Two Years Since New Banknotes Issued, Awareness of Shibasaburo Kitasato Rises to 79.7%, Trust to 94.9%. KITASATO Premium Award Transitions to "Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association" on its 1st Anniversary.

The Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Ryota Yoshimura) is pleased to announce that it has been established on July 3, 2026, and will commence operations under a new structure for the quality evaluation system "KITASATO Premium Award."

July 3, 2026, marks two years since the issuance of new banknotes featuring Shibasaburo Kitasato as the portrait, and exactly one year since the official launch of the KITASATO Premium Award.

In a survey conducted by the Japan Quality Evaluation Organization prior to its incorporation as a general incorporated association, awareness of Shibasaburo Kitasato was 79.7%, and trust in him as a person was 94.9%, both showing an increase from the 2025 survey.

As social interest and trust in Shibasaburo Kitasato continue to grow, the KITASATO Premium Award, on its first anniversary, will incorporate its trade name "Japan Quality Evaluation Organization" to become the "Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association," moving to a new phase.

In this new organization, Nobuaki Kitasato, Honorary Chairman of Kitasato Corporation, will serve as Honorary Chairman. Ryota Yoshimura (Representative Director of Tasukakeru Co., Ltd.) will serve as Representative Director, and Tomonori Uno (Representative Director of Kitasato Corporation) will serve as Director. While inheriting Shibasaburo Kitasato's spirit of "being useful to people," we aim to develop a quality evaluation system that clearly communicates the quality value of products and services to society.

Nobuaki Kitasato (Honorary Chairman, Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association / Honorary Chairman, Kitasato Corporation)

This is not a merger of the previous two companies, but the incorporation of the trade name.

The KITASATO Premium Award is a quality evaluation system that officially began accepting applications on July 3, 2025, evaluating the quality of products and services from an expert perspective and communicating it clearly to consumers.

Over the past year, the system has been operated under the common name "Japan Quality Evaluation Organization" by a two-company structure, with Kitasato Corporation as the management company and Tasukakeru Co., Ltd. as the operational management company.

The establishment of the Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association does not involve the integration of the previous two companies. It aims to further develop the system operations, review structure, brand value, and quality evaluation expertise cultivated by Kitasato Corporation and Tasukakeru Co., Ltd. as separate entities, under a legal entity with greater neutrality, continuity, and sociality.

Going forward, as the Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association, we will further enhance the transparency, fairness, and continuity of our system operations, and contribute to improving corporate quality, promoting the value of regional products, and creating an environment where consumers can confidently select products and services.

KITASATO Premium Award Initiatives Over the Past Year

The KITASATO Premium Award was launched with the aim of inheriting Shibasaburo Kitasato's spirit of "being useful to people" in the modern era and clearly communicating to consumers the quality efforts accumulated by companies.

Over the past year, we have established an expert review system, introduced a compliance check system for participating companies, announced the first award-winning products, operated special measures to support regional products, registered the system name as a trademark, and engaged in social contribution activities, thereby enhancing the reliability and continuity of the quality evaluation system.

In particular, in fields such as food, health foods, and regional products, we are developing a mechanism that comprehensively evaluates not only the quality of the product itself but also its manufacturing background, safety, corporate stance, and social contribution.

We aim for the system to serve as a reference indicator for consumers making decisions about "what to choose" from numerous products and services, and for companies to visualize their quality efforts from a third-party perspective.

Awareness and Trust in Shibasaburo Kitasato Increased in 2025 and 2026 Comparative Surveys

The Japan Quality Evaluation Organization conducted an awareness survey regarding Shibasaburo Kitasato on the first anniversary of the KITASATO Premium Award's launch.

In the 2026 survey, 79.7% of respondents answered that they "knew" the person featured on the new thousand-yen banknote, an increase of 3.3 percentage points from the 2025 survey.

Furthermore, 94.9% of respondents answered that they "trust" Shibasaburo Kitasato as a person, an increase of 4 percentage points from the 2025 survey.

