©Jiji Press Photo

F amous for its lavender, Farm Tomita

lies in Furanocho, Hokkaido.

Lavender covers the hillsides like a

lilac carpet. The popular traditional lavender

fields which gave birth to Farm Tomita in

1958 are open to visitors 24 hours a day

and free of charge. During the high season

in mid- to end-July, Farm Tomita becomes

crowded from around 10 am, so visitors are

recommended to visit soon after 8 am. From

this hilltop farm, lavender fields swaying in

the wind spread out across the countryside

toward the Furano Basin and the Tokachidake

Mountain Range.

Hokkaido Lavender Fields in Full Bloom

Official Website ■ http://www.mitsubishi.com/e/monitor/

The Mitsubishi Monitor is published by the Mitsubishi Public Affairs CommitteeMarunouchi Nakadori Bldg., 2-3, Marunouchi 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, JapanPhone: 81-3-5218-8660 Fax: 81-3-5218-8661

©2020 Mitsubishi Public Affairs Committee

Volume 34 No.3

For more information about the Mitsubishi companies, see “mitsubishi.com” ■ http://www.mitsubishi.com/e/

Printed in Japan on recycled paper

Started in 1990, the Mitsubishi Asian Children’s Enikki Festa is a program that seeks to promote literacy education and to stimulate cultural exchange among children by allowing them to learn about each other through “enikki” (illustrated diaries).

■ http://enikki.mitsubishi.or.jp/e/index.html

＊ The Enikki entries above, when necessary, have been translated into English from the language they were originally written in.

＊ At the request of the Japanese government, Farm Tomita is closed for a while to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus

My Daily ActivitiesI water the flowers around our house each morning.

My name is Shawn. This is my family. This is my story. My mother’s cooking is my favorite. We have the happiest family in the world because my parents met.

Shawn Andrei R. NaleAge 12Philippines

Agnes F. de J. MadeiraAge 12Timor-Leste

2020

June

–

July

▶ World Scope▶ Global Spotlight Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance (U.S.A.) Inc. AGC Pharma Chemicals Europe, S.L.U

▶ Annual Events in Japan Hokkaido Lavender Fields in Full Bloom

A Bimonthly Review of the Mitsubishi Companies and Their People Around the World

TourismIndustry Support

The tourist industry in Japan promises extensive economic ripple benefits as well as the creation of new employment opportunities. The number of foreign visitors to Japan has continued to grow sharply in recent years but to ensure that Japan continues to be a place that people want to visit, it will be necessary to boost the international

competitiveness of the tourist industry, and to further develop an environment that encourages visitors from all over to enjoy tourism in Japan. In this edition of Mitsubishi Monitor we introduce the approach some Mitsubishi companies are taking to support the tourist industry.

P.S. Mitsubishi Construction

Tata Consultancy Services Japan

Mitsubishi Electric Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus

With the aim of turning Japan into a full-fledged tourist destination, the Japanese government has formulated the initiative “Tourism Vision Supporting Tomorrow's Japan.” The development of physical infrastructure that allows cruise ships to call at ports is one urgently required measure for attracting tourists to Japan. The Chugoku Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, which is promoting this initiative, is focusing on the development of Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture. P.S. Mitsubishi Construction (PSM) is involved in the construction of a passenger-cargo ship terminal pier at Sakaiminato, thereby contributing to the creation of an attractive and internationally competitive area for tourism.

Tata Consultancy Services Japan (TCS Japan) recently held an OMOTENASHI Language Volunteer Workshop. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is working to provide omotenashi , or hospitality Japanese-style, language training for volunteers to help foreign visitors enjoy a safe and secure environment during their stay in Tokyo. A company with many non-Japanese associates, TCS Japan supports this initiative and many of its Japanese employees attended the workshop. Having mastered the essence of omotenashi and learned about cross-cultural communication, TCS employees are looking forward to exploiting the knowledge gained at the workshop in helping foreign visitors enjoy their stay in Japan.

