On behalf of Hitachi, Ltd., I would first like to express my heartfelt condolences to all those who have suffered as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
As a company, Hitachi has its roots in eastern Japan. Over the years, our customers and the communities in the Tohoku and Kita-Kanto regions have been supportive of Hitachi and have contributed to its overall growth and development. Now, we sincerely seek to help these regions by drawing on the comprehensive capabilities and knowledge of the Hitachi Group. We will take concrete action to assist in the recovery efforts. Hitachi will work closely with these communities to build a renewed social platform for the future.
Every facet of Hitachi's business is underscored by the corporate credo of contributing to society through the development of superior, original technology and products; this credo has always been part of Hitachi's mission and has been passed down since the company's founding.Looking ahead, we are positioning the Social Innovation Business as central to fulfilling this mission. Harnessing our unique strengths, we will provide safe and secure advanced social infrastructure linked by information technology (IT) through our Social Innovation Business.
The Social Innovation Business is comprised of the Information and Telecommunication Systems; Power Systems; and Industrial, Transportation and Urban Development Systems fields together with the Materials and Key Devices field, which supports the first three. By quickly understanding societal needs and changes, we will continue to advance the skills necessary to address these changes with a strong determination and sense of mission. By promoting the Social Innovation Business globally, we will contribute to the sustainable development of society.
Today, the global community and the environment confront such wide-ranging issues as climate change, threats to the integrity of ecosystems, energy depletion and issues regarding human rights. On the domestic front, Japan is faced with the critical need to rebuild after the recent earthquake and to implement a variety of measures to ensure future growth. I am convinced that Hitachi's mission is to help resolve these fundamental issues that threaten the prosperity and well-being of the global and regional community. At the same time, it is vital that we, together with our business partners, generate new value that can be passed on to the next generation. By simultaneously creating social and economic value while practicing management synonymous with CSR, we will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. In this way, we seek to realize our corporate credo that has served as our compass since Hitachi's founding. Moving forward, I am committed to achieving our business targets for fiscal 2012 and to fulfilling shareholder expectations by enhancing Hitachi's corporate value.
As we work toward achieving our established goals, we kindly request the continued support and understanding of all shareholders.
Hiroaki Nakanishi
President
