Takeshi Niinami President and Chief Executive Officer

     First of all, I would like to express my deepest condolences for all the people who lost their lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11th, 2011 with my deepest hope that the affected area will recover as soon as possible and the people affected will be able to live with peace of mind.

The top priority was to open the stores and supply products.
     It was a massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami beyond the scope of assumption, and further followed by the disaster of Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The damage to employees, franchise store staff, store buildings, product-manufacturing plants, and distribution centers was greater than expected. As soon as I was faced with this unprecedented situation, I decided that the entire company must work together to address it.
     Customers feel relieved when they find the neighborhood store open. Therefore, we put our first priority on opening stores and delivering merchandise to the affected area as part of LAWSON's mission. Right after the earthquake, there were some areas to which it was impossible to supply sufficient merchandise to satisfy customers due to temporary plant shutdowns and distribution function failures. But now, our customers are thankful as the result of our company-wide effort towards recovery.

"Cheer up, Japan!" Project for Recovery
     As the next step, we have drawn up the "Cheer up, Japan!" Project in order to work for recovery towards a brighter future. The Group makes an allout effort to help cheer up Japan by identifying what only we can do, including the opening of temporary stores, use of mobile vending vehicles, and sales of products produced in the Tohoku region.
     As part of the above effort, we have established the "Support Dreams Fund" to provide support to young people. LAWSON is supported by a large number of young temporary workers. This is why we decided to help students who are having difficulties in continuing their study or enrolling at university, etc., even if they want to due to the earthquake disaster, with scholarship money. Young people's power is essential for the recovery and prosperity of Japan. LAWSON will provide various supports to help young people acquire knowledge and skills that will prove useful when they enter society.

Value of the Existence of a Company Requestioned after the Earthquake
     This past experience made me keenly aware that companies exist with the community. It seemed to me that cities became alive as stores resumed operation, which made people look happier and hopeful and willing for recovery. This I think is the direction that the LAWSON Group should take. And I think that the franchise owners, store managers, crew members, and employees are those who understand their local community most. After the disaster, the branch office system that LAWSON promotes proved to be an advantage. Moreover, we could act speedily for the affected area with the help of the business partners we regularly work with.
     Working to reopen the stores in the affected area and to realize a state in which "whatever you want, whenever and wherever you need it" is the maximum social contribution that the LAWSON Group can make. Based on the Group Corporate Philosophy of "Happiness and Harmony in our Community," all the members of the Group will work together to reconstruct "our community."