As the expansion of the Internet has fueled the IT revolution and contributed to the globalization of everyday life and business, Japanese companies have engaged in fierce competition with their international rivals. The Hitachi Cable Group has enacted a variety of management measures in response to this environment; as a result, the Group is expected to post a surplus of 11 billion yen in ordinary income in fiscal year 2005.


The wisdom and abilities of our new associates, who are unencumbered by past experiences and habits (successful and otherwise), will prove indispensable in the continuing growth of Hitachi Cable Group. To this end, I ask that all of you take careful note and adopt the following two specific goals.


The first goal is to enhance your awareness and become accustomed to acting on your own initiative. Hitachi Cable is focused on ''monozukuri'', which consists of a wide variety of activities -- from development, design, and production to marketing and sales. The basic point of ''monozukuri'' is to provide products demanded by customers at a reasonable price at the right time. While we do this by organizing our departments functionally by research and development, design, production, sales, logistics, and maintenance, employees in all departments are required to keep abreast of a variety of global trends, to respond to these trends independently, and generally to view the company's future from a global perspective. In this context I ask that you continue to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of our customers worldwide.


The second goal I would propose is for each of you to work to enhance your own market value. You will learn your jobs under the guidance of your supervisors and mentors and you are expected to grow professionally as rapidly as possible, applying your newly developed abilities to the satisfaction of a range of customer needs. It is my hope that you will soon become professionals respected not only within the company but also throughout the world. Hitachi Cable provides various training programs, and last year we began implementation of an in-house staff recruitment system and an in-house ''free-agent'' system regarding rotation of work assignments, to ensure that our most ambitious employees will have ample opportunity to make the most of their abilities. I believe that all of you will take these opportunities to enhance your market value and to grow to become professionals in the global business environment.


I want Hitachi Cable to be a company you are proud of, a company that grows as we face today's challenges and overcome tomorrow's difficulties together. To that end, a continuous growth is a must, and I hope that all of us can help each other in the pursuit of our professional dreams and ambitions.


The induction ceremony for new Hitachi Cable associates was held at the Hitaka Works in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Pref., on April 1.

<Number of new university graduates hired in the past three years>

	Bachelor's degree holders			Master's degree holders (Ph.D. holders in parentheses)			Total
	Clerical staff	Engineers	Total	Clerical staff	Engineers	Total	Clerical staff	Engineers	Total
April 2003 recruits	9	11	20	4	21(0)	25(0)	13	32	45
April 2004 recruits	6	5	11	1	8(1)	9(1)	7	13	20
April 2005 recruits	16	5	21	4	21(1)	25	20	26	46

Note:

The number of new university graduates hired in 2006 is expected to be at the same level as in 2005.