First, on behalf of Mitsubishi Oji Paper Sales (MOPS), I would like to extend our appreciation to our stakeholders for their ongoing support. MOPS was founded in 1912 as the Western Japan sales agent for Mitsubishi Paper Mills Company, which today is known as Mitsubishi Paper Mills Limited. With the expression, “Paper is a barometer of culture,” we have steadily grown alongside Japan’s economic development. Since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, however, there has been a consistent decline in demand for paper in Japan. Given the rapid nature of such technical innovations as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in recent years, we are likely to see a major transformation in our world sometime in the future. As a specialized paper trading company, we must push ahead with business structure reforms that go beyond paper in order to cope with a rapidly changing environment.

To implement these reforms, we have formulated a three-year medium-term management plan that begins in fiscal 2019. We will transform ourselves into a new MOPS that contributes to consolidated earnings as a member of the Mitsubishi Paper Mills Group and that creates new businesses unbound by the status quo and past experiences. As one part of this reform process, we relocated our head office to Ryogoku, the location in other Mitsubishi Paper Mills Group companies, in May 2019. By operating in close proximity, we believe that this will further boost collaboration and as a result make it possible to fully harness the strengths of the Mitsubishi Paper Mills Group. In addition, we adopted free address workspaces at our sales departments following the relocation of our head office and Osaka Branch. I anticipate that these shared office will encourage communication between departments and lead to new ideas for new business creation.

Not only Mitsubishi Paper Mills Group and MOPS alone. We will need to borrow the power of many others transcending industry lines.
Our history, from our founding to today, dating back 100 years has been created alongside our stakeholders. I believe that our future vision for MOPS can be found in our relationships with stakeholders.
Going forward, I feel we must further reinforce and develop the relationships we have built up so far. MOPS will look to team up with partners from different industries and sectors to pave the way for a new future by sharing experiences and knowledge.
I plan to take the lead in implementing measures in order to involve our many stakeholders to continually grow together.

Japan has ushered in a new era called the Reiwa period. In 2020, Tokyo will play host to the Olympics and Paralympics. I will dedicate my utmost efforts to ensure that we transform MOPS into a company will thrive in this new era.
I believe that our continual growth is connected to the happiness and futures of many stakeholders.
I ask for your continued support and understanding as we move forward.