The entrance ceremony was held on April 1. President Yoshiya Miyabe gave a speech to the new employees as follows:
Introduction
Hello, everyone. I’m Yoshiya Miyabe, President of Kanematsu Corporation.
Congratulations to all of you on joining Kanematsu Corporation. I’m very pleased to be able to welcome all 47 new members to our company. Kanematsu’s future is in your hands.
Your time in university and graduate school coincided with various major social upheavals, including geopolitical tensions and inflation. The period was also marked by rapid advancements in innovative digital technology that have led to fundamental shifts in how we learn and communicate with one another.
Amid these uncertain times, you have explored solutions while thinking independently and flexibly adapting to shifting conditions. This experience will serve as a valuable asset in your career at Kanematsu, where you will work with business partners and customers from around the world.
Major changes in the world inevitably lead to the emergence of new values. Trading companies are there to give shape to those values. I hope all of you will leverage your flexible sensibility and openness to challenges, working together to create new values for the world and society together through business.
Origins of our company
For over 130 years since our founding in 1889, we have adhered to the following Corporate Principle: “Let us sow and nurture the seeds of global prosperity.” These words represent our strong commitment to contributing to societal development by sowing, nurturing, and spreading the seeds for a prosperous future. Contributing to the prosperity of countries and regions around the world, as well as the well-being of their people-the pioneering spirit and creative imagination and ingenuity needed to achieve this goal have formed the cornerstone of our company throughout its history.
Over the course of our 130-year-plus history, the world has undergone numerous major shifts caused by wars, financial crises, resource crises, and technological innovation. It is exactly in such transitional periods that trading companies have redefined their role in society. In other words, we have always embraced societal change as an opportunity for growth, creating new businesses that contribute to addressing emerging social challenges.
Change and how we embrace it at Kanematsu
Today, the world is once again undergoing a major shift. Digital technologies such as AI and IoT are transforming the very structures of society and industry. In particular, the emergence of generative AI has impacted how we gather information, make decisions, and manage business processes, fundamentally redefining the way we work.
Meanwhile, the international order is experiencing major upheavals as geopolitical risks heighten and nationalism grows across the world.
The global economic outlook is growing increasingly uncertain, reflecting issues such as the rebuilding of supply chains, rising prices for resources and goods, securing of energy resources, and food security.
On top of that, in response to the urgent challenges posed by climate change, as demonstrated by frequent occurrences of abnormal weather and natural disasters, the world is making steady progress toward decarbonization and the energy transition.
It is in times of drastic change like this that trading companies play an even greater role in connecting the world.
Our company needs to evolve in response to these changes, transitioning from a provider of goods and services to a provider of true solutions to real-world challenges across diverse fields. What is more, we must create businesses that contribute to peace and stability in the world and society. As new members who will join us in these efforts, you will be expected to engage in trade with an enterprising spirit to shape the future.
Guiding principle for the future
With the above in mind, we formulated Mission, Vision, Values in August 2025. Based on our Corporate Principle and “Our Beliefs,” these serve as a guiding principle for the Kanematsu Group’s journey toward the future.
Our Mission is to “Cultivate the seeds of new endeavors and create a business embraced now and in the future.” In other words, we will work with stakeholders to create value for the future of society, and make sure that our achievements are passed on to the next generation. To help us achieve this Mission, we updated our medium-term management plan to “integration 1.1.” Positioning “Expansion of value proposition” at the core, we aim to closely coordinate “Promotion of Groupwide management,” which serves as the powerful engine to drive efforts forward, and “Strengthening of organizational capabilities,” which is the foundation of all operations, to create new value across our entire group. Starting today, you will join us in shaping the future.
Message to our new members
In closing, let me share something important for your career at a trading company.
It is vital to see things through to the end. Once you decide to do something, keep taking action until it is completed.
Although you will face many challenges in the process, you will always gain valuable insights and meet wonderful people too. Most business opportunities arise from personal relationships. Such relationships are only developed through putting others first and fulfilling your responsibilities with integrity. Kanematsu offers opportunities to engage in a wide variety of businesses around the world. I encourage each one of you to take advantage of these opportunities to build your own business and relationships.
To this end, I hope you will continue learning through your daily work and grow as globally minded individuals with a broad perspective and extensive knowledge.
Once again, congratulations on joining Kanematsu.
I look forward to seeing you take on new challenges and succeed in your careers.