to start accepting foreign travelers coming to Japan."

In most cases, its overseas branches have been serving Japanese living abroad, but Suzuki said H.I.S. should mine the foreign market. To this end, he said the company will hire more local employees at its offshore branches.

Suzuki, 50, said he will also focus on improving communication between top management and workers in the trenches. Since the company has grown large, young employees' voices are not adequately reflected in the decision-making process, he said.

Ever since the 53-year-old Sawada established H.I.S. in 1980, all power rested with him. But he said the company now needs to give authority to the next generation to prove it will continue growing without him.

Sawada on Tuesday became chairman of H.I.S. He said that by dropping his legal right of representation, he hopes to put more emphasis on human resource development, especially younger employees.

Sawada is president and board member of dozens of companies, including chairman of Skymark Airlines Co., a H.I.S. group company. He said he will retain all of those posts for the moment, but he intends to step down in the near future after finding capable successors.

Suzuki joined H.I.S. in 1981 and had been managing director in charge of accounting and managing the group companies, including Skymark.