What impressed me upon reading this year's report was the fact that it tells a unified story while also taking up numerous topics that reflect the diversity of MOL's stakeholders. I think this was possible because safety was an important theme that ran through everything.

In line with the company's goal of being the world leader in safe operation, as stated in its midterm management plan, MOL can be seen as fulfilling its responsibilities to society through sophisticated, multifaceted risk management that is aimed at meeting the supply responsibilities inherent in ocean transport services, MOL's core business. To be sure, rigorously ensuring safety involves management systems, such as support via the Safety Operation Supporting Center and safety campaigns, but it is also indivisible from people- advanced education and training, motivating employees with various opportunities, etc.-so safety is closely connected to human rights and other social issues. At the same time, the extent to which safe and efficient transportation contributes to the environment also cannot be ignored. I think one characteristic of this year's report is that it again delves into the importance of safety as constituting the basis of the company's CSR, as demonstrated by the response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. In particular, the feature that presents the diverse initiatives surrounding safe operation by following a journey of one ship and introduces onboard and onshore support initiatives side by side is highly readable and easy to follow. I think this feature speaks to MOL's awareness of the diversity of the report's readers.

In addition, the fact that MOL's approach to addressing the environment through technological innovation in the form of the Senpaku ISHIN project has reached the stage of practical application with the delivery of a hybrid car carrier stands out as one of the highlights of this year's report. Technological innovation achieved through partnering with stakeholders, specifically, electric machinery manufacturers and shipbuilders, sends a strong message as an initiative that greatly contributes to bolstering the competitiveness of Japan's shipbuilding technologies and shipping industry, especially in light of the coming restrictions on CO2 emissions in international waters.

In this way, the report has a three-dimensional thematic organization, with safety underlying all the themes, and the environment, with focus on technological innovation, providing an overlay. This structure successfully illuminates the form of the company's midterm plan, and this year's report deserves praise on this point. There are also areas in which I would like to see further progress, and extensions of them. Specifically, regarding the fact that MOL did not achieve its "Four Zeroes" due to a contractor accident, the Top Message relays that measures to prevent recurrence are being rigorously implemented and that monitoring and disclosure will be conducted using clear evaluation metrics. I think the specifics of these measures, however, should not have been buried in a list and should have been described in greater detail. With regard to Senpaku ISHIN as well, the component technology roadmap introduced last year clearly and straightforwardly conveyed MOL's stance toward prioritizing practical feasibility, so by the same measure I was disappointed that it wasn't included this year. I hope that it will be added back in next year's report.

"Ongoing Initiatives Through Our Main Business" understates this, but what is conveyed by MOL's series of initiatives is a company that literally contributes a great deal to society through its main business operations. I would like to see this raised to an even higher level, starting with strengthening supply chain-related initiatives, such as the MOL Group Basic Procurement Policy.