Sustainability Activities (ESG)
Social Contribution Activities / Support for Communities
Basic Policy and Approach
Social Contribution Activities /
Support for Communities
Basic Policy and Approach
The Mitsubishi Estate Group has set out to "contribute to creating a truly meaningful society through urban development" as stated in its Group mission. The Group has also established the Mitsubishi Estate Group Code of Conduct to articulate the actions needed to implement the carrying out of this mission. Further, it has implemented the Mitsubishi Estate Group Guidelines for Conduct which set out the specific standards of conduct in order to realize "who we aspire to be, how we aspire to be perceived, and what we should do in order to achieve these aspirations," as established in the Code of Conduct. The Group Guidelines stipulate the realization of sustainability, and we endeavor to ensure continued enhancement of corporate value, sustainable social development, and conservation of the global environment by creating long-term value through sound business practices.
In addition, the Group established its Guidelines on Social Contribution Activities in April 2008, revising the Social Contribution Activity Philosophy (created in 1994) from viewpoints including changing social issues and the necessity of implementing Group-wide initiatives. Group companies abide by these guidelines when conducting their activities as they engage in their respective businesses.
We also implement community investment, engage with NGOs, and participate in initiatives to better contribute to the society. Our focus areas — harmony with the local community, support for culture and the arts, environmental conservation, and social welfare — are set out in the Group Guidelines and linked to the Group's business strategy.
Mitsubishi Estate Group Guidelines on Social Contribution Activities
- 1.Solutions to social issues together with corporate growth
As a good corporate citizen, we work to resolve social issues with the added benefit of achieving corporate growth through such activities. - 2.Development of activities characteristic of the Mitsubishi Estate Group
We carry out unique social contribution activities, both within and outside its business spheres, which are characteristic of the Group and utilize its management resources. - 3.Ties with community
We engage in transparent and fair activities in affiliation with various groups, based on equal footing, trust and dialogue. - 4.Priority areas
We prioritize harmony with the local community, support for culture and the arts, environmental conservation and social welfare.
Goals and Achievement Status
Goals and Achievement Status
In the Long-Term Management Plan 2030, the Mitsubishi Estate Group sets out sustainability, providing solutions for the social issues of the times, as one of the focuses of its provision of value through business activities. As such, the Group has established the Mitsubishi Estate Group 2030 Goals for the SDGs in order to guide its actions in this area. The Group aims to achieve the policies and targets it has set out under the four key themes of the environment, diversity & inclusion, innovation, and resilience.
The Group will also promote initiatives with an eye on these key themes in its social contribution activities. We will engage in autonomous activities in the areas of harmony with local communities, support for culture and the arts, environmental conservation, and social welfare, the four priority areas under the Mitsubishi Estate Group Guidelines on Social Contribution Activities. In addition, we will work to enhance the value of the neighborhoods and create economic benefits through partnership and collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including NGOs, NPOs, and the public and private sectors, while continuing to contribute to solving social issues by joining and supporting a variety of organizations.
Supporting Employee Volunteer Activities
Programs to Support Employee Volunteer Activities
The Mitsubishi Estate Group is working to create an environment that makes it easy for people to volunteer, such as by establishing Volunteer Support Programs available to employees including Group companies.
Overview of Main Programs
| Program | Overview |
|---|---|
| Days off for volunteering | Employees can use their accumulated days off (special PTO) for volunteering |
| Social learning | Employees can volunteer during working hours |
| Volunteer insurance* | The company provides insurance that compensates for accidents during volunteering (also for family members) |
| Activity fee subsidy* | The company partially subsidizes volunteer participation and travel expenses (also for family members) |
| Subsidy program for volunteer’s travel expenses to disaster-affected areas* | The company partially subsidizes travel expenses for volunteering related to disasters covered under the Disaster Relief Act (also for family members) |
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- Program including Group company employees
See the following for the usage results of these programs.
ESG Data > S: Social data > (2) Other > 2. Diversity > Number of employees using personnel programs
Initiatives related to the health and wellbeing of visitors and tenant workers>EAT&LEAD — Providing Opportunities to Build "Standards of Value for Happiness" through Food
Initiatives Related to the Health and Wellbeing of Visitors and Tenant Workers
Megourmake Project Aiming to Build Enriched Relationships Between Regional and Urban Communities through Food and Agriculture
Mitsubishi Estate is developing facilities to support business and industries related to food and agriculture in the Uchikanda 1-chome Project (tentative name) scheduled for completion in 2025. Ahead of the opening of these facilities, in partnership with Loftwork Inc., SIGMAXYZ Inc., and 70seeds, Inc., Mitsubishi Estate has initiated the Megourmake Project to support the endeavors of the regional producers and processors for the food industry, agriculture, fisheries, and livestock industry of the future.
