May 9, 2011
Kirin Group Makes 3-Year Commitment to Support Reconstruction Efforts for Areas Affected by Great East Japan Earthquake
Helping Communities and Families Foster Bonds
Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd. announced today that the Kirin Group will contribute six billion yen over the next three years to reconstruction efforts for areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which struck the Tohoku region on March 11, 2011. This three-year commitment is in addition to the 300 million yen (400 million yen including contributions made by Kyowa Hakko Kirin) donated by the Group to relief funds and the 1.15 million bottles of water provided to affected communities immediately after the earthquake.
As stated in the Kirin Group Vision 2015, we seek to maintain harmonious coexistence with the communities in which we operate, and continue to foster a close relationship with our customers through products which provide the enjoyment of food and health. The Kirin Group is closely associated and attached to the Tohoku region, where Kirin Brewery—the Group's core company—has its Sendai Plant, and Koiwai Diary Products has one of its largest plants. Therefore, we wholeheartedly wish to support reconstruction efforts in the region in order to repay the years of support by the people in the area. We sincerely hope this will encourage the affected communities and families, and foster the tight bonds with one another.
Over the next three years, the Kirin Group will donate part of its proceeds from product sales to the relief fund, and Group employees and their families inside and outside Japan will also contribute to the fund. In addition, employees will participate in volunteer activities. Through these efforts, the Kirin Group and its employees will work alongside the people of the Tohoku region to restore local industries, revitalize communities, and provide educational support for children. We plan to take a flexible approach in providing the affected areas with what is most needed at each stage of recovery.
We pray for a speedy reconstruction of the affected areas.