■ DinoScience

I recently visited the "Sony presents DinoScience" expo in Yokohama. Through rare skeletal specimens and evocative digital images, the exhibition brought to life the dinosaurs and other creatures who inhabited the island of Laramidia (an ancient continent that now makes up the western half of North America) during the last 2 million years of the late Cretaceous period (approximately 68 million to 66 million years ago).

In front of the Lane the Triceratops skeleton loaned from the Houston Museum of Natural Science
with DinoScience planner and curator "Mr. Dinosaur" (Masashi Tanaka)

Dinosaurs emerged around 230 million years ago, and the Cambrian explosion occurred another 300 million years before that. As I have previously mentioned at the Management Conference, in the early Cambrian period, the evolution and diversification of living organisms progressed at a rapid pace over 5 million years, which is a relatively short period within the total 4.5-billion-year history of the Earth. It is said that the diversity of living things expanded when organisms developed eyes, which they did not have before, and gained the ability to recognize objects.

The history of human beings goes back a few million years, a very short period in the overall history of the Earth and all living things. However, the impact that humans have had on the environment and climate in this limited time has been immense, and the changes to the Earth in the 250 years since the Industrial Revolution have been particularly significant.

■ ESG Briefing

In the context of this relationship between the Earth and people, at the ESG Briefing held on September 15, I talked about our "Responsibility" and the "Contribution" we can make to protecting the Earth. In terms of our responsibility, in 2010 we launched the Road to Zero long-term environmental plan that aims to reduce our environmental footprint to zero, and we must remain resolute in our efforts to address environmental issues from a long-term view. With regards to our contribution, I believe that our technologies enable us to make a difference in a way that only Sony can. During the briefing I touched on VISION-S, which features our latest automotive sensing technologies, and also our development of a cloud platform that connects with the vehicle through 5G as examples of technologies through which we can contribute to the environment.

In addition to this perspective of "Sony and the Planet Earth," it is also important to reaffirm the position of the Earth in relation to "The Planet Earth and Space." Sony is working with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the University of Tokyo on joint technological demonstrations and the exploration of business opportunities to watch over the Earth and deliver satellite images from space. At the ESG Briefing, I also spoke about an ultra-small satellite we are currently developing with the University of Tokyo, which is scheduled for launch into space next year.

* CG image of the satellite currently under development

In the latter half of my speech, I touched on the Global Social Justice Fund, which has been driven by the inspiration and passion of our diverse employees. I also introduced some of our social initiatives currently under way at the Group Quarterly Meeting in February, and I am greatly encouraged to see such positive action being taken across the Sony Group. These include Sony Music Group's initiative with 3T, founded by Nao, designed to train Black women for roles in the live music and production sector; Sony Interactive Entertainment's partnership with "Black Girls CODE," which fosters diversity within the gaming industry; and Sony Pictures Entertainment's "Diverse Directors Program," which provides access and exposure for those from underrepresented communities to television episodic directing.

Students of Nao's 3T course

Please take the opportunity to watch the ESG Briefing, if you haven't already.

Going forward, we will continue to explore ways to maximize the wealth of learnings we can gain from the Sony Group's diverse array of talent, while also placing great importance on making the time and space to deeply consider our business activities from a long-term view.

As always, I look forward to receiving your thoughts and feedback.