Construction of Passenger-cargo Ship Terminal at Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture

OMOTENASHI Language Volunteer Workshop

“Terasu Guide” Animated Lighting Guidance System Lift-Equipped Bus Receives the MLIT Minister’s Award

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

MUFG Bank, together with Sekisui House, Mitsubishi Estate, Japan Airlines, and Daiwa Real Estate Appraisal, joined with 31 regional financial institutions in 2018 to invest in the All-Japan Tourism Nation Fund, the first and largest of its kind in Japan. The fund aims to invest some 20 billion yen over the ten years to 2028 in accommodation and other tourist facilities, in traditional craft industries, and in tourism-related venture companies. Today, the tourist industry faces a tough environment but given its mission of “Bringing vitality to tourism in Japan,” the fund will continue its support in helping the industry overcome current difficulties.

The Tourism Nation Fund

A park creation project in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture Construction of terminal pier at Sakaiminato

Reconstruction of an old private house in Mino, Gifu Prefecture

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus (MFTBC) has received the 13th Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) Minister’s Award for Distinguished Service in Promoting Barrier-Free Measures with its lift-equipped “Aero Ace” large coach bus. The award was presented jointly to three companies: Airport Transport Service Co., Ltd., the operator; Mitsubishi Fuso Bus Manufacturing (MFBM), the manufacturer; and MFTBC. The lift-equipped “Aero Ace,” launched in 2018, solves the issues surrounding conventional exterior lifts: it allows wheelchair

users to get on and off in rainy weather without getting wet, it increases passenger comfort by enabling them to ride the bus while seated in their wheelchair, and it allows access at regular bus

stops. At the award ceremony, the companies were praised for providing wheelchair users the possibility of traveling on the Airport Limousine Bus.

A lift-equipped Aero Ace large coach bus

At the award ceremony“Terasu Guide” Animated Lighting Guidance System

OMOTENASHI badge

Workshop scene

Animated guidance signs projected by prototype system Animated signs fall comfortably within field of view

Mitsubishi Electric launched its new Animated Lighting Guidance System “Terasu Guide” for Japanese market in April 2020. The system projects high-legibility pictograms on the floor to provide guidance that is easier to understand than conventional signboards and floor stickers. Providing foreign visitors, the elderly and wheelchair users with intuitive and easy-to-understand directions and alerts, the system helps promote smoother facility user movement. The signage system can be easily customized for different events, situations and times, thereby contributing to improve efficiencies and cost savings.

Photos provided by the Sakaiminato Authority

Tourism Industry Support

32

Mitsubishi Monitor introduces some of the latest news about Mitsubishi companies as they play an active role on the world stage.World Scope

Establishing the First Exclusive RORO Terminal in EgyptNYK Line (NYK) and its partners Bolloré Africa Logistics (Bolloré) and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have signed an agreement with the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone to set up and operate Egypt’s first dedicated automotive roll-on/ roll-off (RORO) terminal at East Port Said to meet future growth in demand. The skill and expertise that NYK has gained in its automotive transportation and terminal operations throughout the world, the knowledge and experience that Bolloré has accumulated through its port operations in Africa and the know-how that Toyota Tsusho has acquired in a wide range of businesses inside Egypt will be utilized together to provide a high-quality service.

Publication of Future Society 2050Mitsubishi Research Institute envisions the desirable world in 2050 as an “affluent and sustainable” world. To achieve this world, it argues that it is imperative to reach multilateral consensus among countries that share common interests including free and open trade and economic systems, and approaches to climate change. The document identifies six major trends, as shown in the figure below, that will affect the world through 2050. It explains that the emergence of the digital and platform economy will serve as a wellspring of new growth as it permeates the business sector and personal life. The report also calls for a society in which individuals are able to choose the kind of life they want to live from a variety of options, and for government and business to invest in reforms and in a future that will allow people to enjoy a high-quality life span of 100 years or more.

Tractable’s AI to analyse auto damageTokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance has entered a tieup with UK company Tractable Ltd., a leader in computer vision technology, and has started trials in the use of AI solution to process auto damage as of April 2020. Looking at photos of car damage, Tractable’s AI analyses the severity of every damage and

shares the most suitable repair operations and the labour hours required. The AI then compares its own repair decisions with the repairer’s estimate and flags any potential inaccuracies. The solution guides the claim process to ensure each claim is settled as quickly as possible.

