Know MC's People

A power company rep said this to me in the winter of 2005, when I was handling sales of heavy crude oil. At the time, oil had to be used if demand for power in Japan surged due to problems with our traditional energy sources like hydro, nuclear, coal and natural gas, or because of unusual heat waves, cold snaps and so on. Oil-fired power generation was already on the decline in Japan, so it wasn't easy to quickly source and transport oil, but thanks to support from our friends in logistics and our other associates in Japan and around the world, we devised a number of ideas that helped us overcome the challenging circumstances and gain the trust of the power companies.
I remember how grateful their representatives were when we delivered the product to them. They said that if it hadn't been for our oil, there would have been extensive power outages. It was clear that their words were heartfelt, and I realized at that moment just how important our jobs were to ensuring energy stability in Japan. Even today, some 20 years later, I still have a good relationship with those reps, and we'll occasionally get together for a drink and reminisce about that experience.

A shrinking population, advances in energy-saving technologies, moves to decarbonize and other trends are shifting Japan further and further away from oil, but there are still technological and cost-related barriers that have to be overcome before we can sufficiently scale up the development of synthetic fuels and other alternative energy sources. In the meantime, we must continue to provide Japanese citizens with a stable supply of oil, as it remains essential to maintaining their quality of life, but in doing so, we're also developing our bio-fuel and other operations that are invested in decarbonization. Furthermore, by leveraging digital technologies to improve operational efficiency, we're offering solutions to labor shortages at service stations, repair shops and other facilities.
Up to now, whenever I've encountered problems, I've worked with all parties concerned to discuss, propose and execute the best solutions. It's precisely because of our trust-based relationships that stakeholders have such high expectations of the MC Group. There are a lot of problems left to be solved, but I'm excited about working hand in hand with those stakeholders to address them because I know they share my passion. At the same time, I feel a sense of urgency to meet their expectations and leave the next generation of energy professionals with solutions they can really work with and improve. Our goal is to build and grow a better future for our businesses and our company.

Energy is vital to our lives, and there is no avoiding a global increase in consumption. We must figure out ways to balance carbon neutrality with the energy stability, security, and access that will guarantee a comfortable standard of living for all. Obviously it will be a great challenge to achieve that balance, so it's not going to happen overnight, but I think MC has what it takes to tackle it and realize that vision for the future. There are many hurdles ahead, but clearing each of them one by one will also be hugely significant. I'm both tremendously grateful to our predecessors for leaving us with an energy climate to build on and excited about passing on an even better one to the next generation of energy professionals.