Kojiro Shiraishi has loved discovering what lies beyond the horizon since childhood. 

As a child, he lived near the beach and enjoyed helping fishermen haul in their nets. It was later in life that he developed a passion for the sea. Although he was passionate about other sports, the maritime world would ultimately win him over. As a student at a maritime high school in 1992, he saw on television that a Japanese sailor had just won the BOC Challenge in Class 2. While sailing was generally reserved for the privileged class in Japan, this winning skipper, Yuko Tada, was a taxi driver. This opened a door for Kojiro. Being an ordinary man, anything seemed possible. For months, he sought to meet Yuko Tada, who would become his mentor. Kojiro helped him prepare his boat, learned to sail alongside him, and eventually succeeded him when Yuko committed suicide. Kojiro never stops sailing, learning, and pushing himself to the limit solo around the world at just 26 years old becoming the youngest skipper to complete a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation. He went on to complete several solo round-the-world races: the "Around Alone" in Class40 in 4th place, in 2002, and the "Velux 5 Oceans" in Class I (60 ft) in 2nd place, in 2006.

Crossing Ten years after in 2016, he races the Vendee Globe aboard his IMOCA, which he named "Spirit of Yuko." In 2018, he met the head of DMG MORI and subsequently competed in two Vendée Globe races under the Japanese group's banner. Thirty-four years after meeting Yuko, Kojiro will launch the DMG MORI Global One II IMOCA this June. He proves once again that he never gives up, remaining loyal to his mentor and partners, some of whom have trusted him for over 30 years.