From a starting point in amino acids research, the Ajinomoto Group’s growth has been driven by cutting-edge bioscience and fine chemical technologies. Our story began in 1908, when Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, who wanted to improve the nutrition of the Japanese people, discovered Umami, and company founder Saburosuke Suzuki commercialized it as the product AJI-NO-MOTO®. Over a century later, the founding aspiration of “Eat well, Live well” has been carried forward in the form of the Ajinomoto Group Creating Shared Value (ASV), an initiative aimed at co-creating social value and economic value while helping to resolve social issues.

 

The Ajinomoto Group now finds itself in a business environment that makes prediction difficult. In such times, our purpose is becoming all the more important. The Ajinomoto Group’s “purpose” is to resolve food and health issues. While addressing the health and nutrition issues facing the world, we will also advance sustainability efforts and will contribute to greater wellness for people. This, the true raison d’etre of the Ajinomoto Group, will lead to achieving ASV that connects social value to economic value.

 

The heartfelt “passion” for our purpose that flows from each one of us in the Ajinomoto Group, and the appreciation felt by all stakeholders who share in our purpose, will be the driving force for the Group’s further growth. I believe that the more passionate we are about our purpose, the more employees will be engaged and motivated in work, allowing us to achieve a virtuous cycle of ASV. In addition, to accelerate the achievement of our vision, we will focus on “operational excellence” in our initiatives by investing in intangible assets and other measures. By fusing our Food Products business with our AminoScience business, and by horizontally linking intangible assets such as human resources, organizations, and customers, we will create new customer value and business models. While pursuing “S x S (Speed-Up x Scale-Up)” for our corporate value and corporate culture transformation, with an emphasis on “Purpose x Passion x OE (Operational Excellence),” we will meet the expectations of our shareholders and other stakeholders.

 

I ask for your continued support and encouragement.

 

Taro Fujie
President & Chief Executive Officer