Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Today, I was officially appointed as the new chairman, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Motors. I would like to take a few minutes to explain my thoughts at this time and outline the work being done by the recently formed business revitalization team.
Mitsubishi Motors is facing its toughest challenge ever. Rebuilding Mitsubishi Motors is not just about getting one company back on its feet; it carries with it a huge responsibility to society at large. As the new chairman, president & CEO, I am fully committed to doing everything I can to get the company back on its feet.
My first role at Mitsubishi Motors is to turn all of my energy toward revitalizing the company as the leader of the business revitalization team. This team is composed mostly of executives and general mangers from Mitsubishi Motors, as well as a few members from other Mitsubishi group companies: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. All together, there are about 40 people in the team.
This special team will not only create operational and financial plans for product development, production, domestic sales and overseas business, but will also make an overall evaluation of our alliance with DaimlerChrysler, and examine our organizational structure, chain of command, and communications. We will make new proposals based on the outcome of this study within May.
Determining an operational and financial plan does, of course, require our urgent attention. To create such a plan, however, I also think it is of primary importance that we reform our corporate culture to regain your trust in the company.
In the two months since the announcement in February that I would become the new chairman, I have had the chance to look into the current situation of the company from both an internal and external perspective. And I must say, our manufacturing plants are alive and well.
While tapping this vitality in our factories and building on our heritage of engineering excellence, I believe that returning to the basics of Japanese craftsmanship will pave the way for a return to the strong Mitsubishi Motors of the past. If I can't make this happen, then I think my appointment as chairman, president & CEO will have been pointless.
I intend to create a simple, open environment within the company and a chain of command geared towards swift decision making so that all employees -- the real driving force behind our revitalization -- can put everything into their work and maintain a positive outlook.
Thank you for your time.
