Partnership Agreement Concluded with Yokohama National University and Forest Culture Association Regarding the Conservation and Activities of the Nature Coexistence Site "Tokiwa no Mori"

Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Takuji Nakamura) has recently concluded a partnership agreement with Yokohama National University (President: Izuru Umehara), a national university corporation, and the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Forest Culture Association (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Norio Odagiri; hereinafter referred to as "Forest Culture Association") for the purpose of conserving and developing "Tokiwa no Mori," which spreads across the university's Tokiwadai Campus (Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama City). Through the conservation and development of "Tokiwa no Mori," a site with rich biodiversity certified as a Nature Coexistence Site by the Ministry of the Environment, the company will work to maintain the local natural environment and promote environmental education for future generations.
Our group positions environmental conservation and regional coexistence as key areas in its "Toyo Seikan Group Social Contribution Activity Policy" and promotes initiatives for the realization of a sustainable society. As part of these efforts, we have agreed to the "30by30 Nature Coexistence Forest Creation Project" being carried out by the Forest Culture Association since 2024, leading to the conclusion of this partnership agreement. This project aims to raise funds from the private sector to regenerate and maintain forests and satoyama (traditional Japanese rural landscapes) across Japan.
For a period of five years, our company will make donations to support on-site surveys, conservation and maintenance activities, and the continuation of forest environmental education, utilizing the expertise of Yokohama National University, thereby contributing to the conservation of the natural environment of "Tokiwa no Mori," a vital satoyama that includes habitats for rare species. Furthermore, through collaboration with students, we will create opportunities for practical learning and local contribution on-site, promote the utilization of the area as a place of relaxation for residents and an environmental learning space for students and our group employees, and foster environmental awareness.
Our group will continue to work towards the realization of a sustainable society through social contribution activities.

### ■ About "Tokiwa no Mori"
The university's "Tokiwa no Mori" is the first environmental conservation forest established using the mixed and dense planting method developed globally by the late Professor Emeritus Akira Miyawaki. After 50 years since its establishment, a diverse range of organisms can be observed in this forest. In particular, the tree species composition, designed with the concept of "creating a hometown forest with hometown trees," centers on evergreen broad-leaved trees, which are the potential vegetation of Yokohama. It has been confirmed that a wide variety of flora and fauna, including rare species, inhabit and grow in this forest, which is a mixture of evergreen broad-leaved forests, deciduous forests, and grasslands, leading to its certification as a "Nature Coexistence Site" in 2024.
Furthermore, our integrated research laboratory, which is responsible for basic research and development, is located adjacent to "Tokiwa no Mori."

**About Yokohama National University (YNU)**
Yokohama National University was founded in 1949 as a new university based on four former schools...