President’s Message 2026 Welcome Ceremony for New Employees
What a pleasure to welcome such a talented and ambitious group of new recruits to the Kuraray Group. I would like to say a few words on behalf of Kuraray to commemorate this special day.
Since its establishment in 1926, Kuraray has upheld the mission statement, “For people and the planet—to achieve what no one else can” and drawn on our innovative technologies and businesses to add value to society. 2026 is the 100th year of the company’s founding. It is a year that marks a critical juncture in our long history of challenges and progress, and it is also the year that you will take your first steps as working professionals. I look forward to embarking on this new chapter together with you as we chart a new course for Kuraray’s next 100 years.
Now, in regard to today’s social and economic landscape, I expect you must all be feeling the effects of the ongoing instability. The future is becoming increasingly more unpredictable and unclear due to various factors including confusion caused by changes in the trade policies of the US and other major countries; the outbreak of conflicts in multiple regions and increasing geopolitical risks; and shifts in both the global supply chain and supply and demand structure. Even at such a time, a company must gather information in a timely manner, read trends, accurately analyze risks and opportunities, make the necessary decisions and move forward. Not just those in management positions, but everyone, including yourselves, must take ownership and act with passion, a sense of challenge and responsibility. There are many different roles in a company, but regardless of which one you are given, the strength that each of you bring to your respective role together creates the company’s overall power. I hope that you will continue to learn and gain experiences, and as you do, gradually expand your abilities and contribute to the company and to society. I look forward to seeing you persevere whatever the difficulties and to all of us growing together.
Now that you are a professional businessperson, there is something that I would like you to keep in mind to continue working for years to come. That is to stay fit and healthy. This is fundamental for you to be happy, successful and enjoy job satisfaction, so be sure to keep it in mind.
For the company’s part, we will continue to improve the work environment and systems that will enable you to perform in a safe and healthy manner.
In addition, I would like to offer three points of advice based on my personal experience.
The first is “if there is anything you don’t understand, don’t be shy and ask your colleagues, seniors or superiors.”
No one can do everything from the beginning. Everyone goes through a stage when they “don’t even know what they don’t know.” The shortest path to growth is to have the courage to be honest and to ask if there is anything you don’t understand, take notes and learn. Your seniors and superiors may appear busy, but they were all new once and went through the same experiences as you. They are eager to teach you so you can begin contributing to the company as quickly as possible. It is important not to pretend to understand and to be humble and seek guidance.
The second point is to “do your best in the job or role that you have been given.”
When you are 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 taking your potential and future career into consideration.
All jobs will have significance. Even if a job appears to be a small one, the accumulation of achieving them will lead to future opportunities. You will earn the respect of those around you by earnestly and reliably completing the job that you are given, and that will lead to the next step.
The third point is to “continue to improve yourself.”
Graduating from school is not the end of your studies. Today is the beginning of a new phase in your education. I encourage you to continue to expand your knowledge and to nurture your ability to think by reading, participating in external seminars and interacting with people both within the company and outside of it. In particular, books are an extremely effective and affordable means of exposing yourself to the history, culture, events and thinking of people from all ages and places and are packed with an abundance of rich information and teachings. The knowledge and thinking that you learn from books will be stored within you and will help you in the future. Investing in self-improvement is a great way to spend your money, and the surest way to generate a return. I urge you to consciously make the effort to keep improving yourself.
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 would like to point out that not only is this your first day as a working professional, but from this day forward, you will be bearing the name of “Kuraray.” As a business person, you will be even more responsible for your words and actions than you were as a student. 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.”
My hope is for each and every one of you to be “a person who is cheered and supported.” Those who study earnestly, give their all to their work and continue to challenge themselves are sure to be cheered and supported by those around them—and the aggregate of that support and encouragement will further expand their potential.
It is significant that you are taking your first steps out in the world of business during the year of Kuraray’s 100th anniversary. It will be an important starting point from which to forge your new path forward. I sincerely hope that you will embody our mission, “For people and the planet—to achieve what no one else can” through all of your actions in the workplace.
Once again, welcome to the Kuraray Group. I wish you all the best in your new career and look forward to seeing you grow and flourish.
