Since the inception of Kaneko & Associates in 1998, we have been fully dedicated to pursuing the best possible resolution for each and every search assignment we are engaged in. Our dedication derives from the understanding that the mission of connecting professionals with companies carries with it a very large responsibility. We recognize that each search assignment greatly impacts the future of our client companies as well as the career goals of our selected candidates. In short, we have a huge social responsibility to our client companies, to their employees, and to the selected candidates. We are constantly aware of this responsibility, and this awareness is reflected in our services. K&A strives to maintain a high degree of integrity and professionalism for each and every assignment, and I am confident that our reputation of excellence among client companies and professional candidates is the result of such efforts. In the past ten years, the business environment has changed drastically. Dynamic economic forces—such as the financial crisis brought on by the “Lehman shock,” and the accelerated pace of corporate globalization triggered by the stagnation of the domestic market—have made the securing of talented, globally-minded human capital a matter of particular urgency for corporate survival and expansion. As companies are forced to become more selective and demanding, our role as search service provider will no doubt continue to grow in importance. The perception that people are the driving force behind business—and that “human resources” are in fact “human capital”—has been gaining ground, and we will continue to move forward driven by the conviction that “people come first.” Moreover, I firmly and passionately believe that our company’s true value lies in the contribution we make to society through the clients and job candidates we work with.