Stakeholder Dialogue 2025

Tokita
In that sense, Japan is in a difficult position right now. However, if we take this as an opportunity, Japan is in a key position amid a turbulent international situation involving the U.S., China, the Global South, ASEAN, South America, and Africa. Many initiatives arising from Japan may contribute to the world. As one of Japan's leading technology companies, Fujitsu has a greater responsibility than other companies.

Furuta
The WBCSD has addressed rapid changes in the global situation on several occasions, and we should also keep an eye on them. In addition to the global situation, WBCSD also identifies as an urgent issue physical risks in the supply chain. In the most recent movement, WBCSD’ CEO Handbook [2] has been published; we would like to use it within Fujitsu to inform how management should respond to physical risks.

Bakker
Increased physical risks, including floods, typhoons, and droughts, are already pressing challenges. These risks are closely related to the accumulation of excess greenhouse gases (derived from fossil fuels, etc.) in the atmosphere.
At Climate Week NYC, one of the world's most significant global climate action forums, a clear message emerged – physical risks increase exponentially with rising temperatures. Extreme weather, water stress, and heatwaves are disrupting supply chains, increasing costs, and threatening resilience. This fundamentally changes the risk landscape for business.
For global supply chains, physical risk is no longer limited to direct damage from extreme weather events. Secondary and cascading impacts are becoming just as material. These include rising insurance premiums and reduced insurability in high-risk regions; deteriorating working conditions due to extreme heat, leading to productivity losses and health impacts; and declining agricultural yields, which disrupt food systems and land-based transport networks.

WBCSD’ CEO Handbook on Physical Risk and Resilience in Value Chains [2] was designed to support CEOs and executive teams in responding to these challenges. It provides a practical framework to identify, assess, and manage physical risks across a company's value chain – helping leaders move from awareness to action. I encourage companies to actively use this guidance.

Tokita
Fujitsu’s purpose is to “Make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation”. This is an important guiding principle for our employees, as well as for our commitment to our customers and society. As a technology company, the term "through innovation" has a profound meaning.

In the age of AI, we need to continue growing while innovating, leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including AI. And when we do that, it's vital to be Human Centric, since we believe technology exists for human growth and evolution.

We launched this purpose in 2020 and we placed it at the center of our Fujitsu Way corporate philosophy. In order to realize the purpose, "Our Values" indicate a critical action cycle consisting of 'Aspiration', 'Trust', and 'Empathy'.
Aspiration is the action and attitude that great companies should demonstrate in today's chaotic world. Fujitsu celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2025 since its founding in Kawasaki City. Today, the world is in the age of digital transformation and AI. We will focus on cutting-edge technologies, such as supercomputers and quantum computers, to provide valuable services and solutions to our customers and society.

Bakker
AI is a game-changer for society, with enormous potential. Its advanced data analysis capabilities can help address complex challenges. At the same time, AI is resource-intensive, requiring significant energy and water, with its full societal impact not yet well understood.

One growing concern is that AI development risks becoming a technological race between the U.S. and China, where speed and scale may take precedence over shared outcomes. If the pursuit of artificial super intelligence becomes an end in itself, we risk losing sight of what matters most. The essential question is not who gets there first, but how AI is used. Its development must serve the broader interests of humanity, not the narrow advantage of a few.

Without vigilance, AI risks becoming a competition without empathy or a Human Centric perspective. Governance frameworks are already struggling to keep pace with the speed of technological change. Ensuring responsible, inclusive, and sustainable AI will require collaboration and leadership between governments, business, and society.

Companies operating in the AI field, including Fujitsu, understand that trust is a critical factor in the relationship between people and technology. If trust is one of Fujitsu's core values, then developing AI responsibly requires careful reflection on how to maintain and strengthen that trust – not just locally, but globally. Ensuring transparency, accountability, and human-centric design will be essential to building confidence in AI and unlocking its full potential for society.

Bakker
I agree with you. Fujitsu and many other companies continue to invest heavily in AI. This is already a competition, and if we don't speed up, we will lose our competitive edge. Companies like Fujitsu will be able to implement good governance and maintain a Human Centric approach. However, geopolitical risks are a concern. Who can build that governance framework in an increasingly competitive environment and in the face of a lack of dialogue? I expect Fujitsu to deeply examine how to maintain trust between rapidly evolving AI and people.

Importance of collaboration

Bakker
How we address sustainability remains a key issue for business. Although we have enough data and information, we need to find a better way to implement the solutions we seek. It is clear that no individual company can meet this issue alone.
A few years ago, we made a commitment to achieve net zero by 2050. From now on, how companies work together in the value chain and with policymakers to create dynamic policymaking environments will be critical.

WBCSD has 250 member companies that emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases through their business activities. If these 250 companies can work together, they should be able to reduce emissions quickly. Many companies – like Fujitsu, already have solutions; others need access to them. Our role is to connect businesses, facilitate shared action, and ensure that these solutions are scaled effectively across industries and geographies.

Furuta
Fujitsu has supported the WBCSD's Emissions Reduction Accelerator (ERA) Initiative to promote decarbonization of its business value chain and hopes to leverage the power of technology to help reduce GHG emissions across the value chains of 250 WBCSD member companies.