■

https://www.nyk.com/english/news/2020/20200128_01.html

■

https://www.nikon.com/news/2020/0213_if_01.htm■

https://www.mri.co.jp/en/knowledge/insight/20200226.html■

https://www.mri.co.jp/en/knowledge/insight/dia6ou000001vs4a-att/ei20200227_Future_Society_2050_en.pdf

The location of East Port Said

Six Trends toward Realizing “An Affluent and Sustainable World”

Signing ceremony held on December 19, 2019, in Cairo, Egypt

Fundus Camera “RetinaStation”

Fundus Camera “RetinaStation” Wins iF DESIGN AWARD 2020 Nikon has won an iF DESIGN AWARD 2020 in the product discipline for its fundus camera “RetinaStation”. The iF DESIGN AWARD is a globally prestigious design award sponsored by iF International Forum Design GmbH since 1953. The iF DESIGN AWARD comprises several disciplines including product, communication, and packaging. This year, 7,298 entries from 56 countries and regions were evaluated by renowned experts. RetinaStation is a device that can take fully-automatic fundus images and support diagnosis of various eye diseases such as glaucoma, pigmentary degeneration of the retina, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

Global GlobalEgypt

Japan

Car damage photos AI Auto repair estimate

Output • Is there damage to outer panels• Is replacement of panels necessary• Analyse repair labour hours needed

Compare and assess estimate accuracyInput

Experiments Using Seawater to Make Science Fun Mitsubishi Materials (MMC) group of companies has its roots in metal and coal mining. Supplying mines on outlying islands with fresh water was a burdensome task, either having to ship it from nearby shores or collecting rainwater. The company started to use seawater in the Takashima Coal Mine, Nagasaki Prefecture, in its boilers in 1886, producing distilled water as well as salt as by-products; and the salt-making operations have continued to supply the region with drinking water. Since 2012, MMC group company Diasalt Corporation based in Saikai, Nagasaki Prefecture, has run hands-on seminars using seawater to show children how much fun science can be. Last year, the seminar taught the children how to make tofu and colorful artificial salmon roe from bittern (a hypersaline solution of salts).

Left: Primary school pupils at the seminar

Right: Making artificial salmon roe

Bottom: The Diasalt Sakito Plant

Japan

■

https://www.mhi.com/news/story/200210.html

ORC cycle power generation system (Combined Heat and Power system)

Providing Sustainable Power to Indigenous First Nations in CanadaTurboden S.p.A of Italy, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) group, has concluded a contract to provide an 8,000kw power generation system to the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), representing nine Indigenous First Nations in Saskatchewan, Canada. Turboden’s own binary cycle power generation system has as its core component an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine and uses biomass fuel derived from residual wood waste from an adjacent MLTC-owned sawmill. The system is expected to produce enough carbon neutral baseload electricity to power approximately 5,000 homes, improving the environmental and economic sustainability of the area and contributing to an improvement in local air quality.

Canada

4 5

Pacific Beach –– A Classic California Beach Community

Global Spotlight focuses on employees from the Mitsubishi companies who are excelling in their respective fields around the world. In each issue we will get to know different employees, who will tell us about their hometowns, businesses, culture, and pastimes.

GlobalSpotlight

from Spain

Mr. Miguel Leon Vergel MartinEHS Department / Environment Operator

AGC Pharma Chemicals Europe, S.L.UA group company of AGC

When a person arrives in Malgrat de Mar –– a coastal town located

in the Maresme region, just 60 kilometers north of Barcelona, our

beloved Barcelona, and just under 40 kilometers from the cozy city

of Girona –– they usually admire it for its excellent beaches and many tourist attractions. Malgrat has 4500

meters of white sand beach and is capable of accommodating around 15,000 visitors in its different hotels

and campsites, which in the summer months touch 100% occupancy. Visitors often point to the enormous

friendliness, attention and service of the “malgratencs” (inhabitants).

Some of these tourists who visit our beaches, notice an artificial platform, located inside the beach (as

an islet), just 500 meters from the shore, called La Pilona. The platform is a symbol for the town’s population

and the last vestige of the industrial mining activity that existed at the beginning of the 20th century. From

the mines in the Can Palomeras mountains arrived, by cable car, wagons loaded with iron, to the La Pilona

platform where they were loaded on to ships. This industrial activity disappeared over the years.

