TOP STATEMENT

Since its founding in 1926, the Kuraray Group has strived both to achieve business growth and contribute to society. Our first President, Magosaburo Ohara, and our second President, Soichiro Ohara, through their ingenuity and hard work surmounted technical challenges to provide value to society. At the same time, stressing the importance of the Company’s social responsibilities, they focused on addressing a variety of social issues, including labor and environmental issues.
This conviction has been passed down to the present day, as expressed in Our Mission: “We are committed to developing new fields of business using pioneering technology that improves the environment and enhances the quality of life throughout the world. ‘For people and the planet—to achieve what no one else can.’”

Embracing challenges is essential for a company to evolve and grow

In implementing the Medium-Term Management Plan “PASSION 2026,” a critical element will be collaboration across the Group, which calls for actions that transcend existing frameworks. Nothing changes overnight, but I sense that the mindset of our employees is gradually moving toward a greater openness to taking on challenges. While capitalizing on Kuraray’s capacity for considering things carefully before acting, we will pursue a further shift in the mindset of all our employees, which will guide us in becoming a company that seizes upon changes in society as opportunities and responds agilely, while pursuing its own transformation as it continuously evolves and grows.
This shift in mindset is incorporated into Our Challenges, which were laid out in the “PASSION 2026” Medium-Term Management Plan. In terms of one of our challenges, “Sustainability as an opportunity,” we are taking sustainability as an opportunity for business creation and promoting it with the whole Group as “One Kuraray.”

Accelerating the reinforcement of sustainability as a critical management strategy

Sustainability is a critical element for a company to survive and grow. We also need to step up our sustainability initiatives to better serve society. It is undeniable that the chemical industry is sometimes viewed in a negative light from the perspective of climate change and biodiversity. We recognize the need to develop technologies to reduce the negative impact the industry can have. Nonetheless, the chemical industry has a positive side as well—throughout the years it has solved a wide range of problems and contributed to the development of society. The industry holds great potential for the future.
The Sustainability Committee I chair, which has met every quarter, is a venue for discussing Kuraray’s response to such sustainability issues. To appropriately address rapidly emerging developments, we plan to increase the frequency of these meetings in 2024 to make faster decisions and take swift action.

Developing core businesses with an eye to the next generation: “For people and the planet”

The Kuraray Group has the power to create new things. My role is to develop our core businesses to enable the Group to carry out our mission in the next generation: “For people and the planet.” Beyond that, the Kuraray Group may well evolve from being a Specialty Chemical Company into a new corporate entity whose shape we can’t yet imagine. However, no matter what kind of corporate entity the Kuraray Group becomes, we will continue to hold fast to our mission—“For the people and the planet”—reflecting this commitment in all our businesses. By doing so, we hope to be an extraordinary presence in society.
To give our stakeholders a sense of confidence in the Kuraray Group, trusting that we are a company that can make hopes and dreams a reality, I will continue working hard to manage the business with integrity. I look forward to your continued understanding and support.