"The greatest treasure of Japan is its scenic beauty. If we find ways to help people all over the world enjoy this inexhaustible scenic beauty, many people will visit Japan. For this reason, tourism should be given strong support in Japan—perhaps even to the extent of having a Minister of Tourism ranking just under the Prime Minister."

These are the words spoken by our founder, Konosuke Matsushita, in a 1952 interview. In 1954, he contributed an article titled "The Case for a Tourism-Oriented Nation" to a magazine. At a time when Japan welcomed fewer than 100,000 overseas visitors a year, he envisioned a future with one million international visitors annually and the development of tourism as one of Japan's major industries. This vision was grounded in his belief that "tourism is the greatest means of nurturing peace." Highlighting Kyoto and Nara, which sustained relatively little damage in the last world war, he argued that opening their scenic beauty and cultural assets to the world, in a spirit of openness and compassion, would not only help enhance Japan's cultural standing but also foster neutrality and trust through mutual understanding.

Last year, the number of foreign tourists to Japan exceeded 42 million. Obviously, the country is making steady progress toward becoming a "tourism-oriented nation" on a scale that far surpasses our founder's vision. Tourism has now become an important social foundation supporting regional economies and employment. At the same time, the recent rise in geopolitical risks, driven by more frequent international conflicts, is casting a shadow over the sustainable growth of tourism as well as other corporate activities, including decisions over investment into overseas businesses and the stable management of supply chains. The government is thus expected to demonstrate even stronger leadership in contributing to a free and open international order.

From a corporate perspective, it remains essential to sustain the private-sector exchanges that have been built over time and to continue creating opportunities for dialogue and cooperation. In expanding overseas, Konosuke Matsushita placed top priority on promoting the advanced technologies and management practices developed in Japan while also contributing to the self-reliance and economic development of host countries. He also repeatedly emphasized the importance of learning from the history and culture of partner countries and thus building trust while becoming deeply rooted in local societies. Especially in today's increasingly divided world, establishing mutual understanding through the cross-border business activities of corporations is becoming ever more important.

Japan's Fifth Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan clearly positions that people-to-people exchanges through tourism will play a major role in promoting international mutual understanding, which forms the foundation of peace. As a corporation, we are committed to supporting this effort and sincerely hope that people-to-people exchanges will continue without interruption, and that Japan will remain an open and trusted hub for the world.