Message from the President

Advancing Innovation and Creating New Value by Embracing Change and Taking Action

For more than 130 years since its founding in 1889, the Kanematsu Group has upheld its Corporate Principle--which aligns with today's Sustainable Development Goals--to advance corporate activities with a pioneering spirit, imagination, and ingenuity to contribute to social and economic development. There have been many times over the course of this long history when, much like it is now, the future was uncertain. However, by leveraging the culture and traditions passed down from our founder, the Kanematsu Group has always been able to adapt and embrace change. We are confident that, going forward, we will continue to grow by staying centered on our core principles, blazing a new trail into a new era.

The Kanematsu Group is currently advancing its medium-term vision, future 135, set to end in March 2024, under which we have made "Promote Groupwide DX" part of our priority initiatives. To this end, and to implement integrated management for our Group companies while further accelerating digital transformation (DX) and green transformation (GX), we made tender offers for our listed consolidated subsidiaries Kanematsu Electronics Ltd. and Kanematsu Sustech Corporation that were executed in March 2023. We have now established a business foundation that will enable us to push forward together as a unified whole. Building on this foundation, we will elaborate growth strategies that maximize Group synergies, achieve the targets of future 135 and advance a range of initiatives that reach beyond the end of the vision and into the next stage.

Today, the future is unclear, clouded by the lingering effects of the pandemic, international tensions, and steadily mounting environmental problems. At the same time, the evolution of AI, metaverse, and other digital technologies is galloping forward. Assiduously tracking and quickly responding to change is one of the core strengths of--and indeed the mission of--a trading company. In these times of uncertainty, the ability to flexibly adapt to change depends on the Kanematsu Group's greatest asset, its people. Drawing on the culture and traditions of the Kanematsu Group that are alive in each and every one of us, we will continue to take on new challenges to evolve into a new Kanematsu Group.

June 2023

President

Yoshiya Miyabe