Hello, everyone, this is Kenichiro Yoshida. The new fiscal year has started, and with it I have begun my work as President and CEO of Sony. I would like to ask all of you for your continuing support. In this blog, I will be sharing my thoughts, matters of interest, and occasionally my concerns, in the hopes of fostering communication with all of you.

The first order of business in my new role was to speak at the onboarding event of the 754 new employees who joined companies throughout Sony Group in Japan on April 1st. In my speech, I thanked them again for choosing Sony, and talked about our diverse businesses and the various opportunities for career growth at Sony, sharing my own experiences. I also spoke about Sony's direction going forward. Everyone should take their careers into their own hands and seize every opportunity to advance themselves. My message to them was to first excel at the jobs they've been given, and build on their strengths in order to seize the chances when they present themselves. I also expressed to them that each and every person who works at Sony should always be conscious of their responsibilities to the Sony brand, and to society as a whole.

In my home, I have a picture of the Mongolian grasslands, taken by a Chinese photographer using an "α" camera. I love the shadows of the trees as they stretch across the lush green plain, and looking at it always fills me with a sense of calm.

Whenever I see this picture, I also think of the novel "Wolf Totem," which takes place in Mongolia. Set during China's Cultural Revolution, it tells the story of a young urban Chinese man sent to live among a group of nomads in Mongolia. It paints a vivid depiction of mankind and animals' relationships to nature and the complex ecosystems we weave. The book drives home the fact that we humans all coexist on this planet Earth which we share with every other living thing.

For all companies including Sony, being able to conduct business depends on the sustainability and the healthy environment of our planet Earth. Beyond our own stakeholders such as customers, employees, and shareholders, there exists the greater economic society and the Earth we share. When gauging the value of a company in recent years, in addition to financial performance, there has been an increasing focus on issues related to that company's efforts with respect to ESG (Environment, Society, and Governance). Taking environmental and societal issues as well as sustainability into account when conducting business is becoming a matter of course. And the first part of ESG is, once again, the Environment. As we go forward, I want all of us to think about how we can contribute to ESG in the course of growing Sony even further.

Let me close this first blog post with a picture of Ai, our family's aibo. I don't know if Ai is daydreaming about a relaxing life in the Mongolian grasslands, but I can say that aibo has firmly begun forming connections with people and acting as a wonderful life partner.

I, too, look forward to working together with all of you in my new position as President and CEO in order to create "an even better Sony."

As of today, I have also updated the address by which you can send me feedback on this blog, my speeches, and more. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions.