Mitsubishi The 9th Grand Prix Winner A Bimonthly Review of the Mitsubishi Companies and Their People Around the World 2009-2010 Asian Children's2008- Enikki Festa 2009 Winners December & January Grand Prix Japan Humans are social beings. People live in groups. We Bangladeshis like to live with our parents, our brothers and sisters, our grandparents, and other relatives. In our family, I live with my brother, my parents, and my grandmother. We share each other’s joys and sorrows. That makes our lives fulfilling. Cycling ＊ The above sentences contained in this Enikki has been translated from Bengali to English. Into the Future The 9th Grand Prix Winner on Three Wheels Sadia Islam Mowtushy Age:11 Girl People’s Republic of Bangladesh “Wrapping Up the Year with Toshikoshi Soba” oba is a Japanese noodle that is eaten in various ways longevity, because it is long and thin. There are many other depending on the season. In summer, soba is served cold explanations and no single theory can claim to be the definitive S and dipped in a chilled sauce; in winter, it comes in a hot truth, but this only adds to the mystique of toshikoshi soba. broth. Soba is often garnished with tasty tidbits, such as tempura shrimp, or with a bit of boiled spinach to add a touch of color. Soba has been a favorite of Japanese people for centuries and the popular buckwheat noodle has even secured a role in various Japanese traditions, including the New Year’s celebration. Japanese people commonly eat soba on New Year’s Eve, when the old year intersects with the new year, and this is known as toshikoshi or “year-crossing” soba. There are various theories regarding the origins of toshikoshi soba. One theory is tied to soba’s association with the accumulation of wealth—a notion rooted in the practices of goldsmiths, who used balls of soba dough to collect gold dust from their workshops. Because soba is easily cut, some people argue that the noodle symbolizes the severing of links with the hardships of the previous year. Soba is also said to signify © IMAGE LAND. CO. LTD./amanaimages We want your feedback! ■ http://www.mitsubishi.com/mpac/e/talk/form.html The Mitsubishi Monitor is published by the Mitsubishi Public Affairs Committee Volume 27 No.6 Marunouchi Nakadori Bldg., 2-3, Marunouchi 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan Telephone: 81-3-5218-8660 Facsimile: 81-3-5218-8661 ■ Website: http://www.mitsubishi.com/mpac/e/monitor/back/index.html ©2009 Mitsubishi Public Affairs Committee Printed in Japan on recycled paper Cover Story News& Leading the World in Renewable Front Line Futuristic Three Wheeler Energy and Environmental Business Seeks to Open Up a New Era Products Mitsubishi Corporation has Creating New Energy from concluded an agreement with Spain-based ACCIONA S.A., one Wooden Waste Materials Spurring the Development of the world’s largest renewable of a Low Carbon Society Mitsubishi Corporation has been quick to focus on energy companies, regarding a biomass as a source of energy for the future and the In addition to their common heritage as Mitsubishi companies, comprehensive strategic alliance company has already commenced the production of wood The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Tokio Marine & to promote renewable energy and biopellets in Japan. The biopellets are made from tree bark, Nichido Fire Insurance also share the goal of contributing environmental business around the which previously was treated as a waste material, so this to the development of a sustainable, low carbon society. world. Through this alliance, MC initiative effectively reduces the cost of waste management and ACCIONA will jointly invest in while also creating a new source of energy. If you think tricycles are for kids, then you have not seen This year, both companies became founding members of the new energy projects and related Wood biopellets can be combusted alone or co-fired “The KAITEKI”. Made from carbon fiber and charged by solar Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (“Japan-CLP”), a business ventures; the partners will also promote joint research and with coal, which is already being used in large quantities cells, this futuristic three wheeler represents the crystallization coalition that seeks to proactively address the issue of climate development in areas such as energy, water and environmental worldwide. Because CO2 is absorbed through photosynthesis of advanced products and technologies from Mitsubishi change. The five founding members of the Japan-CLP are infrastructure, as they set out to cultivate sustainable businesses when biomass materials are grown, biopellets are commonly Chemical and Mitsubishi Plastics, which are core companies laying out their own commitments and leading through action, that make sense environmentally and economically. regarded as being a “carbon neutral” form of energy that of the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group. while also promoting communication with policy makers, leaders of industry and the public in an effort