One Year after the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Life Innovation Container
donated to Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture

The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 again tested our resolve as a corporate citizen and our approach to risk management in unimaginable ways.

From the hours immediately after the disaster and continuing for the years to come, we are committing our employees, our resources, and our facilities to the recovery efforts. For example, we opened the facilities of our Panasonic Center in Ariake, Tokyo, for use as a shelter for more than 300 people the night of the earthquake, and to date, we have donated more than 900 million yen.

We have also committed our products and technologies, great and small, to the recovery effort. Among our donations are approx. 56,000 flashlights and solar LED lanterns, approx. 580,000 dry batteries, and one "Life Innovation Container" to Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture, one of the most affected areas of the disaster. The Life Innovation Container, which contains solar panels and power storage batteries, offered much-needed power to communication facilities.

We will continue to conduct such activities toward the reconstruction efforts. In the energystarved summer of 2011, we released for sale a new type of large-capacity lithium-ion storage battery system.

Just as with increasing our dedication to rapid innovation, the aftermath of the disaster has strengthened our resolve to focus on disasterprevention and review of business continuity plan (BCP). For example, at our factory in Fukushima Prefecture, we updated our BCP to include reinforcing the building, anchoring equipment to prevent it from falling over, and treating the windows so that the glass would not scatter when broken, among other measures. Additionally, in the procurement of important parts, we have adopted a policy of using multiple parts manufacturers located in different regions. We will apply this knowledge to other locations as well.