Since 1991, MC has been providing scholarships to foreign students who are studying in Japan. This year we provided scholarships to 100 students from 42 universities through this program.

On 18 October, MC invited all scholarship recipients to an Exchange Event & Welcome Reception held at our head office. The roughly 90 students who participated had the chance to learn about MC's business through employee presentations, and they also took part in a lively group discussion where they shared their hopes and aspirations for the future.

At the end of the Welcome Reception, a Mongolian exchange student gave a brief speech, saying "Japan is my second home country, and I am grateful for this scholarship which allowed me to have a more fruitful experience studying abroad."

Initiated by Green Cross Japan, the Environment Diary Program is a way of encouraging children - the leaders of our future - to think about the environment. In keeping such diaries, elementary school students are encouraged to not only write about environmental initiatives but to share their ideas and turn them into action.

MC supported the launch of this project in Sri Lanka this year. Approximately 7,000 5th grade elementary school students took part over a three month period. 100 were shortlisted to join a speech contest, and 3 winners were eventually selected and invited to an award ceremony in Tokyo. The winners also paid a visit to MC's head office, where they gave their impressive speeches.

Since 1991, MC has been providing scholarships to overseas students studying in Japan. This year scholarships are given to 101 students across 45 universities.

On 4th December, MC invited all scholarship students to an Exchange Event & Welcome Reception held at MC's head office. With up to 80 participants, the event provided an opportunity for students to learn about MC's business through employee presentations. Group discussions were also held, where students actively exchanged views and many innovative ideas were raised.

At the end of the reception, a speech was given by a Turkish exchange student who spoke enthusiastically about her studies and the progress he had made thanks to the scholarship.

Wuhua County in Meizhou City has been designated by Guangdong Youth Development Foundation as a region in need of support.

In November of this year, MC made a contribution to this county's Second Elementary School in order to foster child development with supplies that are lacking in the region. The donations included 6,000 textbooks, assorted writing materials, video equipment, a ping pong table and an electric keyboard.

Following this, MC invited 12 elementary school students and 4 of their teachers to visit Guangzhou City on a trip of 2 nights and 3 days. The group toured many tourist areas in the city as well as various places associated with Japan. They had the opportunity to experience cultural activities such as sushi making together with MC employees and their families.

Rather than simply a monetary donation, these interactions gave the students and teachers an opportunity to deepen their mutual understanding with people from another culture. Many participants also commented that they gained an appreciation for these kinds of grassroots exchange activities.

On 9th - 22nd November, MC launched a Japan study tour for Abu Dhabi high school students. Participants included 10 students from the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT), an institution established with the aim of cultivating the country's next generation of skilled leaders. During the first week of the tour participants attended a 'Super Science Fair' sponsored by Ritsumeikan High School, while in the second week they visited Mitsubishi Group Companies' factories and offices. Participants were highly impressed, commenting in particular on Japanese factories' "high level commitment towards safety and quality".

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand, a festival introducing Japan's culture, art, music and cuisine was held at the Auckland Museum on 27th October. Drawing a crowd of over 20,000 people, a variety of cultural events were enjoyed by both children and adults. MC provided support for a haiku and calligraphy competition, which offered the winner a one week homestay visit to Japan.

MC donated 100 sets of audio tour devices to Gardens of the Bay, a new botanical garden which opened in Singapore in June of this year.

These spacious gardens are a fine symbol of Singapore as a tropical Garden City. Together with showcasing plants from around the world, it is hoped that the Gardens will also play a key role in deepening the understanding of environmental conservation issues for both locals and tourists alike. Inside the huge glass domes, visitors can enjoy a variety of environments including a world of perpetual spring in the Flower Dome and a chilly mountain realm in the Cloud Forest.

A donation ceremony was held on 27 October 2012 and was attended by a group of close to 150 people comprised of staff from MC's Singapore branch and their family members.

The Quynh Lap National Leprosy and Dermatology Hospital is active in prevention and treatment efforts for leprosy, skin diseases, and HIV within Vietnam.

Located in Nghe An Province on the Northern Central Coast of Vietnam, this hospital also functions as a primary care facility for the surrounding community. However, due to the unique geography of the region, there was often difficulty in providing medical services to the more remote areas of the community.

MC donated a four-wheel-drive vehicle to the hospital, and a delivery ceremony was held on 15 October. With this donation, it is now possible for doctors to provide remote services, improving the community's access to medical care.

The Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology at Sophia University St. Kliment Ohridski is a focal point of Japan-related research, offering Bulgaria's top Japanese language and cultural studies program.

