At our recent Sony Group Quarterly Meeting, I spoke about the background story behind defining Sony's Purpose & Values (Purpose & Values) and my thoughts on what it represents. I also promised to create opportunities for open dialogue with as many of you as possible and to introduce our Purpose & Values in person throughout the first year of its launch. I had several of those opportunities this February, and I would like to share about them today.

■ Sony University Executive Global Leadership Program

To begin with, I gave a speech before the participants of the Sony University Executive Global Leadership Program (EGLP) on February 14, and received feedback on our Purpose & Values. EGLP is a training program for future leadership candidates in Sony Group companies, where participants learn through experience about leadership that spurs innovation. One of the participants, an HR head from Sony (China), told me how she was encouraged by the inclusion of "creativity" in our Purpose, and that she looked forward to employees thinking outside the box and proposing ideas from their own perspectives, and hoped to have this message get across to everyone at Sony (China). Another participant who works in Sony Music Entertainment's digital business shared the opinion that having a clearly defined company Purpose & Values is essential for retaining top talent in such a fiercely competitive market. At the same time, because it has only just been introduced, participants also requested that I do everything possible to expand communication channels and opportunities and raise Group-wide awareness of our Purpose & Values.

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■ Schoolbag Presentation Ceremony

The following day, I took part in the 61st Schoolbag Presentation Ceremony, a Sony tradition dating back to our founders where the children of Group employees in Japan set to enter elementary school are presented with schoolbags. The children and their guardians were first shown a video of Ibuka-san's speech from the 1983 Ceremony, and because that also happened to be the year which I joined Sony, I was deeply struck by this coincidence as I watched along. During my speech that followed, I introduced our Purpose & Values, which I defined as respecting the legacy we inherited from our founders Ibuka-san and Morita-san, and expressed my resolve to work together with all Sony Group colleagues to ensure that Sony continues being their brand of choice when they reach adulthood.

■ Sony Mobile Communications

On the 19th, I visited Sony Mobile Communications' (SOMC) Tokyo office and held a Town Hall meeting before approximately 160 employees. I reiterated the importance of the Mobile Communication business to the Sony Group, as well as the Group-wide support in turning the business around, and shared my expectations for Sony Mobile. I touched on our Purpose & Values and SOMC's new Corporate Vision which Ishizuka-san highlighted at our Sony Group Quarterly Meeting, and concluded my speech by emphasizing that we would overcome our current predicament together, and work to fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology. Following the speech, I answered passionate questions from the audience together with Ishizuka-san and Kishida-san. Throughout this Q&A session as well as the demo prior to the speech --- which showcased our efforts on latest telecommunications/antenna technology for 5G, or the display and sound quality achieved through intra-Group collaborations --- I felt everyone's determination to revive the mobile business by harnessing our strengths as One Sony.

Demo on speech sound quality evaluation for Xperia

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■ One Sony Town Hall Meeting in China

The following week, I held the first One Sony Town Hall Meeting at Beijing's Academy of Imaging Technology, a facility operated by the Professional Solution China Group of Sony (China) to invite clients and partners to experience Sony's B2B solutions. Approximately 200 participants gathered from Sony (China), Sony Music Entertainment China, Sony Pictures Entertainment/China, Sony/ATV Music Publishing China, Aniplex's China office and Sony Interactive Entertainment (Shanghai). I spoke about how I looked forward to seeing everyone in China further leveraging their creativity and the power of technology to make even greater contributions to Sony. During the Q&A session, we discussed how Sony's technology and its diverse business portfolio including Electronics, Music, Pictures, and Games are a crucial element for enticing creators. Just before this Town Hall, I had also held a management roundtable, where we shared ideas and opinions about the latest status of the China market and discussed possibilities for harnessing Group synergy in China moving forward.

One Sony Town Hall Meeting

At the Roundtable in China (Click to show names)

In addition to these internal events, I also had several chances to speak at external events and introduce our Purpose & Values outside the company this February. The day after our Quarterly Meeting, I introduced our Purpose & Values at a speech during the Sony Partners Conference, a yearly event hosted by Sony's Procurement Division, before an audience of CEOs from nearly 400 of our partner companies. I also had an occasion to participate in the SDG Management/ESG Investment Study Group hosted by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. Here, I had yet another chance to touch on Sony's Purpose & Values during my speech highlighting our business sustainability and environmental contributions that leverage Sony's diverse business portfolio.

As I stated at our Sony Group Quarterly Meeting, I intend to make every effort to promote understanding of our Purpose & Values. I hope each and every one of you will be able to share and express Sony's Purpose & Values, your own roles within Sony, and the Purpose of the businesses you engage in, in your own words.