In collaboration with regions throughout Japan, including Miyazaki City in Miyazaki Prefecture, we will provide support for the players involved in food and agriculture to co-create and take on challenges by holding “table conferences” in regional areas so that local communities can learn from one another and create new inter-regional relationships. In a further expansion of the scope of activities, we held the Beyond Local - Our Community Building Summit in Oga City in Akita Prefecture in March 2023 as an event for disseminating information on the challenges of regional revitalization in various parts of Japan. The Megourmake Project will encourage interaction between the producers who nurture rural communities and the consumers who live in urban communities and contribute to the development of rich food culture and an enriched society by expanding hubs for food and agriculture co-creation and networks with local governments nationwide.
Initiatives Related to the Health and Wellbeing of Visitors and Tenant Workers
EAT&LEAD — Providing Opportunities to Build "Standards of Value for Happiness" through Food
Mitsubishi Estate launched the Food Education Marunouchi Initiatives, a project addressing urban and food issues in 2008. The company has since developed numerous food-related programs in the area working in partnership with producers, consumers, and restaurants with the aim of creating a physically and mentally healthier society. These initiatives include the inauguration of the Marunouchi Chef's Club*1 and Will Conscious Marunouchi*2, as well as hosting more than 200 events in the Marunouchi area.
With the desire to continue to lead and set the pace for the development of venues where each individual can achieve personal happiness and growth through healthy eating habits, Mitsubishi Estate is relaunching the project under the name EAT&LEAD.
Under the EAT&LEAD project, Mitsubishi Estate will develop a variety of workshops and programs dealing with food based on the three actions of increasing receptivity to food, increasing awareness of food consumption, and raising understanding of the cycle of support and growth. The aim is to help each individual examine their own measure of happiness and create opportunities for them to enhance self-fulfillment while creating a richer future together. EAT&LEAD will be based at MY Shokudo Hall & Kitchen, a hall with an attached kitchen nestled on the 3rd floor in TOKYO TORCH Tokiwabashi Tower (completed June 30, 2021) located in front of the Nihombashi Exit of Tokyo Station. Mitsubishi Estate will nurture connections among food professionals, rural regions, and consumers while promoting programs designed to pinpoint changing values and address social issues yet to be explored.
- Marunouchi Chef's Club
Chaired by Yukio Hattori, who is actively involved in a wide variety of food-related fields, and mainly composed of chefs who own restaurants in the Marunouchi area, the Marunouchi Chef's Club was established in February 2009 with the aim of proposing and disseminating ideas about food. - Will Conscious Marunouchi
A project aimed at supporting working-age women to learn together about the options for a more fulfilling future. In partnership with various companies, the goal is to create a model case for a society that enables women to work long term in good health through urban development while building upon the knowledge and opinions obtained from the Marunouchi Infirmary survey.
The Marunouchi Infirmary for Working Women
The Marunouchi Infirmary for Working Women
Mitsubishi Estate is promoting the “Marunouchi Infirmary" as part of its "Will Conscious Marunouchi" project to help working women shape their future. The "Marunouchi Infirmary," born from the voices of women working in Marunouchi, is an activity to improve health literacy and provide health support to promote understanding of PMS, pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, and other issues that affect women in the workplace as well as in their own bodies and minds.
Through these activities, we are promoting well-being in urban development by working not only with our company but also with other companies that support our efforts to create a comfortable working environment and culture for women, so that working women can broaden their options in their changing life stages.
Example of Initiatives 1: Supporting Health Literacy Improvement in Urban Development
The "Online Marunouchi Infirmary" offers online seminars for both men and women to learn about women-specific health care and promote mutual understanding, as well as consultation and counseling services to promote health support for both business and general visitors.
Example of Initiatives 2: Visualization of Health Issues of Working Women Faced by Companies
“Working Women’s Health Score,” a measure that visualizes the health and working environment surrounding female employees through data of 14 companies, mostly in Marunouchi area. “Working Women’s Health Score is jointly developed by our company and Femmes Médicaux, a women's healthcare consulting firm that provides solutions to contemporary women's health issues area.
