CRO Message

Governance That Supports Bold Action

As CRO, what I value most is accelerating bold action while sustaining growth. To achieve this, it is essential to assess and manage risk appropriately without allowing risk aversion to cause us to miss opportunities, and to create a business environment in which the entire organization can continue to take on bold challenges. In particular, I place strong emphasis on transparency and dialogue. Through two-way communication with business divisions, R&D, manufacturing, sales, and other frontline functions, we share the realities of risk and the decision-making process and make aligned decisions from a company-wide perspective. I also believe it is important to clarify accountability and explain how specific risks are managed, why those approaches are taken, and how they are implemented, and provide consistent explanations to the Board of Directors and stakeholders, including customers, shareholders, regulators, and society.
In risk assessment, while we place importance on data and quantitative indicators, protecting corporate ethics and social trust is just as important as the numbers themselves. A risk-sensitive culture is built not only through systems, but also through day-to-day decisions and experience. Through training and responses to actual cases, I aim to develop the next generation of risk management leaders in each function and strengthen sustainable risk management capabilities across the organization.

Supporting Both Business Growth and Business Continuity

By 2035, the Shimadzu Group aims to become a technology-driven end-to-end solutions partner guided by a Customer-In approach. A robust and flexible governance framework is essential to achieving that goal. The first priority is to establish a governance framework in which risk management, compliance, and internal controls function as an integrated whole. This helps prevent issues in one area from cascading into others and enables fast, consistent responses to cross-functional issues. More specifically, this means embedding an integrated view of both growth-oriented risk management to support business growth and protective risk management that protects business continuity, identifying risks comprehensively across business, operational, legal, regulatory, and ethical dimensions, and developing proactive responses for each.
It is also important to raise risk awareness across the organization. To ensure transparency in decision-making, governance structures and responsibilities must be clearly defined, and the Board, audit functions, and executive management must work together to set the scope and standards for risk-taking. I also believe it is essential to have mechanisms in place that emphasize dialogue with stakeholders and ensure alignment between external expectations and corporate strategy. Through this comprehensive strengthening of governance, we will build a Shimadzu Group that earns society’s trust and creates value sustainably.

Key Initiatives Under the New Medium-Term Management Plan

Under the new Medium-Term Management Plan beginning in FY2026, we will implement the following key initiatives as the foundation for achieving our 2035 vision.

1. At the Risk Management and Corporate Ethics Meeting, we will determine the priority risks for FY2026 and the initiatives to address them, communicate them across the Shimadzu Group, and execute the required responses.
2. We will set KPIs for each risk initiative, monitor progress, and take corrective action as needed.
3. Where AI can deliver clear benefits, we will actively expand its use to improve the effectiveness of risk controls and help prevent human error and misconduct.
4. We will develop governance talent in regional corporate headquarters and strengthen their functions and capabilities to build a global risk management framework.