Today, new president Hitoshi Nagasawa made his inaugural speech to the NYK Group staff members at the company’s head office in Tokyo. Below is an excerpt of his translated address.

I am Hitoshi Nagasawa, the newly appointed president of NYK. As I assume executive responsibility for the entire group, I would like to convey my thoughts to all of you.

In the words of the famous Japanese entrepreneur Konosuke Matsushita, “Companies are a public entity of society.” This means that companies perform the work required by society and also function to create a society suited for the next era. With this in mind, let me mention the three important points to which I want the Group to give careful attention.

The first is to be of need to society. Through the shipping business, NYK contributes to the global economy and the improvement of people’s lives. We operate in harmony with global initiatives such as the SDGs and ESG management under which companies pursue sustainable growth while fulfilling social responsibilities. I want the Group to continue to pursue these measures through the utilization of older workers and a focus on diversity while fulfilling our social responsibility.

The second point is earning the trust of all the stakeholders. NYK aims to constantly achieve a profit level that earns our stakeholders’ trust by strengthening the company’s ability to withstand volatile market conditions and by building a stable-freight-rate business structure, as emphasized in the medium-term management plan "Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization and Green."

The third point is to strictly follow the rules expected of the local community. Over the past few years, there have regrettably been several violations that deviated from the spirit of legal compliance. I ask that you strive to maintain a firm awareness of legal compliance and never allow another scandal to occur.

A new era has begun in Japan, but NYK’s basic philosophy of “Bringing value to life” is a universal value that will never change. With an awareness of our responsibility as a public entity of society, let’s be proud that we can contribute to society in so many ways and aim together to remain a corporate group that is trusted by the world.