President’s Message 2025 Welcome Ceremony for New Employees

What a pleasure to see such a talented and ambitious group of new recruits. I would like to say a few words on behalf of Kuraray to commemorate this special day.

In regard to today’s social and economic landscape, I expect you must all be feeling that the current instability is leading to increasingly more unpredictability for the future. The global balance of power has shifted over the last few years, and leadership changes in major countries have resulted in revisions of national policies and expectations of increased uncertainty. So-called geopolitical risks are materializing in some regions and are having significant effects on the world economy. In addition, the prospects for decarbonization initiatives necessary to prevent further climate change, which require international cooperation, are becoming increasingly unclear. This is a time in which the true worth of a corporation is tested by the benefits that it gives to society and the values that it embodies.
I am sure that in choosing a company to work for during these unsettling times, you thought deeply about the sort of entity you wanted to join and what you aspired to achieve there. I am greatly encouraged that as a result, you selected Kuraray. I am looking forward to building a future together with all of you who have made that decision.

Now that you are full-fledged members of society, keep in mind that the key to continue working for years to come is to stay fit and healthy. This is fundamental for you to be happy, successful and enjoy job satisfaction. If you don’t feel well, it will be difficult to concentrate on your job or work effectively and you may be prone to making mistakes and causing accidents. I encourage you to think about and take care of your health on a daily basis. For the company’s part, we will continue to improve the work environment and systems that will enable you to work in a safe and healthy manner.

As you take your first steps out in the world, I would like to remind you to maintain the ethics, morality and independence of a working adult and always act with the awareness of being “a member of the Kuraray Group” and “a member of society.” You are responsible for your words and actions. And if you speak and act responsibly, those around you will happily support you. My hope is for each and every one of you to be “a person who is cheered and supported.”

At this occasion, as you embark on your life as a professional businessperson, I would like to offer three points of advice based on my personal experience.

“If there is anything you don’t understand, don’t be shy and ask your colleagues, seniors or superiors.”

The first is “if there is anything you don’t understand, don’t be shy and ask your colleagues, seniors or superiors.”

This is your first job, so you cannot know much about it, and those around you do not expect you to. It is important not to pretend to know all about a job you are taking on for the first time and to humbly seek guidance without being shy. I know from my experience that when I first started at Kuraray, “I didn’t even know what I didn’t know.” There is bound to be a great deal of “things that you don’t know” beyond what you can see, so be sure to ask until you understand. And of course, make sure you remember what you have learned from asking. It is okay to concentrate on asking and taking notes for a while.

If you hesitate to ask and pretend to know, it could lead to major mistakes or issues in the future. Once you are assigned into a department, you may feel like you shouldn’t keep asking questions because your seniors and superiors seem busy, but I assure you that is not the case. They will be helpful because they know that they were just like you at first and that you will learn more quickly if they teach you and that will ultimately help the company.

“Do your best in the job or role that you have been given”

The second point is to “do your best in the job or role that you have been given”..

   When you are actually assigned to a department, it is common to find that the job is quite different from what you had imagined. However, I ask you to keep in mind that your superior has taken great care to choose a job that suits your level of experience and with consideration to your future career.

   All jobs will have significance. If you are given a job or role, it is important that you apply yourself to it wholeheartedly at least for several years. The accumulation of your daily efforts will likely become your future strength. You will win the trust of those around you by earnestly engaging in any job that you are tasked with and achieving results.

   And by so doing, you will be given larger, more important responsibilities the next time.

“To continue to improve yourself”

The third point is to “continue to improve yourself.”

   This means not to think of graduating from school as the end of your studies, but instead, to think of joining the company as the beginning of your studies. I encourage you to expand your knowledge and experiences by reading a wide range of books, carefully listening to people and proactively participating in external seminars and training sessions so that you can acquire the refinement and knowledge befitting a responsible member of society.

In particular, I recommend that you read as many books as you can. It is a habit that is relatively easy to maintain. Information you get real-time on the internet or through social media may be instantaneous and up-to-date but lack the analysis, inspection and deep insight that is based on thorough research and facts. Books are truly a wonderful tool packed with an abundance of rich information and teachings. They are an affordable means of exposing yourself to events and the thinking of people from all ages and places.

   Investing in self-improvement is the surest way to generate a return. I urge you to consciously make the effort to keep improving yourself. It will never be in vain.

To sum up, my three points of advice based on my experiences in the working world are: “If there is anything you don’t understand, don’t be shy and ask your peers, seniors or superiors;” “do your best in the job or role that you have been given;” and “continue to improve yourself.”

I advise you to keep these in mind and try to remind yourself of them in a year, two years and several years from now.

Before closing, I’d like to talk about the fact that while corporate social responsibility and contribution to society have recently become worldwide trends, it has been part and parcel of what Kuraray is from the time of its establishment. Kuraray’s true strength is in our solid track record that goes well beyond lip service. During our long history of almost a hundred years, we have upheld the mission statement, “For people and the planet—to achieve what no one else can” and drawn on our innovative technologies to launch numerous unique and leading products and businesses to help improve the environment and enhance the quality of life of people around the world. We have grown by deploying a cycle of R&D, production & technological development, marketing, sales and after-sales service globally.

Kuraray’s history and the accumulation of its experiences will be apparent to you all across the company. At the plants, you will see the process through which raw materials become products that then go out into the world and notice the numerous ingenious measures implemented to produce high quality products safely and efficiently. As new employees of the company, I hope that you will feel and experience this ingenuity yourselves. At the same time, you will learn that the company is diligently addressing occupational health and safety and disaster prevention in accordance with our guiding principle that “safety is the cornerstone of everything we do,” based on learnings from major past incidents. You will also see that we are proactively taking on new challenges including digital technology implementation and creativity and ingenuity.

Those of you joining the head office will be going through training at a plant in Japan where you will have many opportunities to come into contact with Kuraray’s origins as a manufacturer. I encourage you to experience, feel and learn as much as you can. I also hope that you will continue to accumulate a variety of knowledge and experiences when you are assigned to your respective departments and draw on them for your future personal and career development.

Today, you are joining a company with this history and corporate culture, and one that continues to evolve and grow. Now that you are a member of the Kuraray Group, I hope you will think, discuss and work together with us to maintain this wonderful corporate asset and grow it further. I have great expectations for your potential.

I would like to once again welcome you to Kuraray and hope these words of encouragement will guide you in your new career.