Sumitomo Electric held its New Year parties in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, inviting business partners, trading companies, and dealers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who took the time out of your busy schedule at the start of the year to attend the event.

In my opening speech I conveyed my appreciation for the support and cooperation we had received toward achieving business performance in the first half of 2011 that surpassed initial projections despite all the difficulties the country experienced during the year.
The year 2012 falls on a ren chen (water dragon) year, which according to the neo-Confucian theories of Masahiro Yasuoka that I always quote on these occasions, is “a year for aiming for the long term, enduring hardships, and achieving goals through steady efforts” (reference material courtesy of Kansai Shiyu Kyokai). And so in my speech I also asked for continued advice and guidance as Sumitomo Electric aims—amid paradigm shifts caused by globalization as well as the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011—toward becoming a company that attracts diverse talent from across the globe by adopting a forward-looking attitude and enterprising spirit, by creating new technologies and products that respond to society’s needs, and by institutionalizing diversity within the organization.

I am also grateful for the many kind comments I received about my part in the Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri Festival at the Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara, for which I worked to the best of my ability.

　　　
I mentioned in my closing speech that during the Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri Festival, when I performed the role of Hinotsukai, offering prayers for world peace, rich harvest, universal happiness and the recovery of regions affected by the earthquake and tsunami, I also offered my personal prayers to the deity of Kasuga Taisha Shrine for continued success and happiness in 2012 among our many international colleagues at branches and group companies overseas in this age of globalization.
The New Year event provided an excellent opportunity for Sumitomo Electric, business partners and group companies to reaffirm our mutual support and ties.