Inaugurated in 1993, this year marks the 10^th anniversary of the MMC Primary Schoolchildren Automobile Advice Desk-the only service of its kind in Japan. The PSAAD has proved highly popular both with schoolchildren and their teachers and each year the company receives many letters of thanks and reports on how the service has assisted them with their research.

MMC inaugurated the PSAAD after the auto industry was included in the national fifth-grade social studies curriculum in 1992 in recognition of its status as a core industrial sector in Japan. The PSAAD has received an increasing number of inquiries since its establishment (283 inquiries in 2000; 304 in 2001). The wide range of topics covered by the inquiries include: automobiles in general; MMC-the company; environmental issues; safety; and, "how cars work-mechanical aspects". The increasing number of inquiries relating to the environment and safety in recent years reflects the changing values and concerns in our society today.

Accompanying the start of the free-dial PSAAD 2002 service, the company will also be kicking off a "Heart-Beat Kids Automobile Advice Desk" corner on its Web site in line with its policy of providing the general public with more and better information. New to the corner for 2002 is the "Automobile Development and Production: Why-and-What Box," which provides answers, many with illustrations, to 235 FAQs previously addressed to the PSAAD.

MMC assists primary schoolchildren further their understanding of the automotive industry in several ways. These include the distribution, through its dealerships, to local primary schools of an easy-to-understand educational pamphlet titled, "Hi There! Come Meet Mitsubishi Motors".