Please tell us about the activities of Auditorand what you keep in mind when conducting audits.

Focusing on the report from SuzukiAuditor, we will check what is happening at KIMOTO now, and if there are any frays in the process, we will point them out and give advice while they are small. In addition, when disclosing after the settlement of accounts, we check the details in detail to ensure that there are no mistakes. I originally came from a securities company, so as a financial person, I try to audit whether KIMOTO, a listed company, is complying with compliance, and whether it is making clean and clear disclosures from the investor's point of view.
Additionally, once a year, we conduct interviews with the staff and tours of the manufacturing processes at the factories in Mie and Ibaraki. We also get to see the rice fields and dahlias at Kimoto Farm.

What is your image of KIMOTO?

You can feel history and reform at the same time.
As a manufacturing company, we have a long history of craftsmanship, but we do not rest on our laurels and continue to challenge ourselves with new innovations. That’s the image we have.
I believe that President Kimoto and everyone in their respective positions have the mindset of finding new things without being bound by precedents and catching up with what fits this era.

Please tell us about your expectations for KIMOTO, now that five new directors have been appointed.

I had a strong impression that the veteran directors had been working together to lead the company, so I personally thought that one of KIMOTO's challenges was how to pass the baton to the younger generation. In that sense, I feel that the transition has been handled very smoothly. I have great expectations that, in addition to management based on the experience of the previous directors, the company will now be led with a fresh perspective.

*All of the above information is current at the time of the interview (August 2020).