.I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our member organizations for their continued support and cooperation in the management of the Association's operations.

 First of all, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred on New Year's Day in 2024, causing extensive damage. I would like to once again offer my deepest sympathies to all those affected by the disaster and my sincere wishes for the earliest possible recovery of the region.
 In the aftermath of the earthquake, our member organizations made efforts to expedite and simplify payments of mutual aid and benefits, for example, by omitting some of the documents required for various administrative procedures for claiming mutual aid and by omitting the requirement for the attendance of policyholders at the scene of the disaster and played a major role in helping the people affected rebuild their lives while working closely with their members and users.
 In order to support the efforts of these member organizations, the Association has also been actively promoting cooperation among its members and providing opportunities for information sharing.

 While Japan's social and economic activities have been moving toward normalization since the level of novel coronavirus infections was lowered to category 5 in May last year, the environment surrounding Kyosai business is changing drastically, with a declining population due to a falling birthrate and aging population, more severe and frequent natural disasters, and advances in AI and automated driving technology.
 Our role as a mutual aid cooperative is to respond flexibly and promptly to such changes in the environment and to make even greater efforts to stabilize the lives and improve the welfare of our members and users, as well as to contribute to local communities.
 It is crucial that we continue to fulfill our role in society by responding to the trust of our members based on the philosophy of Kyosai business based on the spirit of mutual assistance.

 In order to strengthen linkage among cooperative mutual aid organizations and contribute to the stabilization of the lives and improvement of the welfare of people in local communities, including farmers, fishermen, workers, and small- and medium-sized enterprisers the Japan Cooperative Insurance Association will continue to work in concert with its member organizations to ensure the sound development of Kyosai business and contribute to the creation of a more secure and prosperous society than ever before. 
 We look forward to your continued support and cooperation.