Our company and Femmes Médicaux plan to widely promote the "Working Women's Health Score and a service that identifies issues," which uses this score to visualize women's issues faced by companies and propose solutions.
- With the cooperation of Kanagawa University of Human Services, survey items were developed based on epidemiological surveys, and approximately 3,400 women responded via the human resource departments of 14 participating companies
Area Management Led by the Council for Area Development and Management of Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho
Building Communities
Area Management Led by the Council for Area Development and Management of Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho
In July 2018, the Council for Area Development and Management of Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho (OMY Council), which is made up of landowners in the Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho districts (also known collectively as "OMY area"), celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding. Mitsubishi Estate serves as the presiding company of the Council. For more than 30 years, since the establishment of its predecessor organization in July 1988, the Council has set up infrastructure for urban space as well as promoting safe and secure urban planning that is sustainable and resilient in the wake of disasters. The objective is to create communities by developing and utilizing urban spaces appropriately and effectively.
The NPO OMY Area Management Association (also known as "Ligare") was also established in 2002, with the goal of raising the area's value not only through the creation of physical facilities and spaces, but also via social initiatives, including the provision of corporate networking events, generation of local vitality, managing banners in the area, and support for the operation of community buses. Ligare manages Urban Terrace, in which the street space on Marunouchi Naka-Dori Avenue opened for pedestrians, allowing them to enjoy various events on the streets. It has also extended the scope of its activities to include Destination Marketing/Management Organization (DMO) Tokyo Marunouchi, which aims to invite international conferences and other meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) to the area.
In addition, the Association for Creating Sustainability in Urban Development of the Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho Districts (also known as the "Ecozzeria Association") works on business creation aimed at realizing a sustainable society. The association operates the 3×3 Lab Future, a hub for interaction in the community, that is a "third place," neither home nor office, and holds seminars and workshops on a variety of social issues such as the environment and energy, regional revitalization, women's empowerment, and biodiversity. 3×3 Lab Future generates cycles of innovation by creating interaction between diverse human resources cutting across industry and sector boundaries, including government and academic institutions as well as private-sector companies.
Urban Terrace
Marunouchi Naka-Dori Avenue becomes increasingly important as the center of the area's vitality (left: around 1967; right: around 2018)
Council for Area Development and Management of Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho
Initiatives to Connect with Community and the Next Generation under the TOKYO TORCH Project
Initiatives to Connect with Community and the Next Generation under the TOKYO TORCH Project
Tokiwabashi bridge clean-up, the first event in the Japan Nationwide Bridge Project
Mitsubishi Estate completed construction on the Tokiwabashi Tower in June 2021 as the first step in the TOKYO TORCH (Tokyo Station Tokiwabashi Project), a development project underway at the Nihonbashi Exit of Tokyo Station. It has been implementing a variety of initiatives aimed at the completion of the entire project in 2027 and the more distant future in line with the five keywords of "sustainable," "socializing," "smart," "sightfeeling," and "story."
Under the Japan Nationwide Bridge Project, Mitsubishi Estate works in partnership with 47 Kai* and tours well-known bridges in all 47 Japanese prefectures to hold bridge clean-up events. The aim of the project is to develop new communities through the clean-up events, and to help make Japan and its regional areas vibrant as the social circles created through the events expand. The project kicked off in November 2018 and had toured eight locations as of November 2019.
- 47 Kai: An association that aims to act as a liaison between local public servants in Japan's 47 prefectures and central government ministries and agencies
18 Another Japan first term settler students
Mitsubishi Estate has also been implementing initiatives aimed at young people who will lead the next generation based on the theme of connecting the next generation with resources, material things, knowledge, experience, and thoughts we want to pass on. In 2019, Mitsubishi Estate hosted sixth-grade students from Tsubame City Tsubame-higashi Elementary School at the TOKYO TORCH presentation room and held the Children and Adults Dream Exchange Program.
Together with Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, a traditional craft shop based in Nara Prefecture, boasting 300 years of history, Mitsubishi Estate launched the Another Japan joint project in the urban center in summer 2022. This shop will sell regional specialties, using university students from all 47 prefectures of Japan divided into six groups acting as management, handling everything from purchasing to customer service and sales. The experience gained here will teach them about regional areas and management, in hopes of helping them choose their own hometowns as future places to work. This will in turn bring true revitalization to these communities with the aim of making it a place that creates a beneficial cycle for making Japan a better place.
