| New Year Greetings from Chairman of the Board of Directors Shimizu

New Year Greetings from Chairman of the Board of Directors Shimizu

2016.01.28 Updated

“Photo:

Happy New Year to everyone. I am Takaaki Shimizu. Last June I assumed office as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors, succeeding the former Chairman Kazuo Okamoto. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude for your support in the past year.

Under the patronage of Her Imperial Highness Princess Yohko, we are determined to devote even greater efforts to the promotion and realization of Universal Design and again look forward to your kind support this year.

As you are well aware, creating an environment where all people can live in safety and comfort is essential as we approach the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This means universal design becoming more necessary than ever before.

During The 5th International Conference for Universal Design in Fukushima & Tokyo 2014, we received the following strong message of support from both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Governor of Tokyo Yoichi Masuzoe: The government will share the results of this conference and make efforts to realize UD accordingly for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In 2015, we drafted the 4th IAUD Medium-Term Activity Plan, which is based largely on the future direction of UD determined during our international conference. Since then, we have engaged in various activities and made efforts to strengthen our cooperation with both national and local government agencies and relevant organizations. We also launched new initiatives including a more developed 48 Hour Marathon for Universal Design and UD Certification for intermediate level in cooperation with Sumida City and local companies.

In December 2016, we will hold The 6th International Conference for Universal Design in Nagoya 2016 (provisional name), which will center on the fundamental idea of creating a UD society that will serve as a world model for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

We in Japan are committed to spreading Universal Design widely throughout the world. This means not only promoting UD products and services but also building social systems and UD infrastructure that transcend the boundaries of the world of business or industry. In these efforts, we look forward to your continued understanding and cooperation.