Uchida Yoko 2026 Entrance Ceremony: President's Address on Navigating the 'Era of People and Data'

Uchida Yoko held its entrance ceremony today at its Shinkawa headquarters. The following is a summary of the address given by Noboru Okubo, President and Representative Director, to 79 new employees.

Short-term Prediction is Difficult in Any Era—Uchida Yoko Challenges the 'Era of People and Data'

Congratulations to all of you on joining the company. I sincerely welcome you as you join society today as members of Uchida Yoko and the Uchida Yoko Group.

Currently, major conflicts and political/social instability continue in various parts of the world, including the Middle East. Challenges such as the difficulty in obtaining petroleum-related resources and rising prices are becoming more severe. Furthermore, digital technology and AI are evolving at an unprecedented speed. With the global construction of AI data centers, securing semiconductors and energy to support them has become crucial. These changes call for further changes, making prediction difficult. While we must respond urgently to immediate issues, we must not forget to read long-range, large-scale changes as a flow and adapt accordingly. Looking back at history in Japan and around the world proves this point.

The major flow occurring now is a transformation where the very structure of society is being reconstructed around 'data.' We, Uchida Yoko, aim to play a role in creating new value by supporting environments for learning and working at the forefront of data utilization.

In 1910, Uchida Yoko was started in Dalian, China, by our founder, Kotaro Uchida, a former employee of the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu), as a company providing surveying and drafting equipment necessary for railway and city development. At that time, surveying and drafting equipment were essential tools for acquiring, organizing, and shaping data for urban planning and railway construction. Since our founding, we have combined 'data' with 'human expertise' for over 115 years, contributing to society by connecting people and data and converting them into value. No matter how much the times change, this essence remains the same.

In an era where unpredictable events occur one after another, supporting social trust is the role and mission that Uchida Yoko must fulfill.

What is required in the coming era is the power of people who can grasp changes and continue to turn them into value. It is essential to read these changes as a flow, understand their direction, and continuously update the places where people learn and work. We are looking toward this 'Era of People and Data.'

Our corporate vision, 'Designing the Value of Information and the Co-creation of Knowledge,' is the very embodiment of our will to create new value by multiplying human wisdom and data. Each and every one of you is a key player in this. Let us all board the same ship as the Uchida Yoko Group and build the foundation of a new society together.

Noboru Okubo

President and Representative Director

Uchida Yoko Co., Ltd.