Thanks to everyone's support, I am now entering my second year as president & CEO, a position I assumed in April 2025. Over the past year, as a uniquely competitive sogo-shosha (general trading company) pursuing our vision of "Be the Right ONE - An irreplaceable, one-and-only group", we have focused on initiatives to achieve Dimensional Ascension. Having reaffirmed our deep understanding of the significant role the Toyota Tsusho Group must play, we are determined to take a firm step toward steady future growth.

The business environment around us is changing at an unprecedented pace and scale due to shifts in the international landscape, heightened security concerns, and increased natural disasters, among other factors.
The stable procurement of semiconductors and their raw materials, such as rare earth elements, has emerged as a significant challenge, making the building of multi-source supply chains essential for both maintaining corporate competitiveness and fulfilling our social responsibility. Even under these circumstances, the Toyota Tsusho Group intends to fulfill its duty as a presence that ensures the continuity of its business operations by not only procuring raw materials but also safeguarding entire supply chains.

When it comes to AI, which has continued to evolve since the advent of generative AI at a pace one might describe as disruptive, we have viewed it not as a threat but as an opportunity. As such, we have taken on the challenge of transforming our businesses to position AI at the core of our operations, including employee use of AI and its integration into our processes.

Furthermore, to remain a preferred choice by providing diverse options that meet market and customer demand, we will actively invest not only in our core mobility-centered businesses but also in the circular economy and our Africa businesses. And through businesses that only a uniquely competitive sogo-shosha (general trading company) can undertake, we will expand those that simultaneously solve global issues and enhance our corporate value, as we strive to achieve Dimensional Ascension.

To respond to societal changes quickly and flexibly, achieving Dimensional Ascension in the areas of human capital and organizations is vital. The Toyota Tsusho Group aspires to be an organization that moves forward while embracing challenges with each of its uniquely talented 70,000 diverse employees from more than 100 countries worldwide and, as a collective entity, continues to evolve like a thriving, living organism. Guided by our mission of "Passing on a better Earth to the children of the future", we will strive to achieve sustainable growth as a brigade of 70,000 people that demonstrates unparalleled capabilities.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to all our stakeholders who have supported the growth of the Toyota Tsusho Group, and I humbly request your continued support and encouragement.