Purpose of 348 Prime-Listed Companies Fully Disclosed: SMO's "PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST 2026"

[Must-See for Executives and Staff Considering Purpose Formulation or Philosophy Revision] An increasing number of companies are adopting "purpose" as their corporate philosophy each year. So, what kind of purposes are companies actually adopting, and which ones? Please refer to SMO's "PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST 2026," which lists the results of their extensive experience in formulating and disseminating purposes for numerous companies.

As a pioneer in purpose branding, SMO Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Mikiko Saito; hereinafter referred to as "SMO"), which has been consulting on corporate transformation based on purpose for approximately 15 years, has been surveying the corporate philosophies of all Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime-listed companies annually since 2022 and publicly releasing a list of statements from companies that officially espouse "purpose" or "Purpose."

This year, we surveyed the corporate philosophies and their designations of 1,569 Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime-listed companies and have now published the "PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST 2026."

● 348 Companies Officially Espouse Purpose, Accounting for 22.2% of All Companies

The results of the 2026 survey show that the number of companies officially espousing purpose increased to 348 from 337 in the previous year, accounting for 22.2% of all Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime-listed companies.

▼ The trend of SMO's ongoing survey results is as follows:

2022: 91 companies (4.9% / out of 1,839 companies)

2023: 164 companies (8.9% / out of 1,836 companies)

2024: 236 companies (14.3% / out of 1,650 companies)

2025: 337 companies (20.6% / out of 1,634 companies)

2026: 348 companies (22.2% / out of 1,569 companies)

This indicates that the movement for companies to explicitly state their philosophy and reason for existence as "purpose" is not limited to a few leading companies but is steadily expanding as a crucial theme in corporate management.

● About the "PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST 2026"

This list compiles the philosophies that companies officially espouse as "purpose" or "Purpose," along with their designations, based on publicly available information from all Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime-listed companies.

【Recommended for the following individuals】

・Companies considering revising their philosophy or formulating their purpose. ・Executives, and those in charge of corporate planning, human resources, and public relations departments. ・Individuals who wish to clarify the reason for their organization's existence and link it to management and organizational transformation. ・Those who want to grasp the latest trends in purpose-driven management.

PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST 2026

【URL】https://www.smo-inc.com/resources/

You can download it from the "Resources" page on the SMO website.

● Future Discussion Point: From "Espousing" to "Implementing"

The number of companies espousing purpose is increasing. However, the question going forward will not simply be whether a purpose is "espoused." It is becoming increasingly important to consider how the espoused purpose serves as a standard for corporate decision-making and actions, and how it is integrated into management strategy, business activities, organizational development, and the judgments and actions of each employee.

SMO positions the "PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST" as foundational data for understanding the spread of companies espousing purpose, while also advancing research and studies to capture the implementation status of purpose-driven management beyond that.

● Joint Research with Waseda University: Systematizing the Relationship Between Purpose and Corporate Management

As part of this effort, SMO is currently engaged in joint research with the Hirai Hirohisa Laboratory, supervised by Professor Emeritus Takahiro Ohno of Waseda University. This initiative aims to systematically clarify how purpose contributes to management by viewing purpose as the foundation supporting organizational consistency, social contribution, and corporate perpetuity across all aspects of corporate management.

In the future, in addition to identifying companies that have formulated their purpose through this list, we plan to sequentially announce survey results that capture the communication of purpose in integrated reports and its connection to understanding, empathy, and action within organizations.

SMO will present methodologies and insights as research outcomes to society for advancing from the stage of "espousing" purpose to its implementation in management and organizations.

● Commemorative Webinar Planned

To commemorate the release of the "PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST 2026," SMO plans to hold a webinar themed on the current state and future possibilities of purpose-driven management.

Based on the survey results of the "PURPOSE STATEMENT LIST 2026," this webinar will feature insights from SMO and researchers involved in the joint research on the spread of companies espousing purpose and the "implementation in management and organizations" that will be questioned in the future. It will also cover the relationship between purpose and corporate value, and the direction of future joint research.

Details such as the webinar outline and application methods will be announced on the SMO website and in our newsletter once they are finalized. If you would like to receive information about the webinar and future survey results on communication and organizational surveys, please subscribe to the SMO newsletter.

▶︎ Click here to register for the newsletter

● From Discovering Purpose to Its Dissemination and Realization

About 15 years ago, when few companies in Japan had introduced "purpose" into their corporate philosophy, SMO began advocating for purpose branding, which involves espousing an organization's reason for existence and conducting all management activities around it.

SMO supports the entire process for companies to become strong brands, from discovering their purpose to its dissemination and realization. For consultations on revising corporate philosophy, formulating purpose, or implementing dissemination measures, please contact SMO, which has extensive experience and a proven track record in supporting organizational transformation with its unique purpose branding methodology.

● About SMO

SMO Corporation, with its purpose of "Passing on the genuine to the future," has been a pioneer in purpose branding in Japan, providing consulting for corporate transformation centered on purpose for approximately 15 years. We help clients discover their purpose, support optimal dissemination to move in the same direction under a clearly defined purpose, and assist in creating a path toward purpose realization for organizations to become even stronger brands.

◎ Inquiries

SMO Corporation

15F CIC Tokyo, Toranomon Hills Business Tower, 1-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-6415

Tel: 03-6807-3949

Email: info@smo-inc.com

URL: https://www.smo-inc.com