■ The Most Sustainably Managed Company in the World

I touched on the importance of maintaining dialogue with our stakeholders from a long-term perspective in my previous blog, and we have since been selected the #1 Most Sustainably Managed Company in the World, by leading US daily The Wall Street Journal.

This follows our recognition as one the World's Most Ethical Companies for the second consecutive year in February.

I am proud to have our Values of "Sustainability" and "Integrity & Sincerity" receive such acclaim from external institutions, which is a reflection of the dedication to upholding these Values shown by each and every one of you across the Sony Group. I would like to thank you again for your contribution.

■ Realizations on Sustainability

The first blog that I wrote following my appointment as Sony President was titled "Sony and the Planet Earth." It was intended as a call to everyone, for us to all think together of ways that Sony can contribute to the sustainability of society and the environment.

It was actually through conversations with some of you that I arrived at this realization in the first place. When I heard from those of you with small children about the way that your awareness of society and the environment had been transformed following childbirth, it made me realize that the younger generation was taking a longer term perspective on society and the environment than I was at the time.

I recall that another motivation for writing this blog was as a self-reminder not to lose sight of the importance of society and the environment in the throes of frantic daily life.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a Japanese astronaut, and I was struck by his observations. He told me that when he looked at the Earth from outer space, he sensed how thin the atmosphere is, how frail the Earth, and that our planet is not so much the "Mother Earth" that protects us as it is something that itself needs to be protected.

■ Towards Further Evolution

Looking back on this year, over the past ten months there have been many causes to reflect and think deeply about society and the environment . For me, this started with the discussions on climate change risks in which I participated at the World Economic Forum. Since then, with the spread of the pandemic, we have renewed our understanding of the importance and social significance of continuing to deliver entertainment to people. We also continue to see the reverberations of the social justice movement around the world, sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd.

What one company can do in relation to the well-being of our society and the environment on a global scale may be limited. However, at Sony, where everything we do is based upon a stable society and environment , these concerns are among our foremost priorities. That is why, in my speech at last month's ESG/Technology Briefing, I stated that at Sony, our scope extends to contributing to people, society, the planet Earth and even Space through our business activities.

Recently, we have also been benchmarking our efforts against other companies. One example is Microsoft's work on carbon negativity. When I asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to tell us more about their work in this area, he immediately introduced us to the company's Chief Environmental Officer, which resulted in very enlightening discussions.

Irrespective of the high recognition we have received, we must continue to take a humble approach to learning from and collaborating with other companies, as we work together to explore news ways in which Sony can contribute to sustainability.

As always, I look forward to receiving your feedback. Later this month, on October 30th, we will be holding the Sony Group Quarterly Meeting (GQM) live online. I will be speaking on the topic of "Communities of Interest ," so I hope you will join me.