Today, each of you has taken your first steps into the world as a member of Hitachi Cable. I look forward to seeing your great achievements as you utilize the knowledge and experience you have already accumulated.

Since the formation of Hitachi Cable-the wires and cables business spun-off from Hitachi, Ltd. half a century ago-we have made continuous contributions to society, through technologies for communicating information and energy, working to satisfy the expectations of our customers around the world. Thanks to the repeated efforts of a great number of people who joined the company before you, efforts such as development of new products and technologies, improved sales capabilities, and developing overseas businesses-we have grown into a company that boasted 510 billion yen in sales and more than 15,000 employees in the Fiscal 2007.

Last year, in which we marked the 50th anniversary of our spin-off from Hitachi, Ltd., was the year of the company's "second founding." In the same year, we also established a new company slogan-"Empowering Energy & Communication"-and a new corporate vision: "Devoting Ourselves to Peak Performance in Communication." These express the DNA inherited by Hitachi Cable, which has continued to supply the world with ever-improving communication technologies. I hope all of us will work hard together as one, based on an appreciation of the significance of this slogan and of this vision.

I have two hopes for all of you as our new associates. The first is that you will make an effort to enjoy the first job you are assigned. Although we have tried our best to assign each of you to a position suited to the goals you have told us about, even if you have not been assigned to the job you may have hoped for you will only learn the true enjoyment of work by working diligently at whatever task you have been assigned. The experience gained in the approach you adopted in your first task will be carried with you, no matter where you might end up or the duties you may perform-both of which may be shaped by the in-house job rotation, recruitment, or "free agent" schemes.

Secondly, I hope each of you will maintain the spirit of taking on challenges, without fear of failure. We can learn a lot from our mistakes. In order to learn better from experiences with failure, I hope each of you will first develop the habits of both independent thinking and active communication with those around you. These factors I believe are expressed through the founding ideals of Hitachi, Ltd.: harmony, fidelity, and the pioneer spirit.

Although when you start to work as a productive member of society your life will become even busier than it has been until now, I hope that each of you will not just bury yourselves in work but instead grow accustomed to your jobs without being overstressed and without ever giving up, and yet also be socially supported by, and provide support for, the other new recruits joining the company today, as well as your friends outside the company. Since you will spend most of each day at work, it is my fervent desire that you carry out your role in a cheerful, enjoyable, and energetic manner, while also growing into professionals who can provide value that exceeds our customers' expectations.

The induction ceremony for new Hitachi Cable associates was held at the Hitaka Works in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Pref., on April 2, 2007.

Number of new graduates hired in the past three years

	University graduates			Holders of post-graduate degrees (figures in parentheses represent numbers of PhD holders)			Total
	Clerical staff	Engineers	Total	Clerical staff	Engineers	Total	Clerical staff	Engineers	Total
FY 2006	18	5	23	5	21 (1)	26	23	26	49
FY 2007	13	12	25	1	17	18	14	29	43
FY 2008	17	8	25	2	22 (2)	24	19	30	49