Feature Article No.2: Together with Chinese Society

In 2001, Kyocera and the company founder Kazuo Inamori set up The Inamori-Kyocera Western Development Scholarship Fund with a donation to the China Friendship Peace & Development Fund, via the Japan-China Friendship Association. China's inland western districts have been left out of the economic growth taking place in the eastern coastal regions. The Chinese government has therefore set out a Western Districts Great Development policy to put the western districts on the path of economic growth. The Inamori-Kyocera Western Development Scholarship Fund supports the policy through development of human resources.

The Scholarship Fund is aimed at university students in China's western districts, who are outstanding in character and academically, but are economically disadvantaged. Financial support is provided to help them complete their studies and become fine human resources in their specialized fields. The goal of the fund is development of educational activity in China's western districts and the cultivation of human resources who will advance science and technology.

Every year, about 20 students are selected in each of the 12 universities in the western districts. So far, support has been provided for 2,436 people.

Wishing to promote the growth of Chinese boys and girls, as well as friendship between Japan and China, the Kyocera Group started a tour program to visit Japan called "the Friendly Exchange Mission of Chinese Children" in 1997.

The first tour group to visit Japan had 10 children from Shilong, in Dongguan City. The target areas have been expanded, and children are now being invited from Beijing City, Tianjin City, Shanghai City and Dongguan City. As many as 290 children have already visited Japan.

Tour groups visit Tokyo, Kyoto and other areas, where they experience Japanese culture. Tour participants have also spent two nights and three days in home-stays in Kagoshima, with Kyocera employees who concur with the aims of the tour and have opened their homes.

The Kyocera Group hopes the experience of different cultures will help the children participating in the tours grow up to become broad-minded leaders, as well as a bridge of friendship between Japan and China.

In 2001, Kyocera supported establishment of the Research Center of Kazuo Inamori's Management Philosophy, at the Japan Institute in Northeast Normal University (Changchun City, Jilin Province). The purpose of the Research Center is specialized research and broad dissemination of the management philosophy of Kyocera founder Kazuo Inamori.

The Research Center focuses on Kyocera as one of Japan's growth corporations and studies the management philosophy from an academic viewpoint. Research results are presented to the public.