■ Sony Open

In today's blog I will touch on the "Sony Open in Hawaii (SOIH)" golf tournament held in Oahu, Hawaii, which I attended following CES. Sony became the title sponsor of SOIH in 1999, making this our 25^th year supporting the event. I was very excited to be able to attend in person for the first time in three years to celebrate this milestone.

This year's SOIH took place from January 9~15. A gala dinner was held on January 12	I reflected on Sony's relationship with Hawaii and expressed my gratitude in my speech	Guests enjoying a performance by Cyndi Lauper

With Corbett Kalama, president of Hawaiian NPO Friends of Hawaii Charities, and his wife. I also attended together with my wife	Viewing the tournament

In the 1960s, when Sony co-founder Akio Morita was striving to expand Sony's business in the US and around the world, the people of Hawaii greatly supported him in these efforts. While there is a branding aspect to our sponsorship of SOIH, I believe its primary significance lies in making a social contribution to the state of Hawaii, that has continued to support Sony's challenges.

■ Visiting Kahauiki Village

Sony, together with the non-profit organization Friends of Hawaii Charities (FOHC), has donated a total of more than $23 million US dollars in proceeds from the tournament to charitable organizations that support children, women, the elderly, and others in need in Hawaii.

This time I was able to visit Kahauiki Village, which we have been supporting through these donations. This community provides a place to live for people in need, as well as help in getting back to work to achieve independence and stability. This visit reaffirmed to me the significance of support initiatives for those trying to move their lives forward, and I intend to continue to value our activities that contribute to local communities around the world.

With everyone at Kahauiki Village	With FOHC president Kalama-san and Kawano-san, SVP of SEC and also an FOHC Board member

■ Associated Press Lecture

During my stay in Hawaii, I also had the opportunity to attend a lecture by David Ake, Associated Press (AP) Director of Photography, at an event hosted by Sony North America (SNA) for its business partners.

He explained that in news reporting, you never know what will happen at any moment, so it is vital to have the right tools and be prepared in advance. He cited a photo that made headlines during the World Cup last December, of a scene from the Japan-Spain match captured by an Associated Press photographer using an Alpha full-frame mirrorless camera. He said the photographer was able to capture that moment because he fully understood the capabilities of the Alpha camera, and was prepared with the photo opportunity in mind.

The message I shared was that Sony is committed to creativity, and we want to be a company that is close to the creators who create Kando. Going forward, let's continue to deliver the tools that maximize their creativity.

David Ake speaking about the moment captured by AP photographer Petr David Josek

Together with David Ake, members of SNA, and other business partners who attended the lecture (click image to view names)

As always, I look forward to receiving your feedback.