Connecting to Tomorrow,
Nurturing the Future, and
Creating a Better Society
for Everyone
On January 1, 2024, on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan was struck by a major earthquake, with a maximum seismic intensity of 7. More shocking news that dramatically changed the New Year’s mood came on the following day (January 2): two aircraft collided on a runway at Haneda Airport. These shocks at the start to the year made us think about the difficulty of maintaining a peaceful day-to-day life as well as the idea of sustainability.
In the wake of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, Finese Co., Ltd.—one of our Group companies responsible for wholesale pharmaceutical business operations, headquartered in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture—was caught up in this disaster. Although employees and their families were affected and company buildings were damaged, we all worked together to respond to calls for emergency shipments of pharmaceuticals and other items and to deliver essential medicines to various areas immediately after the disaster. It goes without saying that preparations during normal times and disaster drills in readiness for such a major disaster are important. However, one other thing I felt as a result of this terrible disaster was that the driving forces for taking action in such an unprecedented situation—to minimize damage and work toward a speedy recovery and reconstruction—are the feeling of compassion for others, the courage to face difficulties, and above all, a strong sense of duty. Our Group’s main business is pharmaceutical wholesaling, and delivering medicines to where they are needed at any time is our most important mission. As a result of this disaster, I felt that another of our vital responsibilities as a company is to effectively train as well as nurture employees with the belief that our Group is a key part of the social infrastructure.
In October 2022, the Group established the Sustainability Committee to help provide healthcare sustainably, focusing on the distribution of pharmaceuticals and other life-related products as well as services. As Chairman of the Sustainability Committee, I have set the basic sustainability policy as Connecting to Tomorrow, Nurturing the Future, and Creating a Better Society for Everyone. As well, we hold discussions among the committee members, the management, department heads, and others as we work to become sustainable in three key areas: the environment, society, and the economy. We will continue to focus on human resource development, as mentioned earlier, to the maximum extent possible and engage in sustainability management to be more effective in these three areas as well as to increase our corporate value by helping resolve social issues relating to healthcare.
Soichiro Okamoto
Chairman of the Sustainability Commitee Executive Vice President
VITAL KSK HOLDINGS,INC.