"Experience Nature" Project Brings Together Urban and Rural Communities
"Experience Nature" Project
In 2008, the Mitsubishi Estate Group began the “Experience Nature” Project with the NPO Egao Tsunagete (which literally means “connecting smiles” in Japanese), located in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, with the goal of creating a society where urban and rural communities pool their resources and help to revitalize one another.
With this project, in addition to working with the local government to promote effective use of Yamanashi Prefecture-produced timber, employees help to cultivate and restore abandoned farmland to produce sake-grade rice using agricultural methods that do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Since 2010, the company has been working with local sake breweries and long-established confectionery stores to create new products by processing the sake-grade rice harvested through cooperative efforts into various forms, such as junmai-shu sake Marunouchi and confectionery made from sake lees. These activities and products symbolize Mitsubishi Estate’s sustainability efforts and have been utilized in a variety of settings.
In fiscal 2017, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the project, junmai-shochu Otemachi, a distilled rice liquor, was released. Of the harvested sake-grade rice, the rice that did not meet the standard for junmai-shu sake was effectively utilized to produce the junmai-shochu. This shochu was developed with a brewery in Hokuto City using natural yeast (hanakoubo) obtained from sunflowers, the official flower of Hokuto City, in collaboration with the Department of Fermentation Science at Tokyo University of Agriculture.
During the course of each year’s sake-grade rice cultivation, we conduct hands-on rice planting and harvesting tours for Group employees. These tours have evolved into an opportunity for learning about the SDGs by fostering environmental awareness and deepening understanding of biodiversity issues.
Official Partner of the Japanese Para-Sports Association
Official Partner of the Japanese Para-Sports Association
Mitsubishi Estate became the official partner of the Japanese Para-Sports Association, also known as the JPSA, in April 2019.
The JPSA was established as the umbrella group for promoting the growth of parasports in Japan thanks to the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics Games. The Mitsubishi Group supports the JPSA cause of creating a vibrant, inclusive society, and together with the JPSA is actively engaged in efforts to grow para-athlete sports. Group employees also support parasports events as volunteers and spectators to add to the excitement.
Providing Housing for Extremely LowIncome Families
Providing Housing for Extremely LowIncome Families
TA Realty partnered with Heading Home in 2021 in an effort to help Heading Home address the growing homelessness issue in the city of Boston. Heading Home is one of the city’s largest providers of emergency, transitional and permanent housing for extremely low-income individuals and families. Heading Home not only provides shelter but also works with their clients to understand the root causes of homelessness and provides support (financial coaching, resume building, child support resources, etc) to help that individual or family on their successful path out of homelessness.
Heading Home’s Up & Out, the volunteer opportunity in 2021, paired a group of TA Realty employees with a Heading Home client and her two young daughters who were being moved out of a shelter and into their very own home. Volunteers were responsible for purchasing all of the items for the apartment (furniture, decorations, toys, cleaning supplies and food) and then spent the day cleaning and decorating the apartment. The day ended with TA Realty employees handing the keys to the home over to Heading Home’s client. TA Realty’s contribution to this move allowed the client to move into a space that already felt like home, reducing all associated financial burdens, and ending their homelessness.
TA Realty will continue to build partnership with Heading Home to create more volunteer opportunities within the community that we live and work in.
Support for Culture and the Arts>Operating the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo
Support for Culture and the Arts
Operating the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo
Mitsubishi Estate operates the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo in the Marunouchi area of Tokyo. It presents three different exhibitions each year focusing on modern art dating from the late 19th to early 20th century. The museum is housed in a stately red brick building that was constructed in 1894 by Mitsubishi — the first office building in Marunouchi — and then restored in 2009. The museum opened in spring the following year. It was designed by the English architect Josiah Conder at the invitation of the Japanese government. Some of the building's original architectural components, such as the stone handrails for the staircases, have been reused.
Exterior of Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo
Restored bank lobby now in use as Café 1894
Former bank lobby
Museum for All Project to Make the Museum Accessible to All
Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum has been holding “Empathy Week” coinciding with Human Rights Week since 2017 with the aim of creating a spirit of caring and empathy in an environment where people with and without disabilities can share an appreciation of art. In December 2021, the museum launched the new Museum for All Project, which is being implemented in stages with the aim of making visitors feel more familiar with the museum.
