The Benesse Group is founded on a corporate philosophy which seeks to help each individual to “live well,” and I believe that the Group is unique in its dedication to helping young and old alike address the challenges they face and better themselves continuously from childbirth to old age. A manufacturer founds its business on the ability to produce items and mass produce them; in other words, its core competence lies in its product development and production capabilities. At Benesse, however, our core competence is helping people to “live well.” The products and services we offer are developed by employees who themselves know how to enjoy life, and they are refined based on the feedback we receive from customers and business partners, providing a source of continuously rising value.
People may want to provide their children with a good education, create a rewarding lifestyle, receive good nursing care, or learn a foreign language in order to broaden their horizons. Regardless of the technological advances or environmental changes the passing years may bring, the basic desire to “live well” remains the same. That desire is universal, and is shared by Benesse employees, customers, business partners, shareholders and investors, as well as residents of the communities where Benesse operates. By communicating with each of our stakeholders, Benesse will continue working to develop products and services which address these needs, and help them to meet the challenges they face in their lives.

The fact is that Benesse's operations consume a large volume of raw materials to produce the learning materials, magazines, direct mailing brochures and other products which are used in the course of our business. However, Benesse is well aware that we can only “live well” if we address such issues and protect the environment in which we live. Therefore, we have identified this as a priority matter for management to deal with.
We have already implemented various concrete measures to address the issue. We are making progress in adjusting the design of products, services and business activities to reduce their environmental impact, reduce energy consumption and decrease the volume of waste, as well as recycling and aggressively promoting environmental education. Environmental education is an area where Benesse can be particularly effective. We have incorporated environmental studies into our “Kodomo Challenge” and “Shinkenzemi” course materials, in an effort to get children to start considering environmental issues while they are still very young. This effort is not limited to our educational materials; we also sponsor an environmental essay competition, and we have organized a travelling camper van decorated to look like the central character in our “Kodomo Challenge” courses – a tiger cub named Shimajiro – which visits venues throughout Japan to teach children about the importance of the environment and life in all its forms.

Kenichi Fukuhara, Representative Director, Vice-Chairman and Deputy CEO

Naturally, publicity and IR activities are important tools in communicating with the public, but at Benesse, we think that our products and business endeavors themselves are the best way of conveying messages to stakeholders. That is why we have always followed the slogan, “the business is the message.” We are providing products and services that have a direct impact on people's lives, whether it be providing their children with a good education, helping them get into their desired school, teaching them how to care for their dog, allowing them to live a rewarding life in their senior years, or helping them learn a foreign language in order to succeed internationally. At Benesse, we believe that these products and services will themselves convey a message to our stakeholders. In addition to these products and services, our corporate art activities at Naoshima, in Kagawa Prefecture, give visitors to the island an opportunity to consider what it means to “live well,” and they can carry this message to others around the world. The concept of “living well” forms the foundation of management for the entire Benesse Group, including its corporate philosophy and mission statement. Thus, in everything we do, we strive to convey this message to stakeholders.