to spur societal can lower CO2 emissions when used to supplement fossil The revolutionary tricycle, which takes its name from the ■ http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/ja/pr/archive/2009/ fuels. As a result, demand for biopellets may grow among Japanese word kaiteki, meaning “comfort” or “ease”, was change in Japan and across Asia. html/0000008111.html electric power utilities and other industries as companies originally conceived in 2007 at a workshop that brought mid- focus more attention on their career employees together from across the Mitsubishi Chemical carbon footprints. In the years Group. The Group has indentified “sustainability”, “health” and Opening Up a Vibrant World ahead, this business may also “comfort” as key words for the 21st century and workshop of Super-Telephoto Shooting be expanded overseas, such as participants discussed ways to give shape to these ideas. After in Europe, where demand for extensive discussions, participants focused on the idea of a In recent years, birdwatchers and other outdoor enthusiasts wood biopellets is strong. three wheeler, equipped with an electric motor to assist users, ■ http://www.tokiomarine-nichido.co.jp/j0201/pdf/090730.pdf have embraced digiscoping as a means of taking super- as a new form of transportation that could benefit society in telephoto pictures by using digital cameras together with field various ways. The concept called for the tricycle to be easy Verbatim Brand Makes telescopes. In response to growing interest in digiscoping, for seniors to ride; to be readily usable on rainy days; and to Full-Fledged Debut in Japan Nikon recently unveiled its new FSA-L2 camera attachment, have plenty of luggage-carrying capacity. Around this time, Mie which enables high-definition digiscoping by combining Nikon Verbatim is widely known around the globe as the world’s top Prefecture was initiating a project to develop and test a next- digital single-lens reflex (D-SLR) cameras with the company’s brand1 of recordable CD and DVD media. Mitsubishi Kagaku generation cycle equipped with cutting-edge battery technology. highly-acclaimed EDG Fieldscope Series. Featuring a 3.5x Media (MKM) is currently marketing storage media under the Mitsubishi Chemical was chosen to participate in this initiative zoom and a bright optics, the FSA-L2 opens up a new, vibrant Verbatim brand in more than 80 countries worldwide, from and this marked the start of joint development work on the world of super-telephoto shooting when used with Nikon North America to Europe and across the Asia Pacific region. project. D-SLR cameras and EDG Fieldscopes. Japanese consumers are now becoming increasingly familiar The KAITEKI’s electric motor is charged by solar cells, with Verbatim, after its full-fledged introduction to the Japanese ■ http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/jpn/whatsnew/2009/0730_ installed on a specially-designed docking station. Its body is fsa-l2_04.htm market in September 2009, when MKM rebranded its entire lightweight and compact, making it easy for seniors to ride. The line of optical recording media for data. ■ http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/bg/cd/topics.html KAITEKI also comes equipped with a detachable luggage carrier. Made with cutting-edge materials from Mitsubishi Plastics, the innovative tricycle nicely reflects the unique advanced Mitsubishi Corporation capabilities of the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group. Est.1950 3-1, Marunouchi 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8086 Efforts to explore the full potential of The KAITEKI continue. How Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan’s largest general trading company (sogo can the tricycle help reduce CO2 emissions? Could it be utilized shosha) with over 200 bases of operations in approximately 80 countries by courier services? Could a PR campaign be organized in around the world. Moving forward, we remain determined to grow even stronger while contributing to the enrichment of society through business conjunction with the Tour de France? In this way, The KAITEKI activities firmly rooted in the principles of fairness and integrity. continues to kindle the imagination and aspirations of employees ■ http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/ Note 1: Top brand in global sales share of recordable CD and DVD across the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group. media for four years continuous 2005-2008. (Source: the Santa Clara Consulting Group (American market research and consulting firm)) ■ http://www.m-kagaku.co.jp/newsreleases/2009/20090804-1.html ■ http://www.greaternagoya.org/html_ja/?cls=ja_ news_01&op=detail&pr_id=130 ■ http://www.verbatim.jp 2 3 Global Global Spotlight focuses on employees from the Mitsubishi Group, who are excelling from 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 past-times. Spotlight Los Angeles The Entertainment Capital from of the World and more so Thailand Sa-Wat-Dee Thailand “The Land of Smiles” Sawatdee.