Activities in Each Country

Eight Asian students receiving scholarship assistance from the Matsushita International Foundation visited the foundation on June . The students have studied at the International University of Japan in Niigata Prefecture for the last two years. Ahead of their graduation at the end of the month, they presented reports of their studies and expressed their gratitude to President Masayuki Matsushita. The eight scholars hail, respectively, from China, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore.

The 2009 Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony was held on April 23 at the National Theatre of Japan in Tokyo in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress (photo). Marking its 25th anniversary, the ceremony was attended by 850 distinguished guests from different fields including political, government, business, education and foreign ambassadors in Japan. Panasonic Vice Chairman of the Board Masayuki Matsushita, Senior Managing Director Yasuo Katsura, in charge of External Affairs, and Executive Officer Hidetoshi Osawa, Director, Corporate Communications Division, were also among the attendees.

The Japan Prize was established with the lifelong desires of the founder Konosuke Matsushita, who became an enthusiastic advocate of the Japanese government that envisioned the creation of an international prize in Japan like the Nobel Prize in the early 1980s. This Prize is awarded to people from all parts of the world whose original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind. The Japan Prize is organized by the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan, which was established with a grant provided by Konosuke Matsushita and supported by Panasonic in 1982 and a ceremony to award this prize has been held annually since 1985.

The 2009 Japan Prize's "Transformation towards a sustainable society in harmony with nature" award was given to Dennis L. Meadows, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Systems Policy, University of New Hampshire, USA, and "Technological integration of medical science and engineering" award was given to David E. Kuhl, M.D., Professor of Radiology, University of Michigan Medical School, USA.

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Osaka, Japan - On 3 April 2009, the Panasonic Scholarship Award Ceremony for 2009 was held at Panasonic headquarters in Osaka. This year, the scholarship system was further expanded to include India in the list of 8 Asian countries and regions. The ceremony was attended by the 23 new scholarship students, President Ohtsubo and other executives.
The Panasonic Scholarship was established in 1998 to celebrate the company's 80th anniversary, and aims to nurture the future leaders of Asia and to encourage amity between Japan and its Asian neighbors. It provides financial support to students from Asia who pursue a master's degree in science and engineering at a Japanese university. As of April 2009, 278 students have benefited from the scholarships.
For more information on the Panasonic Scholarship, please visit the website.

The awards ceremony for the Japanese edition of Kid Witness News (KWN), Panasonic's global hands-on video education program, was held at the Panasonic Center Tokyo.
The 2008 edition saw 127 elementary and junior high schools from across Japan compete. After careful screening, 8 videos were selected category winners, and the winner of the award for Best Video was "A Message from Senninzuka - to us in the future" by Ida Elementary School of Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. This video will be the Japanese entry for the KWN Global Contest 2009. The winner of the Best Video Award, "A Message from Senninzuka - to us in the future", is about children who are shocked to find that the place where they live was a battlefield 500 years ago. They learn about war and peace and open their eyes to the importance of interaction and peace between people.
For more information on KWN, please visit the website.

Tokyo - The Panasonic NPO Support Fund's 2009 presentation ceremony was held at the Panasonic Center Tokyo.
It was attended by 78 people, including representatives of NPOs benefited by the Fund, members of the selection committee, and corporate citizenship representatives of other companies.
The Panasonic NPO Support Fund provides comprehensive support for NPOs working in the areas of children and the environment, and helps them overcome organizational issues and reinforce their infrastructures.
It thus supports their organizational bedrock rather than their activities. For 2009, 276 applications were received, and after careful screening 23 NPOs were selected, 12 in the field of children and 11 in the field of environment.
In total they received 28.25 million yen in funding.
The presentation of the grants by Managing Executive Officer Takumi Kajisha was followed by a speech by the chairman of the selection committee, and a lecture on "how to put a grant to good use in strengthening your financial basis". After the 23 NPOs introduced their respective activities, the ceremony was concluded with a reception.

Since 2000, we have supported the Panasonic Tour of the "Shakespeare for Children Series," a well-received series of the famous playwright's works rearranged for children and parents to enjoy. In addition to funding the nation-wide tour every summer, Panasonic, with the help of employee volunteers, assists in the planning and production of the plays and holds related workshops for children. Over 12 plays have been held in 16 cities across Japan, introducing the plays to more than 17,000 children and adults.

The "coexistence forest" in the Saedo district of Yokohama is an afforestation project that was started with the goal of making a place where people could enjoy the ora of the four seasons, and provide employees and locals with a chance to work together. The neighborhood association members regard the forest as a local place of rest, and voluntarily stock the owerbeds and cut the grass. We hope to expand these activities, and grow a forest that will be popular with the whole community.

Since 1996, Panasonic has served as secretariat of the Okayama Kibikogen Wheelchair Racing Competition in which athletes in wheelchairs and runners compete on the same course. Supported by a large number of volunteers including employees and local residents as well as companies and nonprofit organizations, the competition continues to expand each year, attracting over 1,190 athletes in 2005.