Hitoshi Nagasawa, the new president of Japanese shipping giant Nippon Yusen (NYK), made his inaugural speech to the NYK Group staff members at the company’s head office in Tokyo.
He began his speech quoting the famous Japanese entrepreneur Konosuke Matsushita, who said: “Companies are a public entity of society.”
This means that companies perform the work required by society and also function to create a society suited for the next era. "With this in mind, let me mention the three important points to which I want the Group to give careful attention," Nagasawa said.
"The first is to be of need to society," he emphasized on Corporate social responsibility (CSR). Through the shipping business, NYK contributes to the global economy and the improvement of people’s lives.
"We operate in harmony with global initiatives such as the SDGs and ESG management under which companies pursue sustainable growth while fulfilling social responsibilities. I want the Group to continue to pursue these measures through the utilization of older workers and a focus on diversity while fulfilling our social responsibility," he pointed out.
The second point is earning the trust of all the stakeholders. NYK aims to constantly achieve a profit level that earns its stakeholders’ trust by strengthening the company’s ability to withstand volatile market conditions and by building a stable-freight-rate business structure, as emphasized in the medium-term management plan "Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization and Green."
The third point is to strictly follow the rules expected of the local community. Over the past few years, there have regrettably been several violations that deviated from the spirit of legal compliance, he noted.
"I ask that you strive to maintain a firm awareness of legal compliance and never allow another scandal to occur," he said.
A new era has begun in Japan, but NYK’s basic philosophy of “Bringing value to life” is a universal value that will never change. "With an awareness of our responsibility as a public entity of society, let’s be proud that we can contribute to society in so many ways and aim together to remain a corporate group that is trusted by the world,":Nagasawa concluded.