P.9 Message from the President (5)

Message from the President

Message from the President City” project. At its core, this project is not about real estate development. It is about creating a stage where people who will shape the future can meet, take on challenges, and co-create. No matter how advanced AI becomes, the starting point of creativity will not change. AI can organize knowledge and share information. But it cannot create the kind of encounters in which people happen to meet, unexpected conversations spark entirely new ideas, and the future is set in motion right there. Innovation is born from serendipitous encounters. This is the reason I invest in “place.” The AKASAKA I envision will bring together diverse peo- ple: creators with global ambitions; talent from fields such as video, music, anime, and games who will shape the culture of tomorrow; startups taking on AI and technology; researchers and businesses striving to create new value in education; and entertainment companies from around the world. People with different talents will come together, and new challenges will emerge from everyday interactions. That is the kind of town I want to create in Akasaka. Our goal is to create a town where new content is constant- ly being created. A place where creators from around the world think, “If I’m looking for my next challenge, I’ll go to AKASAKA.” A place where young talent feels, “This is where I can spread my wings and take on the world.” A place where new companies can expect, “This is where we can meet partners to create the future together.” We want to nurture such an ecosystem of creativity in this town. And what emerges from this town will be more than en- tertainment. Education, technology, co-creation with the local community, and new businesses will bring different challenges together, allowing them to take shape as new cultures. I do not see this project as merely an urban development project. I see it as a challenge to build a “platform for creation” that continu- ously delivers new value from Japan to the world. When people meet others who have similar aspirations, they can envision a future they could never have imagined alone. When different experiences and values intersect, unex- pected ideas are born, challenges begin, and eventually grow into innovations that change the world. Creativity does not come from talent alone. It begins when people meet, inspire one another, build trust, and co-create value for the future. That is why I invest in this town. I am not investing in buildings. I am investing in people. I am investing in human en- counters. I am investing in creativity. I am investing in the future. I envision new talent being born here, new IP being nurtured here, and new cultures beginning here—each one enriching Ja- pan and reaching the world. I believe in that future. The future is born from places where people meet. I want to create that place: AKASAKA.

Our joyful challenges: It is always people who create the future

I have shared my thoughts on the era of the AI Revolution, the decisions we have made for the future, our three growth strat- egies, our commitment to the capital markets, and AKASAKA as a stage for creativity. But there is one final message I want to convey. No matter how brilliant a strategy we develop or how bold our investments are, I believe that it is always people who create the future. A company’s competitiveness does not lie in its facilities, capital, or AI. It lies in its people. I believe that the more than 8,000 colleagues working at the TBS Group are our greatest asset. Each individual uses their ingenu- ity, takes on challenges, and strives to move people’s hearts in their respective fields. The collective efforts of our people have built the TBS Group we are today. And I am convinced that this very strength will be the driving force that paves the way to our future. At this year’s welcoming ceremony for new employees, I prepared a special moment. Senior employees began singing a song to welcome the new employees, who eventually joined in. Soon, everyone in the venue was singing as one. It was an unscripted moment—one that had not been planned. I had a wish for that “unexpected” moment. Once we enter the workforce, few things go exactly according to plan. When people face something unexpected, they are put to the test. Do they stop and give up? Or do they put their heads together, join forces, and turn the unexpected into new value? I want our people to choose the latter. And I want them to enjoy taking on challenges. That is what I call a “Joyful challenge.” I do not expect our employees to be perfect. What I ask of them is the courage to take on challenges. Challenges inevita- bly involve failure. But without taking on challenges, we can never create new value. I do not want to build a company that does not tolerate mistakes. I want to create a company that continues to take on challenges. A culture that celebrates challenges rather than blaming people when things do not go as planned. A culture in which we celebrate one another’s successes, recognize each other’s efforts, and support one another in taking on the next challenge. I believe this culture is the TBS Group’s greatest com- petitive strength and the driving force that will forge our future. I do not believe that “happiness” is something given to us by someone else. When we are able to help someone, when we overcome difficulties together with our colleagues, or when we feel that we have gone a little beyond who we were yesterday, 09