Since its establishment, the Otsuka group's operations have had a deep connection to water, a resource essential to life. Through products that use water as a raw material, we have actively contributed not only to the treatment and prevention of diseases, but also the maintenance and promotion of health. We therefore recognize the importance of water to us as a resource, and consider its conservation to be a critical global issue. Moreover, water resources are unevenly distributed across different countries and regions, each of which faces different risks. We cooperate with all stakeholders, and conduct ongoing water conservation initiatives from intake to discharge (including cultivation of water resources, conscientious use and clean return), in the aim of sustainable water use.

Initiatives that Protect Water Sources^*1 through Forestry

The Otsuka group has signed a partnership agreement with Tokushima Prefecture's Tokushima Cooperative Forestry Project, taking part in intensive forest management that is focused on largescale forests covering 100 ha or more.

• *1Water source protection means nurturing and maintaining water resources, as well as using the natural capacity of forests to mitigate flooding and droughts. Forests soak up falling rain and snow, then allow that water to slowly flow into rivers as groundwater.