MC sponsored a project to renovate the aging classrooms of the Japanese Studies department. The project also installed furnishings including computers and communication equipment to make use of multimedia technology in the Japanese classes.

To coincide with the start of the new academic year, a donation ceremony and equipment demonstration was held on 4 October. Many students cheerily commented that the renovations will increase their motivation to study. The university also expressed their gratitude saying that the project will further enhance the friendly relations between Japan and Bulgaria.

On 2 October, a reception was held to celebrate the opening of the Pauline Gandel Gallery of Japanese Art at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).

The NGV was established in Melbourne in 1861 as Australia's first public art museum. Since then, the gallery has amassed numerous works of Asian art, including their current collection of over 1,200 pieces from Japan.

MC contributed a Narumi Oribe tea bowl as well as multi lingual display panels for the opening of the new gallery. The reception, which included Japanese taiko drum performances, was a grand event attended by approximately 600 people.

MC installed a solar energy facility to supply electricity to Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Petra had previously generated power by burning diesel fuel, which raised environmental concerns such as rising greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution. Switching to solar power, a cleaner form of energy, will help preserve this cultural relic.

A completion ceremony and lighting ceremony for this project were held on September 6, 2012. The facility is scheduled to go into operation from early 2013.

MC has provided scholarships to 15 students from the University of Oriente Venezuela since fiscal year 2004.

On July 18, 2012, a scholarship award ceremony was held at the University of Oriente Venezuela. Each student was presented with a scholarship certificate.

Forest and Zoological Park of Hann located in Dakar City, was established in 1903. This roughly 60-hectare park located along the coast features botanical gardens and a zoo, and it is a popular recreation area for local residents. However, large quantities of plastic garbage, washing up from the ocean and accumulating in the streets, had been causing much pollution in the area.

MC supported a project proposed by a local NGO which involved collecting the plastic garbage and combining it with sand to produce bricks. These bricks were then used to construct an outdoor theater inside the park grounds.

On June 14, 2012, a ceremony was held to commemorate the completion of the outdoor theater, which was attended by about 150 people. The theater is now one of the park's biggest attractions.

Youpougon, a neighborhood of Abidjan the capital city is a densely-populated and impoverished area. As the hospital offering the most affordable medical care, General Hospital of Yopougon Attié treats a large number of primarily low-income patients. Built in the 1970s, the delapidated maternity ward was suffering from a multitude of problems such as leaking ceilings and power outages, as well as damage to and shortages of hospital beds and medical equipment.

MC funded a project to renovate the maternity wing and replace its medical equipment, and a ceremony was held to commemorate the completion of the project on June 12, 2012. We expect that this will contribute to lower mortality rates of both mothers and babies during child-birth, as well as help to contain the spread of diseases.

Since 2008, MC has been a sponsor of the Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan Foundation. In fiscal year 2009, MC supported the reconstruction of the Central Children's Cultural Center in Tashkent City which was heavily damaged by an earthquake in August, 2008.

From fiscal year 2010, MC began funding the construction of an Eco Park for children, and an opening ceremony was held to commemorate the completion of the park on April 7, 2012. This event, which included performances by Uzbek singers, received extensive TV and newspaper coverage.

MC sponsored the construction of the Arts of Japan Gallery at the Museaum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH).

Established in 1924, the MFAH is one of the leading art museums in the United States, with a collection of over 40,000 works.

On February 17, 2012, a party was held to commemorate the opening of the Arts of Japan Gallery. This spectacular event featured Japanese cultural performances by artists such as Akiko Yano and the Japanese drumming group Matsuri Taiko. We expect that the Arts of Japan Gallery will continue to provide information introducing Japanese culture.

In commemoration of the International Year of Forests 2011, MC collaborated with international NGO OISCA to launch a Tropical Forest Regeneration Experimental Project in Indonesia. From Japan, roughly twenty members from MC and our Group Companies joined in the Eco Tour from January 8-12 to plant trees in Indonesia as part of this project.

The tree planting activities were held in Mt. Gede Pangrango National Park on the island of Java on January 11. A total of approximately 1,400 participants, including the Eco Tour members, employees from the Jakarta office as well as students and other residents from the local community, planted about 20,000 seedlings using the Miyawaki Method* of dense mixed planting.

The tour also included walks around the Indonesian Botanical Gardens and Bogor National Park, a visit to the OISCA Sukabumi Training Center and lectures on planting methods. Through these activities, participants were able to experience the nature of tropical forests while gaining further appreciation of the importance of our natural environment.

*A planting method which involves dense and mixed planting of species native to the local area