AGC Vision for Malgrat

Now it is AGC that has generated great enthusiasm in

the municipality. The renowned Japanese multinational,

recognized for its activity in glass, has acquired the

Malgrat de Mar plant with the intention of becoming

a reference in the next years in the life sciences

market. And to achieve this, AGC is investing large

quantities of resources, both economic and human, in the existing facilities: three production plants, in-

process control and quality control laboratories, infrastructure departments, sales and, especially, in

research and development of new products. All this with the vision of becoming the first choice as a

Contract and Development Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) in Europe.

The company’s Department of Environment deserves special mention, for two reasons:

・The enormous interest that AGC has in environmental sustainability, which has been one of its main

objectives since its arrival. “Chemistry for a blue planet” is one basis of the company's way of operating.

・And also because in that department, I am currently performing my duties. This department has a

Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which is responsible for the treatment of all wastewater generated in

the different processes of our factory and, finally after complying with the discharge limits imposed by the

competent authorities, for discharging it into the sea, we continue to enjoy the wonderful waters that bathe

the beaches of our municipality.

AGC is Passion

Just as AGC gave me the opportunity to describe my municipality in this article,

it also granted me the possibility of mentioning some of my favorite hobbies. I

wasn't very sure which one to talk about (football, flamenco, cycling). I finally

decided on flamenco.

As a lover of this music, I wondered, until recently, what was the reason

the Japanese liked this art? In these few months that we have shared, I now understand their interest in

flamenco. The passion, enthusiasm, respect and commitment that AGC has shown and transmitted to me

at this time is similar to the feeling and passion expressed by the “cantaor” (singer) towards his audience.

These are the same values that AGC communicates to its employees and especially to its customers.

I would like to end this article with a Japanese proverb that also expresses my feelings and desires:

"Hajime yokereba owari yoshi." If the beginning is good, the end will be good. If you start a task by putting

your heart into it, giving your best effort along a successful path, the results will be equally positive.

AGC Pharma Chemicals Europe: Vision and Passion

Fitness – part of my life

With beloved family and dog Lulu

Pacific Beach Boardwalk

La Pilona

AGC factory with seafront

Mr. David AndersonVice President/ Operations

Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance (U.S.A.) Inc.A subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance

For almost 25 years I have lived in Pacific Beach, a neighborhood

of less than 50,000 people in San Diego, California. Growing up in

Massachusetts, on the East Coast of the United States, I never imagined

that someday I would live in a Southern California beach community.

In 1995 my then girlfriend (now wife), Hilary,

suggested that we relocate to San Diego. It

seems like only yesterday that we arrived with

no jobs and an old car, but today we have two

children, 11 and 14, and a dog, Lulu. We love living in an environment that

encourages an active outdoor lifestyle where there is always something to do

–– surfing, walking, fitness, cycling, skateboarding, dance, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

–– it seems like our family is always in motion.

Known for sunny skies, beautiful beaches, and a relaxed atmosphere,

Pacific Beach welcomes visitors all year round. Tourists sometimes ask

whether we have seasons or not, but locals recognize the subtle differences

between our mild winters and summers. Gentle waves make

for an ideal place to learn to surf and over three miles of

oceanfront boardwalk provide a constantly changing parade

of humanity. California has an

image that is known around

the world, and Pacific Beach

is the kind of place most

people picture when they

imagine Southern California.

Working in Paradise

As I was adapting to life on the West Coast I started my career in equipment leasing and began

working for an American subsidiary of a Japanese leasing company. While that experience only lasted

a few years, I found I had a passion for the operations side of the business. I went on to work for

several San Diego-based bank and independent lenders in both leasing and factoring. In 2016 I found

the opportunity to work for a Japanese company again here at Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance (U.S.A.)

Inc. (MULUSA).

As Vice President/ Operations, I work with my team to attend to the many details that provide for

an excellent customer experience as well as ensuring that all transactions conform to internal controls.

Since I started, my colleagues and I have greatly expanded MULUSA’s presence in the mid-ticket

equipment finance market in the United States. We have also replaced our lease accounting software

and built a San Diego office that handles most of the back-office functions of the company, including

accounting, billing, and transaction booking. As a financing source we provide a vital service for our

customers and they are constantly coming up with new challenges for us to meet. Even though my

weekend is spent at the beach, on Monday I look forward to getting into the office and collaborating

with the MULUSA team to grow and improve our business.

the USAfrom

6 7