The IHI Group holds the management philosophies of “Contribute to the development of society through technology” and “Human resources are our single most valuable asset.” We have been making contributions to help solve the social issues for the times since our founding in 1853, and now, amid the ongoing instability experienced in recent years in the social environment, companies are expected to also work toward solving many social issues, including taking action on climate change and resource depletion as well as respecting human rights.

With the belief that solving these issues should also be viewed through the lens of corporate management, we announced the IHI Group ESG Management in November 2021 with the intent to realize sustainability in both the global environment and people’s lifestyles. In it, we defined our goal to “Create a world where nature and technology work in unity”—a society where all people including future generations are able to live in security and prosperity.

Taking action on climate change is an area of particular focus as we work to realize our goal. In 2021, we established the IHI Carbon-Neutral 2050 plan, where we aim to realize carbon neutrality by 2050 through our business activities as well as through the products and services we offer. We have been globally pioneering development of technology that uses ammonia as fuel, which does not produce CO₂ emissions even when burned. We aim to quickly establish this technology and build the value chain for it from ammonia manufacturing to ammonia use.

In working toward solutions to social issues, promoting respect for human rights, and within it Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) in particular, is absolutely essential. In the IHI Group, we are promoting DE&I through various initiatives and working to make DE&I an integral part of our Group culture. Through mutual acceptance, building on each other’s strengths, and providing fair opportunities to take on challenges, we intend to create an organizational culture where people feel free to state their opinions: our goal is to generate new businesses based on innovative ideas unconstrained by past methods.

In 2019 and 2024, there were several public announcements of misconduct in the IHI Group. This was viewed as a serious situation and in fiscal 2024 we scheduled many general meetings at affiliated companies and offices, where numerous dialogues were held between senior management and employees to deepen their understanding of compliance and other issues. The senior management directly conveyed their strong determination not to engage in any behavior that would betray the trust of stakeholders. It is our belief that without thorough compliance, the IHI Group will neither survive nor grow. To live up to the trust of our stakeholders, I will personally take the lead in doing everything possible to eradicate misconduct.

We will continue holding dialogue with all of our many stakeholders and engaging in ESG management as a united IHI Group, aiming to realize our future goal to “Create a world where nature and technology work in unity.”