We are pleased to share the 2026 New Year’s Greetings of Yoshiya Miyabe, President & CEO of Kanematsu Corporation, to all Kanematsu Group employees.
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A Happy New Year to everyone at Kanematsu and the Kanematsu Group.
I hope you all had a great time to refresh yourself with your loved ones and friends during the longer-than-usual New Year’s holidays, just as last year. As we welcome the year 2026, I would like to look back on 2025 and then talk about the Kanematsu Group’s initiatives for 2026.
Looking Back on 2025
First, let’s look back on the global situation in 2025.
In January, Donald Trump became the 47th President of the United States, marking the beginning of the second Trump administration. Even though the tariff negotiations, which were matters of great concern, have largely concluded, the impacts will likely be felt in the period ahead. Therefore, we must continue to monitor the situation carefully.
In this context, the global economy appears to have remained solid, at least based on GDP figures and stock prices, but investments have been concentrated in AI-related stocks, signaling potential risks. While the Japanese economy grew steadily as well, there is growing uncertainty in areas such as Japan-China relations, yen depreciation, and inflation.
Formed in November, the Takaichi administration has designated 17 strategic areas for its economic and fiscal policy. These include numerous areas that overlap with those we are focusing on under our medium-term management plan. As uncertainty grows, I hope the plan will serve as a guiding framework for our future business initiatives.
The year 2025 was one of multiple natural disasters globally. Many lives were lost due to the magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar in March and the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu, the Philippines in September.
A large earthquake struck Aomori, Japan in December, followed by earthquakes across the Japanese Archipelago. I ask everyone to register with the safety confirmation system, and to secure a means of communication with your loved ones and your workplace on a routine basis to be prepared in the event of an unexpected disaster.
Formulation of MVV and Medium-Term Management Plan Update
Turning to the topics of the company, we formulated Mission, Vision, Values (MVV) in August, and updated our medium-term management plan to “integration 1.1.” by incorporating MVV.
We are promoting our current medium-term management plan around the two Basic Policies of “Promotion of Groupwide management” and “Expansion of value proposition.” Under the first plan, “integration 1.0,” we focused our efforts on “Promotion of Groupwide management,” which led to the successful launch of groupwide businesses. Therefore, I feel the policy has begun to take root. Now, under the second plan, “integration 1.1,” we will direct our efforts to “Expansion of value proposition,” which represents our resolve to take on new challenges.
With Mission and Values as drivers, we are determined to achieve our Vision of becoming “A solutions provider leading the transformation of efficient and sustainable supply chains” by creating added value unique to the Kanematsu Group.
Additionally, to further embed MVV within the company and in turn achieve our Vision, we will incorporate Mission- and Value-related criteria in performance appraisals and other mechanisms, aiming to create an organization in which each member consciously lives by and embodies MVV.
Achievements in 2025
We made major progress in other areas as well in 2025. These are DX-, GX-, and innovation-related initiatives, which are priority areas for “Expansion of value proposition” under “integration 1.1.”
DX-related initiatives
- Launched the new core system “hibiki” project
- Established the hay import digital platform “Hay Portal”
- Made investments via a cyber security fund
- Identified logistics challenges in DX Dojo, etc.
GX-related initiatives
- Invested in TOWING, a startup developing/manufacturing the high-performance biochar Soratan
- Invested in Indonesia-based renewable energy firm Alam Energy Indonesia資
- Began handling environmentally friendly rice
- Began supplying FAME-blended biofuel for ocean-going vessels with Kanematsu Yuso and Idemitsu Kosan
Innovation-related initiatives
- Concluded a sublicense agreement with Nissei for mass production of spherical gear mechanisms
- Invested in Intuition Robotics for domestic rollout of AI companion robot ElliQ
- Entered into a sales agreement with Enchanted Tools for domestic sales and rollout of humanoid AI robot Mirokaï, etc.
For Enhancing Shareholder Value
To enhance the liquidity of the company’s shares and expand our investor base, we decided to carry out a 2-for-1 stock split, effective January 1, 2026. In conjunction with this stock split announcement last year, we announced an increase in the year-end dividend. We remain committed to enhancing shareholder value and corporate value.
Human capital-related initiatives
We have improved the engagement survey, which was previously conducted every three years. Under the revised format, the survey will be conducted every year.
We know there is a clear and positive correlation between improvements in employee engagement and company business performance. As a company, we will keep focusing on improving employee engagement and ensure that reviews lead to tangible improvements in business performance, rather than simply assessing the current situation.
The survey will be conducted in two stages under the new format: a quantitative survey, followed by a qualitative survey that directly reflects employee feedback.
By gathering feedback from all employees and leveraging AI to analyze it in depth, we aim to build a framework that allows for speedy improvements at both the company-wide and departmental levels.
This is not just about renovating the survey, but is about strengthening our human capital and improving organizational capabilities toward accelerating advancement of “integration 1.1.”
In the area of talent management, we are working on visualizing human capital with the next medium-term management plan in mind. The Human Capital Management Committee is currently implementing strategic personnel deployment in line with our management strategy, as well as establishing a talent management framework for successor training.
Going forward, we will work with employees to gather and consolidate human resource information, making full use of the acquired data to implement strategic personnel deployment and at the same time create an organization that aligns with the career aspirations of individual employees.
Toward the Final Year of the Medium-Term Management Plan
Finally, I would like to talk about the next medium-term management plan.
As we approach the final fiscal year of “integration 1.1,” we are concurrently formulating the next medium-term management plan and beginning discussions with both domestic and overseas group companies.
Rather than simply focusing on predetermined targets, we will take our time to build a framework for the next medium-term management plan by bringing together the knowledge and wisdom of the entire Kanematsu Group. We will be asking for your cooperation when the time comes, so your support will be much appreciated.
With only three months remaining in this fiscal year, we are at a critical stage as we approach the final fiscal year of “integration 1.1.”
Let’s make a groupwide effort to achieve this year’s goals and, in turn, get closer to meeting the final fiscal year target of net profit of 35 billion yen.
I would like to conclude my New Year’s greetings by wishing for the health and success of all of you at the Kanematsu Group in Japan and around the world, as well as your supportive families.
Thank you.
President & CEO Yoshiya Miyabe
Kanematsu Corporation