Message from the President

In December 2006, I recall seeing televised scenes of people in short sleeve t-shirts and short pants jogging in New York City's Central Park during the holiday season. Surprising as such scenes are they remind us that global warming has become an everyday reality that intimately affects us. Recently, many scientists have warned us about global warming with the results of their research, and published images that testify to the steady deterioration are readily available.

In Japan, the government and private sectors have tried to deal with the issue domestically, introducing increasingly intense measures every year. However, global warming has been in progress for many years, and we likely have no choice but to continue our efforts and wait until the Earth responds.

Now is the time to address global warming as a personal, individual issue - as well as one that also affects our families and loved ones - and decide once and for all to fight it. To recognize the importance of the fight should not be all that difficult - all that is necessary is to remember the excitement and joy we all felt when we first encountered the wonders of natural world around us.

The Marubeni Group has established its own environmental policies and environmental management system, based upon the ISO14001 standard, to reduce our burden on the environment both within Japan and abroad. We are enthusiastic about promoting environmentally friendly businesses and committed to educating our workers further about our environmental policies, and we have a strong desire to further our corporate citizenship by participating in environmental conservation. Marubeni Group will continue to be a collection of individuals committed to protecting the Earth.

The environment around us faces not only global warming, but also other environmental issues such as pollution of the oceans and the air. But if each and every one of the 6.6 billion individuals living on Earth can nurture a love for nature and the environment, our planet can continue to be a beacon of hope in a stark black universe.

Teruo Asada
President and CEO
Member of the board