Topics 3 : Park-golf courses to be promoted in metropolitan areas

Sakata Seed Co., Park Golf Japan Inc. and the Company are collaborating to promote the park-golf business mainly in metropolitan areas. Park golf was invented in Hokkaido in 1983 as a handy sport anyone can enjoy with only a club and a ball. In the 20-plus years since then, it has been rapidly popularized. Currently, there are more than 900 such courses nationwide mainly in the Hokkaido, Okinawa and Kyushu regions. Although there are only about 20 in metropolitan areas, park golf takes only one-50th of the area that regular golf requires. We expect the park-golf population to grow rapidly given the substantial number of active seniors living in metropolitan areas. In the trend toward a declining number of public works, the Company intends to actively engage in the park-golf business through this joint business maximizing our strengths in lawn creation and maintenance and management know-how. In the first year of this joint business, we aim to establish one or two park-golf courses in metropolitan areas.