Announcement: Appointment of Former Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Official Kunitaka Sunami as Advisor

Proud Partners Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Ryuji Suzuki), which develops businesses for the introduction and retention support of Specified Skilled Workers, announces that Kunitaka Sunami, who has served in positions including Director (Office Chief) of the Construction Market Access Promotion Office, Construction Industry Division, Policy Bureau for Construction Economy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Research Director (Chief Economist) at the Construction Economy Research Institute, has been appointed as an advisor to the company effective March 1, 2026.

1. Advisor Appointment (Effective March 1, 2026) Kunitaka Sunami

2. Main Background and Objectives - Promotion of foreign employment in the construction, logistics, and shipbuilding/marine industries. - Strengthening of the management structure for the company's next phase of growth.

3. Biography of Mr. Kunitaka Sunami After graduating from the Department of Economics at the University of Tokyo, Mr. Sunami joined the former Ministry of Construction (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) in April 1985.

At the Ministry, he held key positions in the Policy Bureau for Construction Economy, the Land and Construction Industry Bureau, the National and Regional Policy Bureau, and the Hokkaido Development Bureau. He also served as First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in the United States, Research Director (Chief Economist) at the Construction Economy Research Institute, and Auditor at the Building Research Institute. He possesses extremely extensive knowledge of the construction industry. (Currently, he serves as an Advisor at Tokyu Land Corporation and Executive Director at the Environmental City Development Support Organization.)

[Image Caption: Mr. Kunitaka Sunami, Advisor to Proud Partners Co., Ltd.]

Mr. Sunami's Aspirations Upon Appointment as Advisor "The labor shortage in the construction industry is structural, not temporary."

The construction industry has experienced labor shortages many times since the war, but each time it shifted to a labor surplus due to economic downturns. In particular, because the period of stagnant demand following the collapse of the bubble economy lasted so long, it can be said that both the government and the industry were slow to take measures against the shortage of construction personnel.

Currently, the aging of construction workers is serious. When analyzing increases and decreases by age group, it is clear that the labor shortage since 2012 is not a temporary phenomenon caused by post-disaster reconstruction work or economic cycles, but a structural problem. In response, the government and the industry are working together to improve the treatment of construction workers and increase productivity, but the state of labor shortage will likely continue. Under these circumstances, the importance of the option of hiring foreign nationals will continue to increase.

I have seen the employment of foreign nationals even at construction sites directly managed by the government. There were young people working with great ambition, saying, "I want to study not only technology but also construction management in order to start a construction company in my home country."

I would be happy if I could contribute to the promotion of foreign employment that is beneficial not only to Japan, the receiving country, but also to the sending countries. (End)

About Proud Partners Co., Ltd. Proud Partners Co., Ltd. aims to realize a system where foreign nationals can work fairly and without borders, contributing to Japanese society. It is a top-class company in the industry with a track record of supporting 1,381 companies and 3,624 stores, with a total of over 5,700 personnel in the Specified Skilled Worker field, mainly in the construction and food service industries.

"You cannot choose where you are born, but you can choose where you live your life later."

We value this way of thinking and are developing our services with the goal of being a company that can support those choices.

Company Overview Company Name: Proud Partners Co., Ltd. Established: July 2012 Address: Shinjuku Headquarters (Shinjuku Front Tower 28F, 2-21-1 Kita-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) TEL: 03-5937-5812 FAX: 03-5937-5813 Business Description: 1) Specified Skilled Worker recruitment business, 2) Registered support organization business Representative Director: Ryuji Suzuki Capital: 100 million yen (as of June 2024) Number of Employees: 126 (including offshore members) HP: https://proudcorp.com/

Supplementary Explanation 1. About the Specified Skilled Worker System - System Overview: A Japanese residence status system created to accept foreign nationals with a certain level of expertise and skills in specific industrial fields where there is a serious labor shortage. Introduced in April 2019, as of 2025, residence status is recognized in 16 fields for Type 1 and 11 fields for Type 2. - Purpose: To secure foreign labor in fields where it is difficult to secure domestic human resources and to support the economy. - Residence Status (Visa Types): There are two types: Specified Skilled Worker (i) and Specified Skilled Worker (ii). Type (ii) requires higher expertise and skills than Type (i). ▼ Visa Types Specified Skilled Worker (i): Targets foreign workers with a certain level of knowledge or experience in specific industrial fields, evaluating their abilities through skill exams and Japanese language proficiency tests. Specified Skilled Worker (ii): Allows for longer-term residence when a Type (i) foreign worker possesses high expertise and skills and wishes to work in a Type (ii) field. - Fields: Industries closely tied to social infrastructure such as construction, shipbuilding/marine industry, agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, logistics, and nursing care. - Background of the System: Created to respond to the worsening labor shortage and to maintain the sustainability of the economic and social foundation.

Contact Information [Inquiries from customers regarding the recruitment of Specified Skilled Workers] https://proudcorp.com/contact/

[Inquiries from the press] Proud Partners Co., Ltd. President's Office (Contact: Aya Suzuki) Email: pr@proudcorp.com