■Dialogue with internal and external management

Group Leaders Summit

On June 28-29, we held the Group Leaders Summit (GLS) at the Sony head office in Shinagawa. The purpose of this meeting is to bring together the leaders of each business and management from the head office to discuss the Sony Group's management policies and mid-to-long term strategies for cross-organizational collaboration. For the first time since the inception of this summit in 2020, we were able to bring together the whole management team, including the heads of overseas businesses, in person.

As I often say, Sony's strength lies in the diversity of its people and businesses. In order to leverage this strength, it is important for all of our business to learn from each other about technology, social developments and business opportunities and risks. At this year's GLS, we discussed topics such as AI, Gen Z and emerging markets, and I feel that we were able to learn a lot from each other's diverse business perspectives during each session.

With Totoki-san, Matsuoka-san, and the heads of each business the night before GLS

Dinner on the first night of GLS was attended by the heads of each business and management from the head office

Sun Valley Meeting and Investor Meeting

After discussing management issues and new business opportunities with Sony's management team at the GLS, in mid-July I had the opportunity to have conversations with CEOs of other companies about the environment surrounding our businesses. The Sun Valley Conference is held annually in Sun Valley, Idaho, USA. This year I was again able to speak with the CEOs of various technology and media companies, and one of my main takeaways from these conversations is that the media industry, which has been led by the subscription model, is approaching a turning point.

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

With Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer at the Sun Valley Conference

While in the U.S., I was also able to schedule meetings with investors to discuss Sony's present and future in light of the current business environment. Answering questions from the investors who are looking at the industry as a whole allows me to make new realizations as well, and the experience was once again very enlightening.

■Supporting "People" in our Electronics Business

The Tomonokai Gathering

On July 22, the week following my business trip to the U.S., a "Sony Tomonokai Gathering" was held in Tokyo. The Sony Tomonokai is a group of people who have moved on from the Sony Group in Japan. It was founded in 1987 by Akio Morita, one of the founders of Sony, who said, "When reflecting on their life, I want people to continue to feel happy that they worked at Sony. Furthermore, I want to create bonds between people".

The gathering, the first in six years, was attended by approximately 650 people, mostly from the generation that laid the foundation of Sony's initial business of electronics. This was my first time attending this gathering, and I felt honored to be in the same space with my predecessors and to feel the sense of connection that Sony has created.

Delivering the opening remarks with Totoki-san	Two former Sony Presidents, Ryoji Chubachi (2nd from the right, former Tomonokai Chairman) and Kazuo Hirai (right, current Tomonokai Chairman), attended the gathering

HR Meeting

The week after the Tomonokai Gathering, I had the opportunity to speak with the human resources representatives who are supporting the current electronics business, ET&S. It had been four years since the last in-person gathering between Sony Corporation (SEC) and its sales companies. I spoke about the importance of HR in management and expressed my appreciation for their continued efforts to support our employees and business.

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Later today, we will announce our Q1 financial earnings. Also, the Sony Creators Conference, a new external event designed to engage creators and the technology community in dialogue, is taking place over two days in Los Angeles, California, USA. Live streams and archived footage of the talk sessions will be made available at Sony Square, so please take a look.

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