Fiscal 2022 Museum for All Project Initiatives
- Implementation of two demonstration experiments utilizing local 5G environment
(1) Voice mixed reality (MR) art appreciation experience “Participatory Voice Story at the Vallotton Exhibition Powered by Oto Rea”: Provided visually impaired people with a highly immersive experience using wearable speakers
(2) Remote art appreciation using JackIn Head, a wearable system that can capture and transmit the entire 360-degree surroundings: Verified the potential for people who have difficulty visiting the museum to enjoy an exhibition through two-way communication between participants.
Going forward, the museum will continue with activities aimed at making it accessible to a wide variety of people.
Note:
The museum will be closed from April 10, 2023 until autumn 2024 for replacement of equipment and building maintenance. Future initiatives of the Museum for All Project will be announced once they are finalized.
Fiscal 2022 Museum for All activities report (Japanese only)
La Folle Journée Tokyo
La Folle Journée Tokyo
La Folle Journée Tokyo is a classical music festival held at the Tokyo International Forum since 2005. Staged at various venues in the heart of Tokyo during the Golden Week holidays, the festival has established itself as a new-style music event and has contributed to vitalizing the Marunouchi area and sharing its culture. Mitsubishi Estate has participated as a sponsor since its inception and has helped organize associated classical music programs in the Marunouchi area, at venues such as the Marunouchi and Shin-Marunouchi Buildings. The entire area is involved in the music festival and has been working to create an attractive and vibrant neighborhood.
In fiscal 2023, in conjunction with La Folle Journée Tokyo 2023 being held for the first time in four years mainly at Tokyo International Forum, Mitsubishi Estate held around 60 free-of-charge classical concerts at eight venues in the Marunouchi area during the period. In 2019, the area concerts attracted around 50,000 visitors. For the first time in four years, classical music enveloped the Marunouchi area with the diverse world of Beethoven, the theme of the 2023 event. Mitsubishi Estate will continue to develop a variety of culture and art events and disseminate information in the Marunouchi area in the future to promote further revitalization of the neighborhood.
See below for initiatives in fiscal 2023.
Holding the La Folle Journée Tokyo 2023 Marunouchi Area Concerts (Japanese only)
Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi
Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi
Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi aims to discover, nurture, and support the talent of young artists, and to contribute to enlivening the area through art. Graduation and diploma projects created by undergraduate and master course students at major art universities around Japan are selected and exhibited in the Marunouchi area (the Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho districts). Awards are given to talented artists with great future prospects. Since this award was established in 2007, it has functioned as a gateway for young artists. The exhibition has resulted in artists participating in individual and group exhibitions, and some are active in various fields. Mitsubishi Estate has been a special sponsor, with the Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. Prize established in fiscal 2012.
Going forward, we will continue our activities supporting artists aimed at creating a place for the discovery and active participation of new talent.
See the following for initiatives in fiscal 2022.
GEIDAI ARTS in Marunouchi
Mitsubishi Estate has held GEIDAI ARTS in Marunouchi in partnership with Tokyo University of the Arts since 2007. This event supports young, up-and-coming artists and provides visitors to the Marunouchi area the opportunity to enjoy fine arts through various types of experiential art events. In fiscal 2022, in addition to exhibitions of award winning works and performances by 12 young, up-and-coming artists who had studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and won the Mitsubishi Estate Prize*1, the 16th event was held for students of the university to widely communicate their diverse and innovative ideas, techniques, and intellectual powers and to allow enjoyment of widely varied art. Mitsubishi Estate will continue to promote further revitalization of the Marunouchi area by creating opportunities that connect art, people, and the neighborhood and allow many people to enjoy art.
- An award to support young artists conferred on graduates from Tokyo University of the Arts with outstanding academic results, selected from among those deemed to be worthy leaders of culture and art disseminated from Marunouchi. The award was established in 2008 and was conferred on a total of 12 graduates with six from the Faculty of Fine Arts and six from the Faculty of Music.
See the following for initiatives in fiscal 2022.
Holding of GESIDAI ARTS in Marunouchi 2022 (Japanese only)
- Programs were held with adequate measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19, including temperature checks and disinfection, ensuring social distancing among performers and staff, and restricting the number of people entering venues.
Supporting Orchestras
Mitsubishi Estate has supported the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, as a special corporate supporter since 1991 as one facet of its continuing support for culture and fine arts. Mitsubishi Estate has also supported the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra as a special member since 1998, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra as a corporate supporter since 2007.
