Opening remarks by Chairperson Suematsu

The Japan Times’ fourth Sustainable Japan Award ceremony on Sept. 15 was opened with remarks from Minako Suematsu, the chairperson of The Japan Times Publishing Ltd. She began by giving a brief history of The Japan Times and its role in society not simply as a news publisher, but also as the oldest English-language newspaper focused on introducing aspects of Japanese culture to the world. Japanese consider reservedness and silence virtues, and this may be one of the reasons why so many sustainability initiatives at Japanese companies have gone unnoticed in the media, she said. To help remedy this, the judging for the awards placed emphasis not on flashy new plans, but on the quiet steady progress that companies have already been making toward sustainability, away from the attention of the main media outlets. Suematsu said the ability to make culture part of the conversation on sustainability is one of the things that set The Japan Times apart. In closing, she expressed her gratitude to the judges, her congratulations to the award recipients, and her fervent hope that the initiatives on display at the ceremony would serve as stellar examples to lead the entire world in sustainability efforts.