Takuya Okada's Environmental Efforts - November 1994

Takuya Okada, as the chairman of Jusco (now AEON), strongly advocates the importance of fulfilling corporate social responsibility. He recognizes that the biggest challenge of the 21st century is environmental issues and insists that companies should actively engage in environmental protection activities. Based on this belief, he established the AEON Environmental Foundation to provide financial support for environmental protection activities and promote participation in international environmental conferences.

In particular, through support for international conferences such as the Earth Summit and environmental NGOs, Okada emphasizes the importance of linking corporate activities with social contributions. He mentions that there are two approaches for companies to address environmental issues: one is to incorporate environmental initiatives into their business operations, and the other is to purely focus on social contributions. He stresses that continuous efforts are essential in either case.

Furthermore, Okada intends to increase the foundation's endowment to support environmental protection activities in the long term. Additionally, he suggests that at the U.S. partner company General Mills, the degree of social contribution should be reflected in employee evaluations. In this way, Okada continues to advocate for the importance of companies fulfilling their responsibilities as members of society and working towards the realization of a sustainable society.