Additionally, regarding Shibasaburo Kitasato's achievements, "dedicated to fostering and educating medical professionals and was involved in the establishment of Kitasato University" was cited 166 times, "succeeded in the world's first pure culture of the tetanus bacillus" 152 times, and "discovered the plague bacillus and was highly acclaimed worldwide" 151 times, indicating that Shibasaburo Kitasato's achievements are recognized from multiple perspectives.

These results suggest that not only is Shibasaburo Kitasato recognized as the portrait on the new thousand-yen banknote, but understanding and trust in his achievements and character have further increased over the past year.

Backed by this social trust, the KITASATO Premium Award will leverage Shibasaburo Kitasato's spirit in modern product and service evaluation, developing as a quality evaluation system that allows consumers to make choices with confidence.

[Survey Overview] Survey Date: July 1, 2026 Target Audience: Men and women nationwide, aged 20-60s Number of Responses: 500 Allocation: Equal allocation Survey Method: Internet survey Notes: Data cleaning based on response time excluded speeders. Survey Organization: Japan Standards Research Organization

Honorary Chairman's Comment

Nobuaki Kitasato / Honorary Chairman, Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association

Honorary Chairman, Kitasato Corporation

I am deeply honored to assume the position of Honorary Chairman of the Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association on this occasion, marking the first anniversary of the KITASATO Premium Award's launch.

July 3, 2026, marks two years since the issuance of new banknotes featuring Shibasaburo Kitasato as the portrait, and exactly one year since the official launch of the KITASATO Premium Award. On this milestone, I find it highly significant that "Japan Quality Evaluation Organization," which has been our trade name, is taking a new step as a general incorporated association.

Shibasaburo Kitasato valued applying his studies and research for the benefit of society throughout his life. I believe his spirit serves as an important guideline today when considering values such as health, safety, hygiene, quality, and trust.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the companies that participated in the KITASATO Premium Award and the review process in its first year. The support from companies genuinely committed to quality during the system's launch phase has been a great encouragement to our award.

The KITASATO Premium Award is a system that carefully evaluates the quality efforts accumulated by companies from an expert perspective and communicates them clearly to consumers. In an era overflowing with information, there is a growing need for a mark of trust that allows consumers to make choices with confidence.

I hope that companies interested in this award in the future will also utilize this system as an opportunity to convey the quality value and social significance of their products and services to a wider audience.

I will do my utmost to ensure that the Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association develops as a fair quality evaluation system connecting companies, regions, and consumers, and becomes a meaningful initiative for society.

About KITASATO Premium Award

The KITASATO Premium Award is a quality evaluation system that, based on Shibasaburo Kitasato's spirit of "being useful to people," has experts comprehensively evaluate the quality of products and services and communicate them clearly to consumers.

It confirms raw materials, safety, functionality, manufacturing background, legal compliance, corporate stance, social contribution, etc., on a comprehensive basis, and certifies products and services that meet certain standards.

This system aims to serve as a reference indicator for consumers to choose with confidence, and as an opportunity for companies to objectively visualize their quality efforts.

Outline of Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association

Organization Name: Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association Establishment Date: July 3, 2026 Honorary Chairman: Nobuaki Kitasato (Honorary Chairman, Kitasato Corporation) Representative Director: Ryota Yoshimura (Representative Director, Tasukakeru Co., Ltd.) Director: Tomonori Uno (Representative Director, Kitasato Corporation) Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo Business Activities: Planning and operation of quality evaluation systems, quality evaluation of products and services, research and investigation, information dissemination, support for regional products, social contribution activities, etc.

Inquiries Regarding This Matter

Japan Quality Evaluation Organization General Incorporated Association KITASATO Premium Award Management and Operations Secretariat Contact: Kubota / Kawahara Email: info@kitasato-premium-award.co.jp Official Website: https://kitasato-premium-award.co.jp/