As I am sure many of you may be aware from the announcement made yesterday, we are establishing a new company, Sony Electronics Corporation, as of April 1st. It will operate as an intermediary holding company comprised of the three businesses (SIPS, SHES, and SOMC) that make up the Electronics Products & Solutions (EP&S) segment, as well as their global sales & marketing, manufacturing, logistics, procurement, and engineering platforms. Shigeki Ishizuka will assume the role of President and CEO, and Ichiro Takagi will be appointed Vice President and COO.

I trust that under the leadership of Ishizuka-san and Takagi-san this new company will accelerate integrated operation across EP&S, optimize structure and talent, while also enhancing the competitiveness of the existing businesses that has been a priority for EP&S since its establishment last year. I also look forward to the new organization proactively engaging in the "Exploration" of new business opportunities that I have touched on in my recent speeches and internal communication.

■ About novel cornoavirus

Since my last blog post on March 6th, the spread of the novel coronavirus has caused our surrounding environment to evolve at an unprecedented rate. Its impact has been truly global, with the World Health Organization (WHO) announcing there have been infections in a total of 196 countries, areas and territories around the world as of March 25th.

Of course our operations around the world have also been affected, and many of you have been taking measures to mitigate the impact, such as working from home. I would like to thank all of you across the Sony Group for your incredible efforts to maintain day-to-day operations as much as possible, despite the extraordinary challenges we now face.

As I stated in my previous blog, the health and safety of all Sony Group employees and their families is our foremost priority. Please continue to do all you can each day to care for your well-being - in terms of both body and mind. Keeping a close eye on our own health and actions will also contribute to preventing the further spread of the virus.

Amidst this environment, I am sure many of you have feelings of uncertainty as we look ahead. Please know that myself and our respective management teams are doing our utmost to support you, but if you have any specific questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to the support teams and contact points in each business and region.

Once again, let me emphasize that ensuring the health and safety of all of you and your families is the foremost priority. I truly hope that we can overcome this situation as quickly as possible, and that by combining our efforts we can make it through these difficult times together.