MAGUS, a Platform for Japan's Art Scene
In March 2021, Mitsubishi Estate, Warehouse TERRADA, TSI Holdings Co., Ltd., and Tokyu Corporation formed a consortium and established MAGUS Co. as a platform provider specializing in information, with the aim of connecting people and companies through art-related media and to create a new community and new economic zone for art.
While "art" is becoming a keyword of the times in Japan, the reality is that the domestic art market is still small relative to the size of the economy. By proactively connecting the world with Japan and buyers with creators, MAGUS will contribute to making art more accessible and transforming society so that companies and individuals support artists and purchase their work on a daily basis. The company will operate business consulting and seminars that utilize art for business and develop a media business that communicates the diverse enjoyment of art.
Mitsubishi Estate has been incorporating art into urban development for many years, believing that art is not only culture but also promotes communication and awareness among workers, which frees their thinking and leads to tolerance for diverse values. Through its investment in MAGUS, Mitsubishi Estate will continue to utilize art in urban planning and development and strengthening relationships with customers going forward with the aim of creating an enriched society.
Social Welfare>Basic Policy and Approach in Urban Development
Social Welfare
Basic Policy and Approach in Urban Development
The Mitsubishi Estate Group has set out to "create a truly meaningful society" as its Group Mission by "building attractive, environmentally sound communities where people can live, work and relax with contentment," based on the Three Principles, which is the management philosophy of the Mitsubishi Group.
In order to further promote this mission, the Mitsubishi Estate Group focuses on sustainability in urban development, including urban regeneration, taking into consideration social needs such as disaster preparedness and barrier-free access in all properties as part of the planning phase and guide the development and operation phase as well as the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases and thereby allowing diverse people — regardless of nationality, race, color, language, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political or other opinions, national or social origins, property, disability, birth, class, or other status — to live, work and relax with contentment.
Moreover, to facilitate use by many people, we consider access to public transport during design and development stages in all properties as we select development sites and make investments. We also consider planning and design that allows individual users to live in comfort when proceeding with development and refurbishment.
Supporting Children with Disabilities through Kira Kira Art Competition
Supporting Children with Disabilities through Kira Kira Art Competition
Mitsubishi Estate established the Kira Kira Art Competition in 2002, with the desire to support the full potential of children with disabilities.
The Award for Excellence-winning works, which are selected through a screening process, are exhibited at nine venues across Japan, from Sapporo to Fukuoka, and all entries, including the Award for Excellence-winning works, are published on the dedicated website. Since fiscal 2021, in collaboration with OMY SDGs ACT5, we have been holding the Marucube Judging Session at the Marunouchi Building with the participation of workers and visitors in the Marunouchi area (the Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho districts). Rather than inviting the winners and their families to Marunouchi Building Hall, a virtual award ceremony has been held since fiscal 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where winners from all over the country came together online.
What deserves note about this art competition is that past submissions have been featured in publications, including pamphlets and calendars for corporations. Moreover, some of the winners of this competition are registered as an artist with Artbility*, an art library operated by the social welfare corporation Tokyo Colony, as they continue to develop their creative activities. An exhibition featuring works by these Artbility artists was held at the same time as the Award for Excellence exhibition at the Tokyo venue.
In addition, in August 2022, as a project related to the competition, Mitsubishi Estate and Takamatsu Airport co-hosted a workshop for experiencing the enjoyment of art. Artists registered with Artbility were invited as lecturers and created paintings together with local children. The completed works were exhibited at the Marucube Judging Session and some of the exhibition venues, in addition to Takamatsu Airport.
The competition is an opportunity to appraise and discover the rich talents of disabled children, and Mitsubishi Estate continues to provide support with the hope of expanding the breadth of artistic activities and helping them thrive.
- An art library established in April 1986 by Tokyo Colony, a Kira Kira Art Competition partner, to help people with disabilities gain income and increase social inclusion. The library currently stocks about 6,000 works by some 200 artists. The works are lent out for a fee for use in publications and other media.
