I believe that the most important thing for a company is "continuity". It means two things: "to continue to create value" and "to continue to provide opportunities for value creation for many diverse people." I believe that when companies continuously provide innovative value to human society based on these principles, human society becomes richer, which in turn promotes a virtuous economic cycle.

When the value that a company creates for human society is recognized as contributing to human life and the sustainability of human society, the company receives compensation from human society and the company can continue to exist itself. As a result, the company can invest in higher value creation and maintain its own sustainability. On the other hand, human society would not be able to keep its sustainability without the provision of value from corporations. In other words, "corporate continuity" and "sustainability of human society" are two sides of the same coin.

From this perspective, I believe that companies have an important role to accomplish. That is, to engage in proactive, cross-industry discussions about the ideal well-being of human society, to formulate a long-term vision for human society based on that vision, and to show human society the steps to realize that vision. The role of corporations in addressing major social issues such as energy, food, and the global environment is now becoming increasingly important. Companies that strive to create value in these areas must work together with academia and others in the value chain, and must engage in "holistically optimal value creation" based on a comprehensive understanding of the essential needs of people and human society, as well as the sustainability of the global environment.

From the perspective of economic security, a nation must have the ability to make a continuous high-value contribution to the global community. And I think this can only be supported by the development of human resources. Therefore, it is essential for a nation to have an educational system that strongly supports its ability to create value. In particular, I believe that Japan urgently needs to establish an educational system that respects "individual initiative," which is the source of innovative value creation, and that fosters diversity. We, the business community, together with the government and academia, must actively participate in the rapid establishment of this "educational system that fosters diversity."