On April 1, NYK held a ceremony at its head office in Tokyo to welcome 51 employees joining the company. Below is a translation of the address provided by NYK president Hitoshi Nagasawa to the new staff members.

Congratulations on joining as new members of NYK. I sincerely welcome you all on behalf of the company.

By the way, do you know the basic philosophy of our group? It is "Bringing value to life." This philosophy expresses the purpose and reason for the Group, which is to contribute to the development of the world economy and the improvement of people's lives through transport.

This time last year, the global logistics network was unstable due to COVID-19, and we put our lives at risk to protect the flow of goods including medical supplies around the world. I hope that you will be proud of the fact that our group's business is necessary to people's lives.

Yataro Iwasaki and Eiichi Shibusawa, prominent businessmen of the Meiji era, were deeply involved in the founding of NYK. We are also one of the companies of the Mitsubishi Group, and this year marks the 136th anniversary of our founding.

I believe that we have been able to survive for such a long time because we have responded to the changing demands from society in each era. In the Meiji era, we contributed to the modernization of Japan by opening up ocean shipping routes to meet the social demands of the time to improve Japan's international status. In the post-war period, we played a very important role in supporting Japan's rapid economic growth in terms of trade.

So what exactly are the demands that society is placing on companies today? I think one of them is the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs, adopted by the United Nations in 2015, are goals for the world to continue to grow sustainably. As a means to achieve these goals, we have defined ESG management and placed it at the center of our management strategy. I am strongly determined to tackle this global issue head on and work together with you to further grow the NYK Group.

I know that you are feeling anxious about starting your working life, but please remember that you have not only your superior, seniors, and colleagues, but also 56,000 co-walkers. And in order to "do a good job," the most important thing is to value communication. Please try to actively communicate with others, both inside and outside the company.

And please don’t forget to give appreciation to your family and those who have supported you so far. Moreover, maintain your passion and vitality so that we can do our best together from today onward.