9. New horizons and growth in Asia (2005-2013)

KOKUYO has been planning a company-wide structural reform since 2002. In 2004, the company made a move towards spinning off some of its businesses and was restructured as a holding company. Then in 2005 － the year that marked the company's 100th anniversary － all employees joined forces to reconfirm the company's founding spirit, and KOKUYO had a fresh start as the KOKUYO Group. This was also a good occasion to redesign the company logo, which had become very familiar since its first appearance in 1981. The global financial crisis triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers had a major impact on the Japanese market too. KOKUYO is now taking a step back, to its origins, engaging in large-scale reform as a business that aims to be of service in a changing market. For example, in a mature market such as the stationery business, KOKUYO aims to create products that help to add value for those clients who use them. In the furniture business, having seen that the form and function of offices are undergoing a major shift due to framework and style changes, KOKUYO is now concentrating its efforts on integral design for office spaces, as a way of enhancing workers' creativity. In 2011, the group which had been spun off was brought back into the fold, and the management system was reformed, turning the company into a centralized business with its two core businesses － stationery and furniture － as its two axes. As an additional growth strategy, KOKUYO has started expanding its business in the rapidly growing Asian market, while steadily continuing to build on its foundations through its two core domestic businesses. Using the know-how acquired over more than 100 years in Japan, KOKUYO is expanding as a business that takes local needs into consideration and has taken the first step toward progressing from being the pride of Japan to becoming the pride of Asia.