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020 JAPANESE BUSINESS SHOWCASETO ENRICH LIFE, FIRST PUT PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF INNOVATIONWe live in an age of creative destruction, a period ripe with paradigm shifts that are transforming lives and the role of business in the world. As a global company, Konica Minolta continuously stakes out new business challenges that we believe will make meaningful contributions to the society and the environment as a whole.   Indeed, this commitment is enshrined in our mid-term business plan TRANSFORM 2016, which sets growth and social contribution as the twin pillars of our business. Laser-focused on connectivity between business growth and care for the environment and quality of life, Konica Minolta is charting a path of socially responsible digital transformation. TURNING CORE TECHNOLOGIES INTO SOCIAL SOLUTIONSTo develop socially responsible businesses, Konica Minolta relies on a deep pool of core technologies. Our deep sense of responsibility is ingrained in our management vision: being a global company that is vital to society. I believe that as long as we maintain connection between business growth and social contribution, our connection to society will only grow stronger. Care Support Solution is a business Konica Minolta announced last year to help Japan meet the future needs of its super-aging society. Current statistics show that by 2025 one third of Japan’s population will be over the age of 65. This turning point, which is without historical parallel, threatens to leave Japan with a critical shortage of caregivers and overburdened care facilities. Our solution combines digital image processing and sensing technologies with smartphone platforms to streamline workflow at care facilities, dramatically reducing the load on caregivers. While our imaging and sensing technologies enable remote monitoring of elderly patients, smartphone apps are used for generating notifications and reports, and sharing information among staff, medical personnel, and the families of residents. These digital technologies give caregivers more time to do a better job, improving their own quality of life as well as that of the patients. As the decline of the working population in an aging society continues to rise in much of the world, including China and Europe, Konica Minolta’s Care Support Solution serves the needs of all. We are seeking for new ways to use our core technologies for social contribution in many areas. Using our material processing technologies, SHOEI YAMANA, PRESIDENT & CEO, KONICA MINOLTA, INCTop right: Konica Minolta President and CEO Shoei YamanaAbove: Care Support Solution transforms the work of caregiving, improving quality of life for caregivers and patientsBelow right: BIC drives open innovation with start-ups and academic institutions, giving shape to new ideas for business and society