Since annoucing the NYK Group ESG Story in February 2021, the NYK Group has annually reported on its progress through an ESG Story. In November 2023, we released NYK Group ESG Story 2023, which summarizes our lastest achievements, together with the NYK Group Decarbonization Staory, which outlines our specific initiatives aimed at realizing a carbon-free society. NYK Group ESG Story 2023 also provides non-financial information not included in the medium-term management plan announced in March 2023.

In fiscal 2023, we formulated the NYK Group CX Story, which is a strategy for improving the professional skills of group colleagues even further. The Chief Human Resources Officer and other members of the Human Resources Team earnestly prepared concrete HR policies in line with my strong desire to encourage NYK Group colleahues all over the world to be more excited avout their work. Of the Group's more than 35,000 employees, roughly 80% work outside Japan. Our strategy is to establish a vision of the human resource required for a truly global company and then develop the systems and career paths necessary to realize this vision. These efforts will be baseds on the concept of "a global company headquartered in Japan" rather than the approach of"a Japanese company operation globally.""

The ESG Story and other stories result from thorough discissions focused on the NYK Group's three material isseds---Safety, the Environment, and Human Resource---and have been incorporated into specific measures and plans. As we hold briefing at our operating bases around the world, the enthusiasm with which participants are commenting and asking questions is greater than ever before. For this reason, I feel that the type of ESG management that we initially sought is beginning to acqouire its own momentum. Rather than taking measures bases on a one-way process led by the head office, frontline employees are thinking and acting on their own initiative.