Kikko Corporation has this year entered its 40th year of business. After retiring from the office of former Prime Minister of Japan Eisaku Sato, I was asked to help find employment for people who had lived overseas or were returning to Japan after a short period studying languages in another country. This was also an era when people were starting to discuss the issue of women's participation in society, and it was with the aim of providing opportunities to people who had studied languages that I decided to found the company.
With your cooperation, we have now expanded into a company able to provide interpreting and translation services in 90 languages. We now not only provide interpreters and translators to media companies, we increasingly provide personnel on dispatch to various other companies, as well as support for the organization of international conferences, as we have expanded the scope of our outsourcing services.
As we are entering a new era, it is important for us to transition to a management style that is consistent with the times. Above all, is also important for us to think about the future of our employees and, as I have always considered that personnel development is critical, both for companies and for the nation, I took the decision to hand over the running of the business to Withus Co. Ltd., a company providing educational services.
I hope that this handover will, while focusing on fostering personnel who can contribute to society, lead to the accomplishment of even greater achievements by the company. I would like to ask you all for your continued support and assistance.