b'E X E C U T I V E I N T E R V I E W C O N T I N U E Dsafety and health of our colleagues as our number one priority.One thing I want to emphasize is that we always keep the Physical and mental health is really, reallyThat does not change. However, we have learned many things through our experiences with this pandemic, and we haveprecious and important, above all.learned that remote work actually works well for our company. On the other hand, we also recognized and realized that being in physical contact with our colleagues or our customers andI understand what you mean. When people talk about business partners is really, really important and precious. It isthe trust involved in a handshake agreement, but that is necessary for some occasions, but in reality, I believe we willdifficult when you cannot shake someones hand.incorporate both remote work and physical meetings on a case-by-case basis in the future by examining what is reallyYes, exactly.needed and appropriate for each occasion.Over the past year, we had a lot of time to reflect onSo do you see this new remote work environmentour own personal goals and needs. Did you learninfluencing the way we engage with our customersanything about yourself, anything new that emerged and partners, and developing new business as this yearduring this time?progresses? Yes, I have learned something I knew before but re-emerged, Yes. However, I strongly believe that we really need personalthat physical and mental health is really, really precious and contact, especially for those first meetings when we start anyimportant, above all. In order to maintain that, I myself have new business dialogue. Because safety and health is our toptried to protect myself by washing hands, wearing masks, priority, above everything, we would conduct personal meetingsexercising social distancing, avoiding congestion, and so only in the safest environments. As we carefully observe theforth. I also believe physical exercise is indispensable and progress in the continued fight against the pandemic, which in- positive thinking habits are important. I have always tried cludes vaccinations, we hope to conduct those initial meetingsto be cautiously optimistic, and that has been a successful in person sometime in the future. policy so far, I believe.Is that how you feel about the future, cautiously As we went through these experiences, everyone among optimistic? Last year was so difficult for us and we had to meet many us did a great job by communicating, collaborating and challenges. These challenges expedited and accelerated staying motivated, and I want to say thank you very muchchange, but change would have happened even without a to our people for that. Yes, I will maintain the standpoint pandemic. As we went through these experiences, everyone of being cautiously optimistic, but I really do believe among us did a great job by communicating, collaborating this year 2021 will be a better year than last year. and staying motivated, and I want to say thank you very much to our people for that. Yes, I will maintain the stand-point of being cautiously optimistic, but I really do believe this year 2021 will be a better year than last year. However, more change will happen and those changes will be drastic and 1 3 progress rapidly. We need to continue to adapt, so that is the key to move through 2021 successfully. We adapted ourselves, and we can now take a step ahead of the next changes before-hand. I believe that this pandemic situation gave us a huge opportunity to think about not just what the world was, but what the world is becoming, and what the world needs to be. That is what Sumitomo Corporation of Americas needs to do 2provide our own value creation, make things better, and DURING COVID:enrich lives and the world. 1 -Leading from his remote work environment2 -Addressing the employees by WebEx3 - S erving as emcee for this years JCCI 36th Annual Dinner Virtual Gala4 visions Winter 2021'