Employee Volunteers Accompanied Children with Life-threatening Illnesses, and their Families, on a Memory-making Trip to Tokyo in August

The assistance provided by the volunteers, performed together with employees from other companies, focused on doing everything possible to make their trip to Tokyo a relaxed and enjoyable occasion for both the children and their families. It consisted of helping to navigate smoothly even in crowded situations, getting tickets for the attractions, securing a convenient place for lunch, and taking photos to preserve the memory of this outing for the families. The August trip took in Tokyo Disneyland and KidZania Tokyo, and as it coincided with the school summer holiday period, two of the participating employees' children - ages 6 and 12 - also joined in as volunteers. Their presence made the visiting children completely at ease, and the smiles on everyone's faces were ample indication that they all had a good time.

Comments made by the participating volunteers showed how their awareness toward making social contributions had increased. One said, "I saw the extreme burden that was placed on the ill child's mother, to the extent that the child's older sister was affected as well. I learned that helping out, even a little, eases the whole family's burden." Another commented, "I met the family for the very first time, but the atmosphere was so warm and there were many children around, so I felt we were all like family relatives. I hope we were able to make the family have a happy time."

In keeping with the commitment incorporated into the CSR Action Guidelines to "create a more harmonious society," the MHI Group will continue to support the participation of its employees in volunteer activities such as these that provide meaningful opportunities for interacting directly with various members of society.