Message from the President & CEO: Embracing Change with Purpose and Sustainability

Changing Environment and Stakeholder Expectations

Sustainability-related social issues are rapidly changing. In Japan, the declines in population and birthrate are rapidly accelerating, and regional revitalization efforts to address these challenges cannot afford to be delayed in any way. On global issues such as climate change and biodiversity, the world continues to face a crisis, even as a range of developments, including policy shifts in various countries, continue to unfold. In addition, risks to the safety and reliability of financial services are also on the rise.

More Focused on Fulfilling Our Purpose

Against this backdrop, we have reaffirmed our purpose of "We aim for the happiness of our customers and employees, and to contribute to the development of societies and local communities" and our management philosophy of "We aim to be 'the most familiar and trusted bank' by using customer feedback as our compass for tomorrow." In addition, we have set ourselves four priority issues (materiality) that will guide our efforts to achieve sustainable management, whereby we both enhance our corporate value and resolve social issues.

Priority Issues (Materiality)

Besides identifying and enumerating our materiality issues, we also manage our performance and progress against them by linking them to the target KPIs of our medium-term management plan. For example, we have set target KPIs such as "Number of long-term asset formation program users" for "Provide side-by-side, lifelong support in an era of 100-year lifespans," and "Number of accounts registered for the Yucho Bankbook App" for "Ensure access to quality financial services."
We have set these targets based on the strength of our business platform, which is one of the largest in Japan, with approximately 120 million ordinary deposit accounts and a deposit base of approximately 186 trillion yen (as of March 31, 2026). We have also set target KPIs such as "Investments executed through subsidiary General Partner" for "Co-create value with local communities" and "Sustainable finance (cumulative new investments and financing)" for "Investments and financing for a sustainable environment and society." We believe that solving social issues through our business activities and providing value to our various stakeholders will in turn increase our corporate value.

* GP (General Partner): Fund management entity responsible for selecting projects, making investment decisions, etc.

Corporate culture reforms

Driven by a commitment to engage directly with our employees and reflect their insights in our management, I have been visiting branches across the country since assuming the role of President. Through these visits, I have once again come to appreciate what I believe to be our greatest asset—our corporate culture, defined by the sincere dedication of our employees to serving our customers and contributing to society and local communities. Even in an increasingly dynamic and rapidly changing external environment, I remain firmly committed to preserving and nurturing this culture.

We will continue to engage in earnest dialogue with our stakeholders and seek to combine the enhancement of corporate value with the resolution of social issues, as a top Japanese bank offering a unique proposition and in line with our aim to be "the most familiar and trusted bank." We ask for your continued kind support and encouragement.

Takayuki Kasama
President & CEO, Representative Executive Officer
Member of the Board of Directors,
JAPAN POST BANK Co., Ltd.