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Kuraray Co., Ltd. supports and cooperates with the Tetsuya Utsumi School Bags (Randoseru) Foundation, which held a presentation ceremony at the Seibi Home orphanage located in Kita-ku, Tokyo, on December 12. Yomiuri Giants pitcher, Tetsuya Utsumi, gave children entering elementary school next spring school bags made from CLARINO as gifts.

During the meet-and-greet session that followed the presentation ceremony, the children asked Utsumi a number of questions, including "What types of food do you like to eat?" and "At what age did you start playing baseball?" The smiling faces of participants could be seen throughout this event. In addition, Utsumi stated: "The number of strikeouts I threw this season dropped from 154 to 115 compared with last year, so fewer school bags will be given out this year. However, I will do my best to provide you all with 200 school bags next year, so I ask everyone to lend their support to help me achieve this goal."

Overview of the Tetsuya Utsumi School Bags (Randoseru) Foundation

The Tetsuya Utsumi School Bags (Randoseru) Foundation was established with the aim of donating school bags to children who live in orphanages located mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area and are entering elementary school the following spring. This is based on the number of strikeouts that Utsumi throws during the regular season. In its first year, the foundation gave out 154 school bags, the same number of strikeouts achieved by Utsumi during the 2008 season. This time, 115 school bags will be presented gradually until the start of the school year next spring, corresponding with the number of strikeouts thrown by Utsumi during the 2009 season.

Kuraray supports and cooperates with these activities by assisting in the distribution of school bags and other related activities, in coordination with school bag manufacturers.

Tetsuya Utsumi Profile

Uniform number: 26; left-handed pitcher and hitter
Born on April 29, 1982, Utsumi joined the Yomiuri Giants during the 2003 draft under a system that gives players a choice of teams, after playing for Tsuruga Kehi Senior High School in Fukui Prefecture and then Tokyo Gas. In April 2006, he became part of the first string's starting rotation and was the team's top pitcher with 12 wins. Playing in 31 games that year, Utsumi had the third largest number of strike outs (179) in the Central League, pitched his first complete game and shutout victory, and appeared in the Japan Professional Baseball All-Star Game and the Japan-U.S. All-Star Series. Utsumi pitched the 2007 season opener and became the pillar of the pitching lineup, achieving a career high of 14 victories, 180 strikeouts and winning the first-ever Award for the Most Strikeouts. In addition, Utsumi's first son was born in November of that year. Utsumi also participated in the 2nd World Baseball Classic, helping to make Japan the best baseball team in the world. For the Giants, Utsumi once again formed the backbone of the rotation during the 2009 season, making him a dynamic force in the world of Japanese baseball.

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