Kira Kira Art Competition (Japanese only)
Outline of the 21st (fiscal 2022) Kira Kira Art Competition
| Call for artwork (July-September) | A total of 1,147 submissions were received |
|---|---|
| Judging (October) | 299 people took part over two days in the Marucube Judging Session, and 45 people took part in online judging (voting based on images of the artworks) |
| Exhibition of Award for Excellence winners (November 2022-February 2023) | The 50 Award for Excellence winners were exhibited at nine venues across Japan (Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, and Fukuoka) |
| Award ceremony (November) | Held online. Award for Excellence winners and representatives from their schools were invited to attend the ceremony virtually, which included messages from the judges, a broadcast from the exhibition venue for the winning works, and an introduction of works by the award winners. |
| Judges | O JUN (artist; professor emeritus, Tokyo University of the Arts) Michiko Aoyagi (associate professor, Tokyo University of the Arts; pedagogy researcher) Katsuya Nishida (graphic designer, Katsuya Nishida Design Office) Hirokazu Takahashi (director, Artbility, Tokyo Colony) Junichi Yoshida (President & CEO; Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.) Reiichi Noguchi (senior curator; Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo) * Titles and affiliates are as of the time the 21st competition was held. |
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| Highlights |
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Exhibition at Marunouchi Building, Tokyo
First round of judging
Marucube Judging Session
Workshop held at Takamatsu Airport
- The exhibitions and other events were held with adequate measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19, which included temperature checks and disinfection, ensuring social distancing among staff, and restricting the number of people entering the venue.
The “Mitsubishi Estate Shall We Concert” Brings Live Music to Children with Disabilities
Mitsubishi Estate holds the Mitsubishi Estate Shall We Concert (visiting concert) for students at special needs schools, who have few opportunities to leave their school and experience live music. This reflects our viewpoints of supporting culture and fine arts, along with social welfare, two of the priority fields of Mitsubishi Estate's social contribution activities. The goals of this concert are for professional musicians to visit these schools to share the fun and charm of music, and to provide opportunities for children to learn about instruments and music. These concerts started in fiscal 2004, and were held at three schools in fiscal 2022, bringing live music to a total of 102 schools and more than 10,000 students to date.
Mitsubishi Estate works together with schools to decide the concert programs. These are not limited to classical music, as they sometimes include music from Studio Ghibli or Disney films, songs students learn in school, and school songs. These events also include opportunities for students to engage in group performances together and see musical instruments up close. The concerts also include explanations of the compositions and instruments between performances. The students experience the music by singing, dancing, or clapping in tune with the rhythm.
In fiscal 2022, we held a Marunouchi Shall We Concert, which was a spin off from the visiting concert, for OMY SDGs ACT5, the area collaboration project that promotes activities aimed at achieving the SDGs starting with the Marunouchi area (the Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho districts). With cooperation from Tokyo International Forum, we invited around 100 students from special needs schools. It was an opportunity for the students to enjoy the music in an authentic concert hall while interacting with students from other schools.
Fiscal 2022 schools with visiting concerts
Tokyo Metropolitan Shiinoki Special Needs Education School
Tokyo Metropolitan Higashikurume Special Needs Education School
Tokyo Metropolitan Musashidai Gakuen Special Needs Education School
Performers
- Japan-Austria Cultural Association (oboe, flute, trumpet, piano)
- NPO Triton Arts Network “Tokotonton!” (percussion trio)
Visiting concerts
Fiscal 2022 schools invited to the Marunouchi Concert
Tokyo Metropolitan Nakano Special Needs Education School
Tokyo Metropolitan Itabashi Special Needs Education School
Performers
- NPO Triton Arts Network “Tanbrass” (trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, drums)
Marunouchi Concert
Table for Two Delivering School Lunches to Children in Developing Countries
Table for Two Delivering School Lunches to Children in Developing Countries
Sparkle, the employee cafeteria at the Head Office of Mitsubishi Estate, has been taking part in Table for Two, a program that supports children in developing countries since 2018, and encourages employees to help solve social issues through the purchase of eligible beverages and lunch menu items.
Table for Two is an initiative being run by the non-profit organization Table for Two International. The program aims to help improve the health of people in both developing and developed countries simultaneously. When eligible health-conscious menu items are purchased, 20 yen per meal is donated and the contribution is utilized toward providing school lunches for children in developing countries in Africa and Asia. The donation for one meal is the equivalent of one school lunch for the children.
Donated amount: From the introduction of the program up to March 2023, there had been donations of 820,140 yen, equivalent to 41,007 meals.
Mitsubishi Estate was recognized by TABLE FOR TWO as a Bronze Partner for its support in 2022.
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