Messages from Outside Directors

The information and communication technologies movement that KDDI is a part of has contributed enormously to the world as an essential element of social infrastructure with cutting-edge technologies. The 5th Generation Mobile Communications System (5G) being constructed now is the product of innovative technologies, and its use has the potential to substantially change the lifestyles of people everywhere. Against this backdrop, I believe KDDI and other MNOs have the responsibility not only to provide services at affordable rates, but also to support their customers' lifestyles by maintaining the reliability of the communication networks and systems as a part of the fabric of society, and by providing the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it.
Since becoming an Outside Director at KDDI in 2016, I have expressed my opinions and made suggestions at meetings of the Board of Directors, especially regarding the state of R&D and telecommunications services, based on my extensive knowledge and experience in the communications network engineering and information processing fields.
KDDI has unveiled a new medium-term management plan with measures to advance the transformation of its services with an eye on changing communications technologies.
As KDDI makes inroads into new fields, as an Outside Director, I will continue to contribute to improving the Company's corporate value.

KDDI is expected to accomplish great things as a leader in the information industry and society for the future. The "integration of telecommunications and life design" is one of its initiatives in this regard. I have realworld experience in business areas other than telecommunications so I am extremely interested in improving customer convenience and satisfaction by providing physical products and services through virtual spaces free from constraints of time and place.
When the Company was formulating the new mediumterm management plan, the details of the plan were examined carefully from a long-term perspective and broad scope. As an Outside Director, I offered my opinions and ideas about the Company's initiatives in growth fields, such as life design and global business, as well as its efforts to solve social issues.
Looking ahead, the expectations for leading companies and the missions they are being demanded to undertake will only grow larger. I believe KDDI's mission is to work toward genuinely helping solve social issues in Japan, including an increasingly elderly population, regional disparities, and environmental issues.
As an Outside Director, with this mission in mind, I will engage in lively debate, while relying on my own experiences and insights, at meetings of the Board of Directors.

In 1993, when I registered as an attorney, mobile phones had just started to take off in Japan. Back then, I was in charge of a project related to the mobile phone business, and I remember the pride I felt being at the pinnacle of a new business venture.
The situation has changed in various ways since then. Smartphones and mobile communications have become an essential lifeline in people's lives. Having been appointed an Outside Director of KDDI, I feel a great weight of responsibility as the Company engages in the telecommunications business, such an essential lifeline, with a diverse range of other businesses centered around this core.
Amid rapid and significant changes in the environment and society, I will make every effort to fulfill my duties as an Outside Director so that KDDI will be able to pursue its mission. Without forgetting where I came from, I will leverage my knowledge and experience as an attorney and, as a representative in various public capacities, to advise the Board of Directors from the perspective of a long-term au customer.

Corporate Governance