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Message from MOL President and CEO on MOL Foundation Day
April 01, 2026
We are pleased to bring you a message from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) President & CEO Jotaro Tamura on MOL Foundation Day.
Hello, everyone in the MOL Group. My name is Jotaro Tamura, and I have assumed the position of President as of today. I am filled with both anticipation and a sense of responsibility as I embark on this new voyage with all of you. I look forward to working with you all.
At the outset, I would like to refer to the current situation in the Middle East, which arose following the U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran on February 28. I would like to express my deepest respect to all of you who continue to carry out your duties under the severe circumstances of a prolonged situation. The Strait of Hormuz has effectively remained closed for approximately one month, and addressing the resulting impact has become an urgent issue. Our highest priority is to ensure the safety of the crews aboard our vessels. In close coordination with the Japanese government, we are making every effort to resolve the situation as swiftly as possible.
Today marks the 142nd anniversary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. Fiscal 2026 is the first year of the new five-year period under Phase 2 of MOL Group Corporate Management Plan, "BLUE ACTION 2035". In this September, the MITSUI OCEAN SAKURA will join the MITSUI OCEAN FUJI, our group's flagship cruise ship that has already earned the loyalty of many guests. With this new addition, we will do our utmost to ensure that even more people can fully enjoy the beauty of Japanese cruising.
What We Stand On
Throughout our long history, our company has experienced many important milestones. As this is my first message as President & CEO, I would like to reflect on one such moment-relatively recent, yet significant-exactly five years ago in April 2021. At that time, we announced our new Corporate Mission, Group Vision, and Group Values: "MOL CHARTS". As General Manager of the Corporate Planning Division, I was deeply involved in their formulation. These principles have since become the foundation on which our organization stands today.
The phrase "From the blue oceans" in the Corporate Mission-"We sustain people's lives and ensure a prosperous future"-expresses our aspiration to expand business domains outward from the ocean, the core field of our shipping operations, and to enrich people's lives in more diverse ways. This concept is directly connected to our Group Vision, in which we redefine ourselves as a "social infrastructure company." The initiatives we are currently advancing-offshore businesses in oil, gas, and wind power that have evolved from energy transport; terminal businesses in chemical and automotive logistics; and the expansion of overseas investments in logistics and real property-are concrete embodiments of this philosophy. While strengthening the competitiveness of our shipping business, we are simultaneously working to monetize new business domains and generate synergies across our portfolio. This portfolio transformation is a long-term undertaking. We will pursue it steadfastly through our 13-year long-term plan, "BLUE ACTION 2035," while flexibly adjusting to business-unit strategies in response to changes in both the external and internal environments.
The Group Values: MOL CHARTS," the permanent, inherent sense of values shared by all MOL Group employees, had the letter "S" for Safety added five years ago. Safety is, in every sense, one of the most important foundations of our business. As part of the organizational restructuring at headquarters effective today, the Headquarters of Safety & Quality Enhancement has been established. This division will play a vital role in leading efforts to maintain and enhance safety standards-not only in ship management and operational support, but also in safety management encompassing businesses beyond the shipping sector. By working in close collaboration with our digital initiatives and aligning with the objectives of each business division, let us support frontline operations and the crews of every vessel so they can carry out their duties while enhancing safety, health, and efficiency.
Management Plan "BLUE ACTION 2035" Phase 2
Next, we will turn to the three key priority themes outlined in the new management plan announced yesterday. Looking at the external environment, we must recognize that linear globalization reached a turning point several years ago. We are now in an era that demands an even stronger spirit of Challenge-one that does not allow us to remain complacent with past approaches. This point is closely tied to the first of the three priority themes in our new group management plan announced at the end of March 2026: Earning Power. Our containership, car carrier, and chemical tanker businesses have made significant profit contributions in recent years by capturing favorable market conditions. However, strategic responses are now critical as we move into the next phase. The dry bulk and tanker businesses may face substantial market volatility due to geopolitical developments, requiring a careful balance between providing stable transportation services and seizing advantageous opportunities. Meanwhile, the LNG and ethane carrier business must balance capturing opportunities from market expansion with improving profitability. Group companies centered on domestic businesses-including Utoc, Daibiru, and MOL Sunflower-have generally delivered stable performance, and we anticipate their continued contribution to the Group's overall results.
In addressing climate change, we will continue our initiatives with a steadfast medium- to long term perspective, while taking into account changes in the external environment-thereby demonstrating the spirit of Reliability. Our immediate priorities include further promoting operational efficiency to reduce CO2 emissions from our vessels and advancing business development in the transport of ammonia and liquefied CO2.
As for the second key theme, Capital Allocation, we will balance the maintenance of our financial foundation and the return of value to shareholders by moderating, to some extent, the pace of investments that we accelerated over the past three years, while improving capital efficiency through asset rotation. To address the inherent volatility of the shipping business, we will maintain the stability of our overall business portfolio by combining stable earnings businesses-which underpin performance even during market downturns-with a structure that enables us to capture upside when market cycles are at a high point.
Our growth strategy, which lies at the core of our group's management, is to leverage these strengths to enhance our organizational capabilities and human capital, and to channel them into major new business investments and risk taking. By doing so, we aim to drive a cycle of growth and, as a result, increase returns to our shareholders. To realize this strategy, we will further refine our financial approach and strengthen our control over the scale and quality of our assets.
While the actions required under the third key theme, Strengthening the Management Foundation, are wide ranging, we have high expectations for the corporate divisions that support our business divisions, the Headquarters of Technological and Digital Transformation and the regional divisions-which now play not only a supporting role but also a proactive one-to drive their implementation. At the same time, I want to emphasize that achieving meaningful results requires collaboration across the entire organization, including the business divisions, and that strong Teamwork is an essential prerequisite. For my part, I will consistently align my direction with the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, and the entire management team to embody this spirit of Teamwork.
What Defines the MOL Group
I would also like to touch on the corporate culture that underpins our Teamwork, and the values at its core: Honesty and Accountability. Honesty is defined simply as "Do the right thing," while Accountability is expressed as a "Sense of ownership." I believe this "Sense of ownership" is the phrase that most clearly captures the essence of the MOL Group.
Each and every one of us comes together under our Corporate Mission, Group Vision, and Group Values: "MOL CHARTS", and continues to Challenge ourselves to bring them to life.
As we strive to become a "strong and resilient corporate group growing globally," let us join forces to make this year-the 142nd since our founding and the first year of "BLUE ACTION 2035" Phase 2-an enormously successful one.