Message from the President

In 2011, we were forced to deal with two crucial tasks: recovering from the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and restoring our digital SLR camera manufacturing subsidiary in Thailand, which had been damaged by severe flooding. These were types of adversities that we had never experienced in our history. However, they offered us unique occasions to implement our ongoing efforts to strengthen our corporate foundations.

I believe a company’s corporate foundations are solid only if it is able to make decisions quickly and enact integrated, effective measures unanimously. It must also be able to execute accurate, speedy responses to environmental changes by innovating its business processes. And it must also realize sustainable growth. The swift actions we took in response to disaster clearly illustrate that Nikon has been accumulating the power to maintain growth even in the most severe circumstances.

Market conditions continue to be harsh and unclear. Despite this, the Precision Equipment Company shortened production lead times and reduced costs — achievements that enabled the company to respond quickly to market changes and seize better business opportunities. The Imaging Company is aggressively investing in emerging markets, promoting establishment of the Nikon brand and facilitating acquisition of leading positions for its products. The Instruments Company is promoting development of innovative products such as Super Resolution Microscopes in the bioscience business and the non-contact 3D metrology system in the industrial instruments business. In addition, as part of our plans to create new businesses employing our core technologies, Nikon has resolved to enter the health and medical field and aims to embark on this in three to five years.

As always, Nikon is dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR at Nikon seeks to realize our corporate philosophy: Trustworthiness and Creativity. To this end, all members of the Nikon Group will further their commitment to understand and share this philosophy. While we progress with developing business continuity plans for the future, we will also work to minimize potential threats to our production systems and improve risk control so that we can always maintain a stable supply of our products and fulfill our responsibility for quality.

We ask for your continued support and guidance as we execute business plans that contribute to the welfare of the world.