Message from the President

  The Yamaha Group has chosen “CREATING 'KANDO' TOGETHER” as its corporate objective and endeavors to contribute to the enrichment of people’s lives and society through its business activities grounded in the field of sound and music.

  In Japan, relief and recovery following the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11, 2011 has become a major challenge. Since the earthquake, the Group has continued to support recovery by donating funds and materials for relief, sponsoring charity concerts and working with our network of dealers in the affected areas. Yamaha has also given its full cooperation to the School Music Revival project, an initiative organized by the musical instruments industry as a whole together with renowned musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, to support young children.

  We will continue with such efforts and strive to be of assistance in some small way to recovery in the devastated areas.

  Under the Yamaha Management Plan 125 (YMP 125), the Group’s medium-term management plan launched in fiscal 2010, Yamaha has established the management vision of becoming a trusted and admired brand whose core operations centered on sound and music as well as an achiever of growth through both products and services. In order to attain these lofty goals, we acknowledge the critical need to practice sound, transparent and sincere CSR management. Encapsulating this approach toward CSR, we formulated the Yamaha Corporation Group CSR Policy in February 2010. This policy reflects the aim of the Group’s CSR management to contribute to the development of musical culture and the enrichment of people’s lives. By continuing to provide products and services that meet the expectations of all customers who love music, we can better contribute to the development of musical culture and to the prosperity of people and society worldwide.

  As Yamaha develops operations on a global scale, we believe it is vital that we do our part to address the issues faced by local communities, together with such worldwide concerns as global warming and biodiversity. With this in mind, Yamaha publicly acknowledged its participation in and commitment to the principles of the Global Compact advocated by the United Nations in June 2011. Looking ahead, we will place considerable emphasis on activities that are best suited to the particular nature of our businesses guided by both the Yamaha Corporation Group CSR Policy and the 10 Principles of the Global Compact. Aiming to create an even better society, we will continue making efforts to tackle social issues such as by supporting cultural and educational development in each region, using raw materials more efficiently and reducing the environmental impact of our development and manufacturing activities. We will also support forest revitalization as a company that utilizes wood materials to manufacture its products.

  The Yamaha Group has adopted a two-tiered approach to presenting its stance toward and activities regarding CSR. This printed report provides key details of the Group’s principal activities in a concise manner that is easier to read and digest. More detailed information on the policies and programs that form the foundation of the Group’s CSR activities, as well as environmental performance data and other basic information is posted on the Group’s website.

  The 2012 CSR Report includes a special feature on our global music education business. In addition, this report has been configured in line with the five core components of the Yamaha Corporation Group CSR Policy, as with the 2011 issue, and reports on key initiatives related to each component.

  We welcome the opinions, comments, and inquiries of all readers.

June 2012

President and Representative Director,
Yamaha Corporation